-
Laos – Land of the Million Elephants (Pre-trip)
Introduction
“Why Laos?”, I was asked many times before I left for my trip. As a friend of unconventional travel, good Asian food and warm climate, the decision was quickly made. Inspired by the beauty of northern Thailand some years ago, I decided to travel again to this region.
-
Laos – Land of the Million Elephants #3
Luang Prabang
Monday, Nov 30 – Luang Prabang
In Luang Prabang, immigration is very strict when it comes to officially checking in and out of the province. So we first go to the immigration office to get the in-stamp in our passport and then have breakfast at the Khem Karn Food Garden. A
-
Laos – Land of the Million Elephants #4
Luang Prabang
Wednesday, Dec 2 – Luang Prabang
Breakfast in the Luang Prabang Bakery with Udo and Gabi. Westerners usually converge here at this time of day, almost all tables are occupied. Ken comes along, when he could not find me at my guesthouse.
We decide to explore some places acr
-
Laos – Land of the Million Elephants #7
Homeward Bound
Thursday, Dec 10 – Bus to Bangkok
From the guesthouse we have a nice view, overlooking the Burmese village on the other riverbank. My bus to Ching Rai leaves at 8am. Nuek takes me to the bus terminal, which is quite far out of town. I say goodbye to him and get on the bus.
-
Dialogue in the Dark – Laos
Dialogue in the Dark
Vang Vien, Laos
We ascend at the edge of the second cathedral before reaching the third, climbing over stalagmites and stalactites that had fallen from the ceiling. I’m walking in front because I have magic shoes. I run up the huge fallen boulders like a goat. Erim is
-
The Farang Roll – Laos
The Farang Roll
Laos
Across Southeast Asian traveler haunts, the ubiquity of culinary offerings promising a taste of “home”- banana pancakes, the Israeli shakshuka, and the like – can be both comforting and repelling. While in Northern Laos, my girlfriend and I pondered just h
-
The Gateway to Laos – Laos Border Crossing
The Gateway to Laos
Laos
I was warned that getting a visa at the border could be problematic. I had heard horror stories of invented ‘taxes’, fake visas and stolen passports. But I had no choice.
I had seen photos of Laos: misty mountains reflected in turquoise rivers. Scenery up th
-
Arrested in Laos – Laos
Arrested in Laos
Laos
Well, there I was visiting George in Vang Viene, Laos. I was traveling with Daochai (star in Lao), my girlfriend for the past 2 months.
There is a real problem here with this relationship. In Laos, foreign men are not allowed to “cohabit” with Lao ladies. There
-
Writing From Afar – Phonsavan, Xiang Khouang province, Laos
Writing From Afar
Phonsavan, Xiang Khouang province, Laos
Welcome to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, where Harvard Square meets Southeast Asia and the hippie hipster 20something backpackers outnumber the local population 15:1. Those were the numbers, anyway, up in Luang Prabang, for
-
So Lao, you can’t get under it – Laos
So Lao, you can’t get under it
Laos
Vientiane may be the smallest big city that I have ever been to.
It has the feeling of a small, country town that is somewhat embarrassed about its status as the capitol of Lao. It is the only capitol city in the world that I can describe as relaxing. C
-
Lounging Around in Luang Prabang – Luang Prabang, Laos
Lounging Around in Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang, Laos
The boat journey down the Mekhong to Luang Prabang had tuckered me out.
I didn’t realize it, and towards the afternoon of my arrival I decided to lay down ‘just for a few minutes’. When I awoke when it was nearly ten p.m., s
-
Life in Laid Back Laos – Laos
Life in Laid Back Laos
Laos
Sunset over the Mekong – but the fish aren’t biting!As the sun set, the fishermen went out on the river in their narrow dug out canoes with huge white fishing nets, weighted at the rim. Gathered up, swung gently back and thrown out wide and then slowly, p
-
Suntan Laotian – Laos
Suntan Laotian
Laos
People thought I was a lunatic for coming all the way to Laos, a landlocked nation without any beaches, for a “vacation”?
Even I thought I was out of my mind.
After a couple of days lying on the grass in the hazy egg-yolk-shaped sun of Vientiane, a Southeast Asia
-
Laotian Transport – Luang Prabang, Laos, SE Asia
Luang Prabang, the jewel of Indochina, is a small village in Laos that UNESCO plans to maintain that way under its World Heritage program. The ancient royal city is surrounded by mountains at the junction of the Mekong and its tributary, the Khan River. The tasty food, great markets, warm clima
-
The Vang Vieng Veg: Lao Women and Falaang Men – Laos, Asia
Vang Vieng
It was a day of kickin’ back, hiking, swimming and caving in Vang Vieng. I was walking back to my guesthouse after a quiet dinner when I came across a bar with a pool table. Well, it was too early to go to bed. One of the guys playing was an Israeli whom I had met several times in
-
How do you say Happy Birthday in Lue Mien? – Ban Chong Ka, Laos, Asia
I have had quite the adventure getting to my destination of Ban Chong Ka, a small village located in northern Laos. The monsoon season started in Laos; the roads were a disaster. It was an insane road trip that took 12 hours from the border town of Huay Sai to Luang Nam Tha. The truck I was tra
-
Heading Down River in Laos – Asia
Heading down river in Laos, I wonder is this a dream or reality? I am nearing the end of my stay in Laos; my visa expires in three days. I have been staying at a guesthouse along the banks of the Nam Tha River. Across from my guesthouse is the boat landing where the river really comes to lif
-
Canoe Racing on the Nam Tha River – Laos, Asia
At 9:00 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, I ran headlong into Lao time. Until then everything had gone like clockwork: no missed flights, no lost luggage, no forgotten reservations – everything smooth as silk. Planes, trains and automobiles – all on schedule.
The long-tail boat that car
-
A Rainy Week in Laos – Asia
It was a week of torrential downpours, exhaust-spewing buses, roads in disrepair, primitive lodging, cancelled flights and suffocating humidity. For the love of god, if you’re going to visit Laos, don’t do it during rainy season.
To a southern Californian like me, being prepared for rain means
-
Unique Tips for Travelling Through Laos
Having just returned from travelling almost the entire length of Laos, (well, almost, I cheated and stopped at Luang Prabang) here are some top tips for staying sane on your travel adventures in South East Asia’s sleepiest country.
Finances
Ok, let’s start with the practical: money. Pretty cru
Total
171 -travel
FirstPage PreviousPage NextPage LastPage CurrentPage:
3/9 20-travel/Page Goto:
