Spread-eagled over the waterways of the Xe Don and mighty Mekong, which passes through this humble provincial hub on its way down to the delta villages of Vietnam and the South China Sea, Pakxe is the very image of backwater urban Laos. Yes sir, despite coming in as the fourth largest city in the entire country, it’s hard not to enjoy this one’s chilled-out, bucolic feel.

The centre is peppered with the occasional remnant of French colonialism while smiling dinner ladies cook up chilli-packed omelettes in baguettes on the roadsides, makeshift beer bars cluster over the edges of the water, and there are all the ubiquitous massage parlours ready to soothe tired traveller muscles. In fact, a little chirapsia may just come in handy here, as Pakxe tour guides offer a range of excursions such as a hike the forested Xe Pian National Protected Area, a foray into the 4000 islands (Si Phan Don) or motorbike tours around the Bolaven Plateau, where roaring waterfalls sweep through misty jungles.