Laos Experience

Asia's Best Kept Secret

Advantages: Off the most common backpacking tracks in Asia
Disadvantages: TV Bars in Vang Vien

I stumbled across Laos unexpectedly while travelling around Asia and became one of the biggest highlights of the trip. The whole experience was remarkabley fun and I chose to enjoy the experience with the locals on local buses and the local problems!!! I arrived on a bus full of vegtables and chickens and travelled overnight to Luang Prabang where we got stuck in mud on a washed out road in the early hours of the morning. The Laos people were very ...
...The sunrise on the mountains in the morning was absolutely beautiful and the scenery everywhere was amazing. The food was delightful, I strongly recommend trying to crushed buffalo skin chili and tofu french baguettes they serve on the streets, fantastic. Laos is great for sport. I went kayaking and whitewater rafting while there. The only downside to Laos is the TV bars blaring episodes of Friends out on the streets of Vang Vien. Go somewhere ...

Naturalsponge 19.01.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of General: Laos

Give me more noddle soup

Advantages: everything
Disadvantages: none

Luang Prabang is situated in the heart of Laos and one of the Highlights of the country. It is not only all the temples, the delicious food or the night market, no, it is this feeling you'll get when you arrive. You'll feel welcome and at home. Most people stayed a lot longer than they planed! Including me of course, I wanted to stay for two nights and stayed for over a month! ---------------------------------------------- How to get there? Luang ...
...can get a bus to Luang Prabang, it takes about 10 to 12 hours and you have the choice between a local bus (110000kip) and a VIP bus (160000kip). You can get the ticket with a travel agent or just go to the bus station. Buses leave several times in the morning and again a night bus in the afternoon. You need a TukTuk to and from the bus station. The choice which bus to take is all yours but I had more fun on the local bus sitting together with tons ...

sun-is-shining 01.06.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Luang Prabang (Laos)

Jars on a plain

Advantages: great place to visit
Disadvantages: getting around is not so easy

...and Photos: http://plainofjars.net/ The plain of jars are basically jars...On a plain! Really (REALLY) big stone jars that you can climb in, scattered on a plain. That in itself makes them amazing. But the mystery lies in there origin. That is, no one has any idea why people built them over a thousand years ago and to what purpose. Archaeologists have been no closer to providing the answer after decades of excavating and study. Some theories have ...
...ashes of the cremated dead and acted as giant urns. Others say they were just for storing water (a boring unimaginative theory) whilst the locals think they were just used for stashing large amounts of rice whisky and wine and don't really seem to see what all the fuss is about! Phonsavan, the provincial capital and closest settlement to the jar sites sucks, but the surrounding landscape is so totally unlike the rest of Lao. Yellow grass plains with ...

sun-is-shining 01.06.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Plain of Jars (Laos)

The Scruffy Shoe Diaries THE SECOND HAND CITY

Advantages: See Opinion
Disadvantages: See Opinion

...between its peaks and troughs. Vientiane is one of those kinds of places. UPDATE 16-10-2002 Seeing as I've just made a return trip to the place, now would be a good time to update this opinion, when it's still fresh in my mind... and boy, does it need updating! Please refer to the end of the original piece (I quite like it and I don't want to break it up!) for more current information on Vientiane. ************************************ For a ...
...a few days spent in Vientiane (Vieng Chan), the capital city of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, January, 1999. The cast list: self, inevitable travelling companion: Adrian Dowd, additional amigo: "Postie" Colin Smith. ************************************ GEOGRAPHICALLY SPEAKING, Laos (pronounced L'au as opposed to Lay-oss) is a curiously shaped country sandwiched in-between Thailand to the West and Vietnam to the East. To the south is Cambodia ...

Paiceyjohn 28.05.2002 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Vientiane (Laos)

Personally my favourite place to be in Asia, if not the world!

Advantages: Friendliest city you'll ever go to, amazing food, beautiful scenary, plenty to do..
Disadvantages: None I can think of other than you will be unable to leave and your initinery will become void!

Luang Prabang is very special. Yes, it's touristy as hell! Yes, accommodation is getting expensive by Laotion standards. But don't let that put you off! For a start, there is a budget quarter of the city located down a series of extremely charming alleyways run by Lao families. It has bucket loads of character and the guesthouses here are legendary for there warm friendly welcomes and smiles. So that solves the problem of expensive accommodation ...
...party! So what makes Luang Prabang special? Well for a start it's the location, it's situated in a lush green valley surrounded by green rolling mountains and hills and the Mekong and flows through it. There are small beaches on the river side and the town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After spending 10 minutes there it's easy to see why; The town is a wonderful mix of east meets west and the past meets the present; Old French buildings share ...

Pablo_Sevilla 28.05.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Luang Prabang (Laos)