JamieBrown

The traffic has come to a halt. Up ahead, a bus and truck have tried to pass each other where road works have closed half the road. The result of course, is inevitable. In Australia, there would be some law and order, but remember we are in Laos. First, the cars and vans move forward as far as they can, blocking the road. Then the crowd gathers around the accident, waving hands, nodding in agreement and laughing. No one is in charge and no one seems to really care. Piles of gravel block one side of the road and a few guys, with bamboo sticks, try to level the gravel somewhat as to allow the traffic through one side. There doesn’t appear to be any shovels in Laos! With only a small amount of success, the ... read more

On the conjunction where The Mekong and the Nam Kahn rivers meet, the magical city of Luang Prabang thrives. With streets lined with Frangipani and palm trees, bakeries, restaurants, cafes and French tourists this place is more like Paris than Paris. The obvious difference being the orange clad, head shaved monks, which roam the streets. With their gentle smiles and black umbrellas, they wander around like someone with nowhere to go. I imagined Laos to be a wild adventure where no man had trod before and here I am in this sophisticated city, with all the other adventurous tourists. It certainly is hard to get away from the maddening crowd these days. A tuk tuk whisks us away from the bus station and drops us several blocks from our destination. The Lao Wood House. You know ... read more

A 1.5 hour boat ride will take us to Nong khai. 25000 kip per person. It is cheaper because there are a lot of people per boat. The boat we are in has 6 luxurious seats up the front and wooden planks up the back. We are first on and Kathy claims a good seat but being the gentleman we are me and the boys venture up the back with the locals. It is just like an air flight, first class up the front and the cattle squeezed up the back. A very long hour on the river ensues; at times like this I wish my bum stored more fat. It is terrible when one starts to become blasé with his surroundings but on this trip I am more worried about the cramp in my leg ... read more

Have you ever woke up and wondered “where the hell am I?” This must be what hostels are like. 6 people side by side. Very cosy. On the street down stairs breakfast is served, buffet style. A panoply of egg dishes, bread, watermelon, bananas, papaya, pineapple, fried rice, noodle and pancakes. All washed down with Lao coffee and black currant juice. Muang Noi is a small village on the Nam oui River in Northern Laos. It has no roads and electricity 3 hours per day. The river is the life blood of this place. It is the road, the food, the bath, the entertainment and the economy. The tourist have arrived, unlike Vietnam there seems to be as many tourists as locals. Some young fresh faced backpackers, lots of in love couples and I think everybody ... read more

There is no chilling sound as the squealing of a pig. Especially at 4am when one is in a deep slumber. But I guess if you want to be one with nature, there are drawbacks. Does it have to be followed up with the barking of dogs and the crowing of roosters? Leaving Son La behind we head further west to Dien Bien Phu, passing through some of the most amazing valleys I have ever seen. Everywhere you look there is a photo. I have run out of superlatives to describe it, so you can just look at the pictures. The tribes people here are long ,thin and elegant as opposed to others I have encountered. All are exceptionally friendly and beautifully dressed in their local costum. Arriving at Dien Bien Phu, we separate with our ... read more