Blogs from Laos, Asia - page 583

Asia » Laos » West » Vientiane June 30th 2004

My first entry. Well, I'm not really travelling at the moment but everyday is like a mini holiday in some way which is why I work overseas and not in my home country. This year I find myself in lovely Laos - but it's taken a long time for me to feel that it is that - lovely. Anyone ever been to Vientiane? It's a city that grows on you. If it grows on you. It took six months for it to grab me in any meaningful way. There are days now when I wonder how I will drag myself away from the peaceful days that seem to flow slowly from one to the next, but it must be done, and all in just over a month's time. I've never been good at imagining myself in ... read more

Laos!! This is wat your'e looking for when you are travelling!

Asia » Laos » West » Luang Prabang April 15th 2004

Waterfall near Luang Prabang

matthijn

After Spending some time in Thailand, witch I found too touristy for my opinion, It was great to set foot in this 'unspoiled country' By slowboat I took 2 days to reach the first City in Laos, we started in the north of Thailand and arrived in Luang Prabang. Not much Highlights in laos, but is just the overall atmosthere, the feeling that you get beeing among the people there. Different style of tourism, that atracted me. Small guesthouses with unbelievable frienly hosts. In this country you get the feeling that there is no time...why hurry enjoy the moment and you have a great time. Visiting waterfalls and drink the milk from a coconut or try one of the fruit smoothies. Waching the quiet city life of the locals, play hackysac with them or bike around ... read more

The Plain of Jars (Cánh đồng chum)

Asia » Laos » East » Plain of Jars January 17th 2004

Wat Sen in Luang Prabang

theRedRiver

While waiting at Don Muang airport in Bangkok for connecting my flight to Dubai, I went into a bookshop and saw a book about Laos. On the book cover there was a picture of a Laotian kid sitting on a big jar at the Plain of Jars. It was so attractive that I decided I wanted to go there. Four months later, in January 2004, I had a 8 day holiday of Tết (Vietnamese lunar new year) and was ready to go after searching a lot of information. I flew from Hanoi to Luang Prabang, then took a local bus to Phonsavan. I spent a few days in Vientiane, crossed Lao - Thai border to Nong Khai town, then back in Vientiane again to fly back home. There are not many Vietnamese who are interested in ... read more

Most beautiful waterfalls

Asia » Laos » West » Luang Prabang November 23rd 2003

Cassandra86

Laos was super amazing. It was a school community service trip but admittedly I feel we didn't do enough community service. I saw the most beautiful waterfall oasis, trekked up steep dangerous hills in flip flops, elephant trekked through the most surreal surroundings. We got 5 US dollar an hour massages (sooo nice) and went river rafting (rafts built by the orphans we were helping out). The people were lovely, and I think to truly experience this place, you need to do it in the rough.... read more

Four Thousand Islands

Asia » Laos » South » Si Phan Don September 27th 2003

My balcony and hammock

MandT W

I have been away from internet cafes for 10 days or so (which is harder to do than you would think). I think when last I wrote I was talking about going on a five day trek in Savannakhet province. For some reason (which due to communication difficulties I was not able to ascertain) this trek is not being run any more. So instead I went to the very southern-most part of Laos to an area called the Four Thousand Islands. It is an area where the Mekong stretches to 14km across. In the dry season there are many many small sandy islands in the area (four thousand at last count apparently…) in addition to the larger ones with vegetation and even villages. At the moment it is the rainy season, and the area is more ... read more

Locals after a successful fishing excursion on Don Det

laos

Asia » Laos » North » Ban Nam Lai July 13th 2003

renzo59

from the north border with china to the south... read more

An A + Asian adventure!

Asia » Laos » West » Luang Prabang April 8th 2003

So much time, so little to do

Tom Rooney

There are certain countries that always seem to pop up in travel conversations, and while exploring South East Asia the consistently good oil's on Laos. The planet is never so lonely after boarding an aeroplane, so let's go for a virtual tour ... to Laos! I took a flight from Sydney to Bangkok, spent a few days in the Thai capital and from there organised a bus trip to the Thai border on the Mekong river. After a short boat ride across the river I went through border formalities on the Laos side, before being stamped into this beautiful country of six million people. Laos was devastated by American bombing during the Vietnam War as the US airforce tried to destroy the Viet Cong supply lines along the legendary Ho Chi Minh trail. However, the present ... read more

Laos

Asia » Laos » West » Luang Prabang March 15th 2003

6-tier waterfall with a rope swing :)

Dobes

I love this place.... read more

LAOS 3

Asia » Laos » West » Luang Prabang February 2nd 2003

BLUE IS BEAUTIFUL

NATIONOFJAMES

At 16000 Kip to the pound cashing your travellers cheques is an amusing process in the Laos People's Democratic Republic. Converting $100 makes you literally a millionaire, and with 5000 Kip the most common denomination, you're lumbered with a wedge of notes about 3 inches thick. It goes quicker than you would think but that is not to say Laos is expensive. On the contrary, at 7000 Kip the pleasantly palatable 'Beer Lao' makes Thailand's 'Beer Chang' seem as reasonably priced as that rank excuse of a lager they call Stella Artois. And a bottle of Lao whiskey equates to about 40p a bottle. What majesty the Mekong! A wide murky brown deluge of water breaching China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Nam, and not compromising in mass, so it appears, along the way. Almost as wide ... read more

LAOS 2

Asia » Laos » West » Vientiane January 21st 2003

VANG VIENG YEAH.

NATIONOFJAMES

Temples abound in Vientiane, yet the municipal architecture is strictly French. Unlike Thailand's pseudo European functionalism though, these buildings look like they have been imported straight from Province, being as they are a hangover from French Indochina. Cafes and restaurants willingly perpetuate this theme. Populated with a sombre collection of French ex-pats, various emissaries and successful Laotians one is rarely reminded that Vientiane is actually the capital city of Laos. Even the Mekong looks curiously sedate as it's huge mass moves steadily on its odyssey towards the South China Sea. The set up is different here. The action is tucked away out of sight. The bars are welcoming enough but as soon as you leave you are affronted with a curious stillness that dissuades you from perpetrating any drunken antics on your journey home. Consequently Laos ... read more

Brief history of Laos

Laos was under the control of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the Communist Pathe...more history

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