Blogs from Laos, Asia - page 576

2 days in Phonsavan The Lonely Planet guide does not speak highly of this city. It's probably a place that's hard to love. It's sprawled out, and kind of messy, but not too unlike many other towns in the region, so we probably shouldn't bash it too much. For us, our coming here proved to be one of the most educational and touching aspects of getting to know the country and the people who live here. Most people come here for a launching point to visit the Plain of Jars, a collection of archaeological sites with 1000s of mysterious jars of different sizes carved from solid rock, from an unknown civilization (from about 1500 years ago?), scattered on the tops of rolling hills... To read more, please see our new travel page - www.soulent.com/zm2005 We've got ... read more

Day 4 in Laos We made it! We arrived in Luang Prabang after an 8 hour bus ride on route 13, the bandit route, and we are safe!!! First of all, we were lucky that it is low tourist season here... the mini van that drove us here can, according to us, only take 7 passengers + the driver + all the backpacks. But apparently, during the high season they squeeze up to 10 passengers in it! That's how you make lonesome business in this country! ;) The route to Luang Prabang is quite something... No need for directions to find it, it is an 8-hour winding drive through the mountains with no possibility whatsoever of taking a left or right, since there are no exits... To read more, please see our new travel page - ... read more

Day 1 in Laos Crossing the border and heading for Vang Vieng We took a night bus from Bangkok to Vientiane and arrived in the early morning hours at the border of Laos. We had originally opted for buying an express (ready in 1 hour) visa in Bangkok, but we found out visas are currently being offered at the Laotian border crossing of Friendship Bridge. We had bought a ticket from NAT tours, which asked us to wait at 6.45pm for the bus which would depart at 7pm. At 7.10pm, a lady finally showed up and guided us 300 meters through the back streets of Khao Sarn rd, to another location, where we were made to fill out a simple form, place colour stickers on our luggage and clothes, and asked to wait till 8.00pm for ... read more

Arriving in Vientiane, after 24 hours on the bus from Hanoi, was like stepping into a war-zone. Every one of the dusty side streets showed evidence of a recent skirmish. They roamed in gangs, some as young as 3 or 4, armed to the teeth with pistols, pump-actions, and buckets. Just when I thought I'd found a safe street to walk down, a sniper from a second floor balcony got me in the back... "Sabaidee Pii Mai" he screamed as his friends laughed. I certainly left Vietnam and made it to Lao (don't use the 's' if you're cool) at the right time - smack bang in the middle of Pii Mai Lao (the Lao New Year, similar to Thailand's Songkran), a three day, country-wide festival of water splashing (to wash away the sins of the ... read more

Laos - dont know much about it?? I'm not surprised - this land locked country is the forgotten country of S.E Asia; nestling in between it's exotic and dangerous sounding neighbours: Thailand, Vietnam, China, Burma, and Cambodia. Lacking the economic dynamism of the rest of the region, it sits, quite happily, in a bit of a timewarp (the hammer and sickle still flies proudly from all public buildings) - and it's all the better for it - an utterly charming place. With the faded french colonial buildings, traditional temples and a sprinkling of communist era buildings, it's a real eclectic mix. The people are kind, helpful, and dont really have the energy or desire to try and rip off tourists, so it's an absolute pleasure to visit. Lao's only really claim to fame is the title ... read more