Blogs from Luang Prabang, West, Laos, Asia - page 156

Hello again, I know it might seem soon for another email, and it is, but i have some catching up to do. So, i thought i'd start with a little bit of Laos talk. Like, what's the difference between Laos and Thailand? Is it different? Is it the same? All the answers and more, coming right up. So, Laos is poor, one of the poorest countries in the world. When i first arrived to Thailand, i thought it was a bit rough and basic, but in comparison to Laos, it is quite far advanced. Paved roads in Laos? Not so many. Luang prabang, yes (it was the old capital), and Vientiane, yes (it is the current capital), but in between and around, not so much. If they are paved, they were paved years and years ago ... read more

Tourist town with charm Luang Prabang, the former capital of Laos, is one with many beautiful architectural and cultural features. The French influence not withstanding, there are many temples here and respect for religion and art. Temples line the main streets and are locations of gilded adoration (of Buddha) as well as being the hub of each neighbourhood. Around this hub, the religious and social activities of the associated area are centred. Much beautiful decoration is evident here as well. Monks are all male, dressed in saffron-coloured robes and are varied in age from perhaps primary school to very old. I have been careful about my contact with them as a sign of respect. No touching. No direct eye-contact. However, if they approach - and a couple have, it is an opportunity for conversation and learning. ... read more

Sorry about our lack of communication over the last little while. Tara and I have spent the last 15 days in Laos and absolutely loved it! We would have stayed a lot longer if our visas hadn’t expired which meant we had to head into Cambodia. Laos was a dream country to visit; one of those places that you don’t really believe still exists in the world. Beautiful people, beautiful scenery and wonderful traveling companions made this one of the best experiences we could have ever asked for. I just wanted to let people know that we are still around and the details of our latest adventure will be posted shortly. Meanwhile, I have added some more pictures to our gallery…sabadee! ... read more

1.12. Presun do Laosu Tak dnes sa nam vdaka skvelemu Zuzkinmu planovaniu podaril riadne velky presun: Dostali sme sa na jeden sup z Thajska az do stredu Laosu. Vstali sme o piatej rano v Chang Rai, aby sme stihli skory autobus do Chiang Kongu, co je hranicne mesto medzi Thajskom a Laosom. Pestrofarebny autobus ako z cirkusu nas tam priemernou rychlostou 30km/h dostal za 3 hodinky.. Potom sme si zobrali tuk-tuk (motorova trojkolka) k rieke Mekong, potom lod cez Mekong a boli sme v Laose. Sikovne sme sa vyhli zlodejom co nam ponukali vybavenie viz, sprostredkovanie kupy listku na lod a podobne okradacky a tahali sme sa priamo na colnicu. Chvilu byrokracie na hranici a dostali sme viza. Ked Zuzke vydavali peniaze za viza, supli jej medzi dve pekne dolarove bankovky jednu ktora vyzerala ako toaletny ... read more

Today is Nov 27, 2005. We are in Luang Prubang. On Nov 22, we took a bus from Mengla, Yunnan, China to Luang Namtha, Laos. The trip took a total of 6 hours, including the two immigration processes. The road north of the Chinese border is OK, but the road in Laos is terrible. Luang Namtha is a very small town, with one major street of about 500 meters. It is very quiet, very clean, and people are generally polite and soft spoken. We stayed at a guesthouse (for two nights) run by a Chinese family. The showers are powered by Solar Power. There is hardly any hot water for the first day, but sufficient for the second day. We met up with a French couple, Olivier & Ludienne and spent the next few days doing ... read more