Having not heard much about Laos before our trip, we weren't too sure what to expect, but it might have to be one of the nicest countries we've visted. Such a beautiful place, amazing food and lovely people. Fon had mentioned before we left Vietnam that we’d find that Laos had a bit of slower pace, but it wasn’t until we arrived at our first destination, Vientiane, that we really appreciated it. We had a fantastic seven days in Laos and some of the best memories of our trip. There are only two small things we will not miss about Laos – the abundance of persistent creepy crawlies (it reminded us of camping in Oz!) and the incredibly bumpy, pot-hole filled roads!
We loved Laos, the relaxed pace, the ability to walk on the road and not be beeped at, the siesta in the afternoon, the beautiful scenery and of course, the Lao Beer.
Vientiane
Our flight from Hanoi was a bit rough. It actually felt like we experienced turbulence for most of the one hour flight. I still managed to cram in a half hour power nap though!
Vientiane was our first stop off. We stayed in this sleepy town for just one night and experienced three different weather extremes during this time. We welcomed the slower pace to Hanoi, but we were instantly hit by the temperature – around 40 degrees (we’d just got used to 30 as well!).
It was a small town, but we felt it was a bit too hot to walk around for sightseeing, so we took a tuk tuk around town to see the main sights - the three main temples – Wat Si Saket and Haw Pha Kaew, Pha That Luang and the Patuxai monument (amazing panoramic views from the top of the tower).
By the time we reached our final stop on the tour, the stifling heat had subsided and given into gale force winds. There was actually a mini sand storm taking place just near the river.
We walked up to the statue of King Setthathirat, but the views of the Mekong River were masked by the tornado!
We got back to the hotel just in time to avoid to the thunder and lightning storm.
Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng, is a small town surrounded by incredible mountains, caves and waterfalls. The town was so small, it really only had three main streets which were described as the shopping street, the river street and the pubs and restaurants street. It was an easy place to navigate around.
Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng, is a small town surrounded by incredible mountains, caves and waterfalls. The town was so small, it really only had three main streets which were described as the shopping street, the river street and the pubs and restaurants street. It was an easy place to navigate around.
The pubs in Vang Vieng had such a laid back atmosphere. Most pubs had wooden beds with lots of cushions for groups of people to chill out on with some drinks and food. Also, nearly all pubs were either showing back-to-back episodes of Friends or Family Guy. With the comfy seats and cheap beer, you could easily lose an afternoon in this town.
Our highlights from Vang Vieng would have to be:
• Having a few drinks on a pub balcony, with views of the river and surrounding mountains.
• Having a few drinks on a pub balcony, with views of the river and surrounding mountains.
• Quad biking around town and up to the Phu Kham Cave.
• The beautiful lagoon at the Caves and washing off all the mud from the quad biking!
• Having the most amazing banana and chocolate pancake from a street vendor on “Pub Street!”
It was a nice little town, but we felt that two nights was definitely enough time. It was very touristy and mostly catering to Western needs; it felt a little like a club 18-30s holiday at night, with every pub giving away free shots and buckets.
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang was our favourite place in Laos for two main reasons – the town itself was so picturesque (filled with lots of great restaurants and bars) and also, it’s where we met Vern the elephant.
The drive from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang was the bumpiest yet. It was hard to concentrate on anything other than holding on and trying to pop your ears! The winding road to Luang Prabang was incredibly scenic - driving through mountains and small towns. We stopped off at a rest stop en route, for a couple of drinks. And at that point we were 1700 metres above sea level! It was decidedly cooler up in the mountains, which was a welcomed plus!
Luang Prabang was a stark contrast to Vieng Vang, it had a classier, more authentic feel to it, a real diverse mix of tourists and, surprisingly...a curfew! We noticed on the back of our menu one night a warning stating that all pubs close before 11pm and all locals and tourists have to be back at their residences by midnight!
We wish we had a little longer in Luang Prabang; it was really a beautiful town.
We wish we had a little longer in Luang Prabang; it was really a beautiful town.
Our highlights would definitely be:
• Our elephant trek through the jungle on Vern (and feeding him bananas as a tip afterwards).
• Swimming in the Ho Chi Waterfalls.
• Shopping in the night market and then experiencing a black out! (all the stall traders shared out candles and were back in business fairly quickly).
• The amazing local food and outdoor restaurants.
• Our elephant trek through the jungle on Vern (and feeding him bananas as a tip afterwards).
• Swimming in the Ho Chi Waterfalls.
• Shopping in the night market and then experiencing a black out! (all the stall traders shared out candles and were back in business fairly quickly).
• The amazing local food and outdoor restaurants.
We left early the next morning we boarded a private slow boat as we made a start on our two day journey up the Mekong River to the Laos/Thailand border.
Pak Beng
Our first day on the long boat was around 11 hours long. The long boat was amazing, just as we’d imagined, pretty rustic and authentic looking but surprisingly comfortable (it had a sundeck for sleeping and sunbathing on).
The scenery on the mighty Mekong River was incredible – lots of beautiful beaches and wildlife as well locals panning for gold, buffalos paddling in an attempt to cool off and locals fishing on long boats.
As the afternoon worn on the temperature increased and the cooling breeze seemed to disappear, the water we had on the boat had started to heat up too (nothing worse when you’re already really warm). By 5pm we couldn’t wait to get to our hotel for a cold shower and beer!
We arrived in our overnight stopover, Pak Beng around 6.30pm. Pak Beng is more like a small island village, with a population of about 300 people. The walk from the boat up to our taxi was quite interesting – it was in fact, more like a scramble up a rocky hill with backpacks. Just what you need when you’re already overheated. Luckily, it was only a 5 minute drive from the jetty, to our hotel, in the back of a pickup truck (Planes, Trains and Automobiles style.)
Pak Beng was a nice little village. Not much to see, but a great place for a rest stop. We had dinner in a local restaurant nearby. The food was lovely and it was amazingly cheap for dinner and drinks (including a shot of local Rice Whisky). We ended of the night in the only bar in town, The Hive.
We arrived in our overnight stopover, Pak Beng around 6.30pm. Pak Beng is more like a small island village, with a population of about 300 people. The walk from the boat up to our taxi was quite interesting – it was in fact, more like a scramble up a rocky hill with backpacks. Just what you need when you’re already overheated. Luckily, it was only a 5 minute drive from the jetty, to our hotel, in the back of a pickup truck (Planes, Trains and Automobiles style.)
Pak Beng was a nice little village. Not much to see, but a great place for a rest stop. We had dinner in a local restaurant nearby. The food was lovely and it was amazingly cheap for dinner and drinks (including a shot of local Rice Whisky). We ended of the night in the only bar in town, The Hive.
We left very early the next morning (around 5.30am) as we had to reach the Thailand border before the Immigration Office closed at 6pm...otherwise we’d be spending the night on the jetty!
Chiang Khong
After another hot day on the slow boat we reached the border just before 5pm. Once we’d checked out of Laos, we hopped on to a long boat and crossed over to Thailand. We checked into Thailand (it was all incredibly quick and easy) before jumping on to a tuk tuk to our hotel in Chiang Khong. It was fantastic sitting with a much needed cold beer while watching the sun set over the Mekong River.
Next stop Chang Mai!
