2013年7月27日星期六

Champasak

Champasak

Champasak has a population of about 572,000 including lowland Lao, Khmers and many unique ethnic minority groups. The province is also famous for the production of Lao coffee, tea, rattan and other agricultural produce.

The bustling commercial center of Pakse is the capital town of Champasak. Founded as an administrative outpost by the French in 1905, Pakse retains much of its colonial legacy. The Champasak Historical Heritage Museum offers a good introduction to Lao culture, history and art. Perhaps the most famous building in Pakse is the Champasak Palace Hotel.

From Pakse, you can drive to Paksong on Bolaven Plateau, home to ethnic minority communities like the Alak and Katu. Travelling from the Mekong to over 1000 metres in altitude, you pass through teak plantations, abandoned rubber plantations, durrian, peach, and pear orchards, robusta and arabica coffee plantations (some people say that Lao coffee is the best in the world), tea plantations, then Saravane where cattle are raised. On the plateau is the serene Tat Lo waterfall and resort, where visitors can enjoy unspoiled nature and elephant ride through the forest. Several water fall drop over the escarpment. One of the most spectacular is Tat Phan with height of 120 metres.

Certainly the highlight of any visit to Champasak is the ancient Khmer temple of Wat Phu, located about 46 km south of Pakse along the Mekong River. Wat Phu is recognized as one of the most important Hindu sanctuaries of Cambodia’s Khmer Empire, which lasted from the 9th to 13rd centuries.

~~Info courtesy of Lao News Agency~~

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