Lovely Laos

To me, Laos is how I imagine Thailand was 20 years ago, before it became the tourist haven it is today. A beautiful, unassuming piece of Asia that I urge everyone to travel to before it loses its undeniable charm.

Mum and I spent 2 weeks exploring Laos’s well known tourist sites and finding some incredible ones of our own.

We began our journey in the capital Vientiane and then continued on to Vang Vieng, a little pocket of the country that appears to be at odds with itself as to how to progress forward. On one hand, surrounded by Limestone mountains and lush vegetation, the scenery is some of the most beautiful in all of Laos, but on the other, it seems to be a haven of backpackers, all intent on spending their time in paradise dancing to trance music and drinking up a storm! Vang Vieng has something for everyone!

Having said that, however, I am a big believer in respecting the local people and their culture, whether this means covering your head in temples, women not touching monks or simply dressing conservatively in a country that is very conservative and a little shy.  It is good to remember that we are guests in their country when we travel, we are not there to impose our rules or blatantly disrespect theirs, even if the people are much too polite to ever say anything. Pick up a copy of the Lonely Planet, or check out Intrepid Travel’s website, a little research can go a long way! 

Not having a hangover each morning, we managed to fit in a lot in Vang Vieng, we kayaked down the  river, watched the sun set  from a riverside café and went tubing inside the Tham Nam cave. It was pitch black and we only had our little miner’s lights to guide the way! It is a very eerie feeling paddling through ink black water.

Sunset in Vang Vieng

About to enter Tham Nam Cave- not nervous at all!

The quaint town of Luang Prabang is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and for good reason; it is  picturesque. It has the Mekong on one side and the Nam Ou (Ou River) on the other. Days we spent push biking through the streets, visiting Temples and wandering around markets selling everything from coconuts to fresh fish, whole chickens and even a char grilled cat, all coated with a healthy dose of flies! Believe it or not my adventurous, (crazy to some), mother, decided to eat dinner at the very same markets that night!

Food Markets in Luang Prabang

Char Grilled Cat for dinner anyone?

The highlight for me however was getting up before dawn one morning and riding my pushbike into town to see the monks receiving their morning alms at dawn. I had one of those wonderful travel moments that will stay with me forever, you know those times when it feels you are exactly where you are meant to be, when you are meant to be there? There was not another soul on the road; all I could hear were dogs barking, the wind in the trees and the early morning sounds of households waking up. I parked my bike by the Wat Xieng Thong Temple and somehow managed to be the only tourist there! The Alm ceremony went on right around me and I was blessed with moment of pure happiness!

My wonderful morning with the Monks

Wandering across the bridge- not as sturdy as it would appear!

I promise I had showered that morning- that will teach me for wearing thongs all day!

After reluctantly farewelling Luang Prabang, we boarded a slow boat for a 2 day journey up the Mekong, luckily being in a small group, we managed to secure a boat for ourselves so had plenty of room to relax, unlike some of the regular ferries who can pack up to 100 people on board!!



Boarding our boat for our trip up the Mekong

Days were spent reading, playing cards and watching the world go by. We paid a visit to a local village en route and were lucky enough to get a taste of local life on the river- the children were just beautiful- I think they were a bit amused by these strange Western tourists taking endless pictures of them, superstars for a day! The simple lives the villagers lead is a humbling thing to see, it really made me reassess the need for all of the ‘stuff’ that I seem to think is so important in my life. People who have nothing are sometimes the happiest people aren’t they? The children were running around and playing with the chickens in the dirt, no video games or TV, but I would argue that they were more content than any child I have ever seen in Sydney. Maybe we have it all wrong?

Just like getting on the Manly ferry??



Mum and I enjoying the river life



Does it get any cuter than this?



 We farewelled Laos at the Thai border, promising ourselves we would return to see  much more of her treasures before the rest of the world catches on!!

Goodwill Ideas in Laos

-Get a massage from the Laos Red Cross in Luang Prabang, this is a no lose situation, you get a wonderful massage and your money goes to a good cause!                                                                          

 - Visit Big Brother Mouse, a charity that distributes books to the local children. Take some books along that you have bought locally. This in turn supports the local economy.