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| Main street of Luang Prabang |
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| Golden Stupa in Vientiane |
Moving back to Asia, number four in my top ten of countries
I’ve visited is Laos. My favourite country in South East Asia without a doubt,
Laos has a little something for everyone except for perhaps the shopaholic.
Nestled between China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Burma, Laos is not the
most frequently visited country in the region, but that suits visitors to Laos
just fine. Laos is a relaxing and slower-paced change for those coming from
Thailand and Vietnam in particular, it’s a bit cooler and dryer, it provides
the visitor with plenty to see and do, some good food, and a welcoming smile.
In short, Laos the perfect getaway!
The capital, Vientiane, although not the most exciting of
capitals, has a mixture of French-colonial old world charm mixed with temples
and wide boulevards. Set on the Mekong, which provides much of Laos’ life, the
capital is more of a big provincial town rather than a capital.
Visit and marvel at the Golden Stupa, see the replica of the
Arch de Triumph, or stroll the banks of the Mekong at dawn or dusk which makes
for a truly beautiful scene (and photo). Vientiane is just over the river from
Thailand, and the perfect introduction to Laos.
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| Vang Vieng |
Looking for excitement? Well, you might just find it in Vang
Vieng. Vang Vieng has been a tourist Mecca over recent years, and that’s
because of the tubing. Unfortunately, this is also the uglier side of Laos
tourism. Hundreds if not thousands of young mostly white tourists descending on
the town to go ‘tubing’, in itself a perfectly respectable activity involving
sitting on a tyre’s tube as you float down the river. However, they lined the
river with bars and it became a place to get absolutely trashed and party. On
top of that, every year people died because they jumped into the river and hit
a rock, or drowned. Tubing was stopped last year after another death, now it
may have reopened but in a tamer form.
Having said that, you are not obliged to go tubing, and the
area around Vang Vieng is really beautiful with rocky hills, winding rivers and
greenery as far as the eye can see. Go hiking or rock climbing, or if it the
idea tempts you, hot-air ballooning and you’ll see a different and
breath-taking perspective on Vang Vieng.
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| Craters Restaurant, Phonsovan |
I found the most interesting place in Laos Phonsovan. This
dusty town is centred in a place which was heavily bombed from around 1964 to
1973 by America, and 30% of the bombs didn’t explode on impact. Today, there
are still many out in the area in the fields, which could go off by someone
treading on them. MAG is the institution in the area that has taken up the
responsibility for removing these unexploded ordinances from the farms and
countryside, aided by a team of mostly local volunteers. Visit the MAG centre
in town and learn about the work they do.
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| Plain of Jars |
Around Phonsovan, and the main reason tourists head there,
is the Plain of Jars. Scattered over three sites are these giant stone jars
which date back thousands of years. Their purpose is supposedly a mystery,
although most concur that they are graves. It’s a breath-taking and eerie site,
although other tourists taking photos make alter the errieness somewhat! I took
a tour, which is pretty standard, and there’s no issues from unexploded
ordinances if you follow the marked tracks and listen to your guide. The tour
takes in a few other sites such as a Russian tank, and you’ll see places decorated
with the shells of bombs and the like. For example, back in Phonsovan, Crater’s
Restaurant.
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| Mekong River at Luang Prabang. |
Finally, I visited Luang Prabang, a quietly beautiful town
on the Mekong heading into the northern part of the country. There are plenty
of restaurants and hotels here, but it’s a very relaxing place to go and the
perfect place to while away a few days or a week doing very little. Day trips
include a boat up the Mekong to visit the Pak Ou caves, taking in an
interesting unnamed village on the way, or visiting the Kuang Si waterfalls,
which are truly beautiful and a great place to take a swim and escape the heat.
It’s like some lagoon in a tropical jungle.
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| Kuang Si Waterfalls |
The town itself has a museum and plenty of temples to keep
you busy. There’s a fashion show on some nights, and plenty of night spots if
you are so inclined. You may be best advised to avoid the people pushing opium
though! The buildings have a colonial air on the main strip, and you can sit at
a restaurant on the street and wonder if anyone actually lives in Luang
Prabang. Alternatively there are a host of river-side restaurants and at dusk
the sunset over the Mekong is as stunning as any sight you’ll see in South-East
Asia.
For this traveller, Laos was the perfect South-East Asia
getaway. If you are interested in more information, tips and my thoughts on
Laos, I have an ebook out on Laos – Short Journeys: Laos, available for kindle
now.
Next time… well, that would be telling, wouldn’t it. Stayed
tuned as next time we hit the top three, in about a week or so.
The top ten so far:
10 – Slovakia
9 – Romania
8 – Mali
7 – The United Kingdom
6 – Japan
5 - Central Asia
4 - Laos
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