Laos: The Good, The Bad, and The Beautiful
A landlocked country in the north of South East Asia, Laos is known for beautiful landscapes and as a country mostly untouched by tourism. Much like Thailand many years ago, Laos attracts visitors for its incredible landscapes, flowing waterfalls, and clear blue lagoons.
The Language
I try to learn key phrases in each language, so that at least I’m trying! Being another tonal language, it’s hard for me to learn much, but here’s what I used:
Sa-bai-dee: Hello
La-gone: Goodbye
Khob Chai: Thank you (Add lala at the end if you’re really thankful)
Yud: Stop (Helpful in Tuk Tuk’s)
Karlunaa: Please
The Food
Tradtional Lao cuisine is similar to that of Thailand; rice and noodles. However the country has a huge influence from France, due to the imperialism of 1890’s to the 1950’s when they regained their independence as a country. You can easily find western food at reasonable prices, from Italian to an Irish beef stew, when you’re in places where there’s even a small tourist population. In Luang Prabang, there’s a side street off the night market where they offer all you can eat buffets from 15,000 Kip (£1.50) Think noodles, fresh vegetables and fruit, tofu in all kinds of sauces, and even fried banana bread!
Try: Street stalls which sell fresh baguettes with any topping you want, filled with salad and fresh veggies. It’s cheap too, from 10,000 Kip (£1!)
The Route
Most of the people I came across on my trip through Laos did a similar route to me. Coming from Thailand, I crossed the border into Laos on a bus from Chiang Rai into Huay Xai, where I stayed for one night before I headed into the jungle for 3 days on The Gibbon Experience.
The Gibbon Experience
We chose the Classic, which was supposed to maximise Gibbon encounters (we didn’t see any, but we certainly heard them!). The trip consisted of 2 nights in a treehouse in the middle of the jungle, with treks and a lot of zip lining during the day. The views from both were honestly incredible, and the zip lines were exhilarating (although trekking with a harness on is not the most comfortable thing in the world!) I’m not going to lie to you, it was more trekking than I had hoped, but it was definitely worth it when you see the scenery from the top.
After this, I grabbed the slow boat down to Luang Prabang, 2 days of 7 hours cruising down the Mekong river seemed much more appealing than a 12 hour bus journey which is the only other way to get there. Playing cards and heads up passed the time, as did gazing at the cliffs and rolling hills that bordered the water.
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang is a small city of around 50,000 people. There are 30 temples within the city borders, and many more in the surrounding countryside, so if you’re into temples, this is the place to go. They also have a bustling night market selling all sorts of wares, including bracelets made of recycled metal from the bombs the Americans left behind. ‘We make bracelets, not bombs’ is what you will see at the stalls, often made by amputee’s or people who have been affected by the bombs that still kill people to this day in Laos.
Try: Utopia bar for a ‘poor mans mixer’ (10,000Kip (£1) for cheap whisky and coke), then jump in a Tuk Tuk to the bowling alley for the only late night activity in town!
Must see: The waterfalls here are incredible, don’t miss a trek to the top where there’s a calm lake and a swing in the water.
Vang Vienne
I loved Vang Vienne but I hated it almost as much. I love the fact that wherever you are, you look up and you can see the green topped cliffs that surround the town. I hate that tourism have seen this as an opportunity to make money, and ruined it completely. I love that bars give you free drinks, and that tubing is crazy fun, but I hate that it ruined my liver. I made great friends in this place, but it is a hard place to stay sober (perhaps that’s how I made so many friends). Even when we went out and did things in the day like the Blue Lagoon, most of the westerners had a beer in hand; it’s exhausting. Don’t stay from more than 3 days or your insides might disintegrate from all the free whisky!
Don’t miss: Sakura Bar for free whisky from 8-9, or Viva for free beer from 10-11!
Vientianne
As a city lover, I was disappointed here. There’s not a whole load to do, and the eateries are few and far between, but I had to stay here for 3 days to sort my visa for Vietnam, so at least it gives my liver time to recover before I head to Hanoi.
Go to: The Cope visitor centre for a education on the bombs still affecting people's lives, and what this charity does to help amputees and provide healthcare and education to those affected.
Lots of people head down to 4000 islands from here, but I’m giving that a miss this trip. I head to Hanoi tonight. I cheated and got a flight, but there’s a bus for 180,000 Kip (£18) that’ll take you from here to the city, but it’s a 22 hour journey, and I didn’t fancy that… this time.