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27.05.2007
Crossing the Chinese - Lao Border
Laos welcomed us with a big thunderstorm. While we were filling out our visa application and later had our passports checked & stamped at immigration, the first thunder roared. And soon, the skies came open… Somebody waved us into a “jumbo”, a big tuk-tuk with a roof. We jumped on it and off we went, not really knowing where we were going and actually how much it would cost... Gilles was sure it would take us to the next town to catch a bus for the two hour ride to Luang Nam Tha, Heidi had her doubts. First of all, since we “only”...[more] Category: Laos
28.05.2008
Luang Nam Tha - The base to explore Nam Tha NPA
New town Luang Nam Tha is best described as a stretch of road of about 1 kilometer, lined with buildings, mostly serving the budding tourist industry here. We stayed at the comfortable & central Manychan Guesthouse, in a huge room with air-con for the equivalent 4.8 Euros. On that ”stretch” making up the town are numerous restaurants, but we tried to give most business to the ladies on the markets, top quality food for 0.5 cents a meal! Most travelers come here to do some trekking, rafting or kayaking in the Nam Tha NPA. These...[more] Category: Laos
28.05.2008
Ecotourism in Northern Laos
The ecotourism project that started in 1999 in the Luang Nam Tha province has been quite a success story and has been extended to some of the other 20 National Park Areas (N.P.A.). The main goal is to reduce poverty in rural areas, protect the environment and support local culture. The 2007 edition of the Lonely Planet quotes that 75% of Laos is covered with unmanaged vegetation with 25% of this being primary rain forest. This fact, plus the many minorities and diverse wild life makes it the ideal place to explore a healthy untouched...[more] Category: Laos
29.05.2008
Trekking to a remote Akha village
The trek to this remote hamlet of Ban Nam Lai was rather unspectacular, as we were always walking under the thick canopy of the primary rain forest or other types of forest. This protected us from the scorching sun, but on the other hand there was no view for the entire seven hours we hiked. The trail was not particularly difficult, but quite a few parts were very steep and extremely slippery. This required all our concentration, because this was not the place to get injured. But the worst part were the leeches! These creepy things...[more] Category: Laos
30.05.2008
Wedding party at the Akha village
We reached Ban Nam Lai in the late afternoon and to our surprise found our accommodation to be half a kilometer outside the village, which felt rather uninviting. After a quick wash in the small river, we went over. On the way, we passed a person taking a bath in the river, who told our guide that in the evening, a wedding would be celebrated in this village. We immediately asked if we could join the ceremony and our guide Pet said we were welcome. Before we came to here, we heard several times that Laos today is what Thailand was...[more] Category: Laos
31.05.2008
Going to Luang Prabang
There are only 300 kilometers from Luang Nam Tha to Luang Prabang. Nevertheless, even if the Chinese government invested a lot of money to improve the roads in Laos, it took us more than 10 hours on a partly very bumpy, windy mountain road to reach the latter. Not to mention the fact that the bus left with more than one hour delay, with everyone giving us different information about the actual schedule… We arrived exhausted in Luang Prabang to discover a tourist zoo… In the first hour, we saw more western tourists than the 5 weeks...[more] Category: Laos
02.06.2008
Luang Prabang - Tourist Mecca & tourist rip off
The former royal capital without doubt must have put an irresistible spell on foreigners arriving here 10 to 15 years ago. The lush exotic vegetation, a small city wedged between the Mekong & the tiny Khan River with green hills all around it, this image itself is already idyllic. Now add about 30 “wats” and the countless monks that come with them and you have a very special place. So the word was out, the city was classified UNESCO World Heritage in 1995. With travelers pouring into Luang Prabang in such numbers, it consequently...[more] Category: Laos
04.06.2008
Phonsavanh and the “Plain of Jars”
Our favorite so far in Laos, because it is genuine… What a relief after the hyped-up Luang Prabang! Phonsavanh is a quiet little town with a tragic history that is evident at almost every corner. Apart from the mysterious jars scattered around at three different sites, it was the more recent history that captivated us: Xinuang Khoung Province was among those areas in Laos most heavily bombed during the “Secret War” between 1964 and 1973. An incredible 1.36 millions tons of bombs were dropped on the northeast and southeast of the...[more] Category: Laos
05.06.2008
UXO - The aftermath of America’s “Secret War”
U.X.O. stands for “UneXploded Ordnance”. Of the estimated 2 million tons of bombs, including 250 million cluster bombs dropped onto Laos between 1964 and 1973, about 30% did not explode! These have killed no less than 13.000 people in Laos in the last 30 years and crippled an even bigger number. The province of Xinuang Khoung, with its capital Phonsavanh, was especially targeted during the bombing raids. The USA suspected this northeastern province to be the hiding place of the communist Pathet Lao. Even though the Geneva Convention...[more] Category: Laos
06.06.2008
M.A.G., war scrap architecture and metal hunters
The Mine Advisory Group or M.A.G. started working in Laos in 1994, 20 years after the end of the “Secret War”. M.A.G. is a British association that is committed to clearing areas of mines and bombs. Even though great progresses have been made, they “only” find and destroy 100.000 “bombies” per year: at that pace, it will take almost 1.000 years to get rid of all the “bombies” that have killed so many civilians. The main activity and commitment of M.A.G. is the training of local technicians, both men and women. Teams are trained to...[more] Category: Laos
07.06.2008
Vang Vieng - Laos very scenic party destination
Vang Vieng is a small town about four hours north of Vientiane, surrounded by the most amazing landscape. After what we had heard and read about this place, we arrived with a lot of prejudice expecting heavy drinking, loud partying and god knows what. Getting there in the middle of the night in torrential rain did not help either. The only hotel we could visually identify in this mayhem was The Elephant’s Crossing, where we dished out 42 USD (!!!) for a nice room, but a noisy night to come. Due to the architecture of the hotel, the...[more] Category: Laos
08.06.2008
Caving and tubing around Vang Vieng
Nay, we could not resist the “tubing ritual”, but resourcefully made it part of a day trip that also took us to various caves, and needless to say an ethnic village, which always seems to be part of an itinerary. Of the four caves we visited, Tham Nam, the Water Cave, was the best fun. This cave filled with water reaches far into the mountain and its accessibility depends very much on the water level. The fascinating part is how you explore it. At the entrance, which was hardly noticeable due to the water level being so high, you...[more] Category: Laos
11.06.2008
Vientiane - The most quiet and relaxed capital
This capital of a nation of almost 6 million people rather reminds of a busy village. Its 300.000 residents enjoy a city without skyscrapers and a few major streets that are ploughed by a couple of brand new pickup trucks and scooters. What a difference to the crazy traffic jam, noise and pollution in other bigger towns in Southeast Asia, not talking about what we experienced in towns large and small in Latin America! We liked the city the minute we stepped off the bus and our new home, Villa Manoly, simply tops it all. This old...[more] Category: Laos
14.06.2008
Vientiane’s gourmet reputation
The Lonely Planet describes eating in Vientiane as “dollar for dollar the best in the world”. After more than two months of eating Asian food, we could not wait to explore this city’s highly praised restaurant scene. Of course, there are always places that offer “international cuisine” or what is thought to be such, namely burgers, spaghettis, pizzas or burritos. BUT these dishes are often prepared far from what you would expect: for instance, pizza made of sweet dough, spaghetti cooked into a mash or tacos that were actually...[more] Category: Laos
16.06.2008
Gilles - Pakse: boomtown down south
Since we wanted to visit different places at a different pace, we decided to travel our own way for the next week. It was also time for each of us to be a little on our own: we have been sticking together non-stop since Chile, which means 7 months! I decided to skip the area around Tha Khaek, which also meant giving up traveling the “430 kilometer Loop” on motorbike. But considering the many times I have been sick over the last 4 weeks, it simply was more reasonable. So I flew directly to Pakse, 680 kilometers further south. Pakse...[more] Category: Laos
17.06.2008
Heidi - My most favourite bus ride
“Quick, quick” said the lady when I asked for the bus to Khoum Khan at Vientane’s southern bus station. She just pushed me onto a bus that was pulling out of the station. Although Gilles refused to join this excursion, I had set my mind and heart to see the spectacular 7 kilometer long Kong Lo Cave. It can be crossed by boat on the river passing through it. What was a quick start turned into a very long three day journey. Luckily, I brought a piece of paper explaining in Lao where I wanted to go, since I expected few people to...[more] Category: Laos
18.06.2008
Heidi - Kong Lo Cave: the Journey is the Reward
After arriving in Khoum Khan late in the evening, I found a place to sleep and good company on top: a few Australians who also had arrived that day and wanted to go to Kong Lo Cave the following day. I was really relieved since my biggest worry was that I would have to pay for the entire transport to Kong Lo village and for the cave alone. As it turned out, getting to the village of Kong Lo involved a small bus, canoes to cross a river and a small bus again. If this sound like a lengthy, cumbersome trip, it is not, compared to what...[more] Category: Laos
19.06.2008
Wat Phu Champasak
A visit to Wat Phu is more than paying tribute to Laos’ most impressive archaeological site. It is above all a fun trip. The best part is definitely the crossing of the Mekong, either in a tiny roll-on ferry, made of two canoes linked by a few wooden planks or on the “regular” ferry, where you can observe local women trying to sell just any food to passengers: noodle soup, coca-cola, cooked bananas and what not... After the heavy rain recently, the Mekong was spreading as far as the eye can see. Wat Phu Champasak is a religious...[more] Category: Laos
20.06.2008
Gilles - Loop on the Bolaven Plateau
Did you know that you can find some world class coffee in Laos? I am not talking about drink sweetened with condensed milk that you get with your breakfast, which requires getting used to it… I mean the coffee that is grown on the Bolaven Plateau, some 1.420 meters above the see level in the otherwise flat region of the lower Mekong in southern Laos. I was definitely in no mood for the usual tour including a trek through some tropical rain forest, stopping at some waterfalls, visiting the usual ethnic villages and of course a coffee...[more] Category: Laos
22.06.2008
Si Phan Don - The 4.000 Islands
Of the so called 4.000 islands on the southernmost part of the Mekong in Laos, only three are tourist destinations: Don Khong, Don Det & Don Khon. We guess all readers now know that “Don” means “Island” in Lao. “Relaxed” & “quiet” said our tour guide and people who had been there. We were rather skeptical: a REALLY quiet place is a luxury nowadays and difficult to find. But yes, it is true, even though we made the biggest island, Don Khong, our first destination and stayed in the center of the main “town”, Muang Khong. Still it was...[more] Category: Laos
23.06.2008
Don Det & Don Khon
The boat trip from Don Khong to Don Khon - this is not a joke, the “g” makes for a difference of 16 kilometers further south on the Mekong - was fantastic. Cruising past small islands that had almost disappeared in the Mekong’s high waters, we saw many small boats carrying just anything, tables, motorbikes, etc... Once we stopped on a very small island where children were busy doing what all children living on the Mekong love to do: they climb up a tree almost engulfed by the flooded river, crawl out on a branch and plunge like ripe...[more] Category: Laos
24.06.2008
Laos - Budget
Laos is the cheapest country we have been so far, even far cheaper than Bolivia! We honestly did not think it was possible. Even though we significantly upgraded our standard of living, we spent only 22 Euros a person per day during the month we were there. One could actually travel on a daily budget of less than 15 Euros and still be able to see a lot! On average, we spent 12 Euros per night on accommodation for a nice double room with private bath and air-conditioning. If we had not splurged the week in Vientiane, where we treated...[more] Category: Laos, Budget
24.06.2008
Laos - Summary
We traveled one month through Laos and truly enjoyed most of the places we visited. What immediately amazed us was how green this country is and that we could travel for hours without passing a village. But above all, it was the genuine friendliness of the Lao and their attitude towards their visitors that we found captivating. None of that pushy & constant “buy from me” business that you often see in other countries throughout the world! Among the younger backpackers, we repeatedly heard “Laos is what Thailand was 20 years ago”....[more] Category: Laos, Summaries
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