Pakbeng can be called a typical larger outback, and if it were not for his location on the shore of Mekong, then no one would know about it. Quiet, calm and even sleepy place, which comes to life only with the arrival of tourists next in Luang Prabang or in the opposite direction in Huai Ksai. It is the tourists and gave a relative impetus to the development of this town. Relative, because in Laos, everything is done slowly and smoothly. In this regard, finding the locals here, who speak English, is extremely problematic, and this is despite the fact that most price tags (on shields) and in the menu are duplicated in English, the truth is very and very corded. It helps a lot when explaining with guesthouses and cafes.
Tips, as such in Pakbenge there, because almost all prices are installed here using bargaining. But if you pay a little over, the quality of service becomes noticeably better. By the way, about the prices for certain services in Pakbenga must be negotiated in advance, with what is always! Even when you are offered to help bring luggage from the pier to a guest house, which is relevant in view of the fact that the road goes to a steep mountain and carry things to the very tedious.
To traveling, local residents are extremely favorably and friendly, as well as in all Laos, but some consumer relationship is still noticed that it is not surprising, because tourists are the main income of this pastoral town. It is possible therefore prices in Pakbeng are higher than all over the country.
When choosing a place for overnight stays, and you can hardly stay in Pakbeng for more than one night, pay attention to whether you will have a water heater in the room or not. The situation is the next. Alas, but most of the guesthouses are equipped with a central water heating system, and if you arrived late, then you simply may not be enough hot water. In the case of an individual water heater, you will avoid this problem. By the way, electricity in this city appeared relatively recently and there is no discontinuation case after 22:00, which also does not hurt to keep in mind.
From the point of view of personal security, tourists in Pakbeng have nothing to fear in general, the crimes against the person, in my opinion, in general, the Laos is not in the blood, but here are fraud, it is a frequent phenomenon, including in Pakbenge. True, here it has its own focus associated with geographic proximity to the "golden triangle known worldwide, a place that many experts consider the center of world drug production. No rare cases when tourists who arrived here are offered cocaine, opium, marijuana or other drugs. And if, nevertheless, you have a temptation to acquire something from this, chase these thoughts from my head immediately. First, the use of drugs in itself the phenomenon is stupid and harmful, and secondly, it is guaranteed that in 20-30 minutes to you a policeman, or a person with a policeman icon (you can't understand it) and will require 30-50 US dollars for not to arrest you or not to report to the police office. So from such proposals, refuse immediately.