This is Lao PDR, the People's Democratic Republic--but it may as well stand for Please Don't Rush. And you hardly could if you tried. It's a long country where slow travel prevails.
While there aren't as many "attractions" in Laos as its neighbors, some historic places and natural beauty mean there are lots of stops worth visiting, and they're all spread out. After enjoying my first couple spots at a leisurely pace, I wasn't rushed, but I did have to do some creative planning to fit everything else in my visa window.
Ten years ago, it was widely seen that "Lao people don't read." Textbooks, sure. But reading for the fun of it? Unheard of. They didn't have Dr. Seuss or "Goodnight Moon" or "Everybody Poops."
Big Brother Mouse was founded to try to change that. What started as six books printed from a simple guesthouse room is now a full fledged publishing house and more. They write, design, illustrate, and print bilingual books for all ages, and throw "book parties" to get "fun" books to rural schools that have never seen one. They wrote a program in order to properly print Lao fonts, and were granted a publishing license--a headscratcher for the government as that wasn't a typical request. In 2006, Big Brother Mouse received the first Lao publishing license outside of the capital. So far they've handed out "first books" to 150,000 kids.
Additionally, they offer English classes and twice daily open discussions in Luang Prabang. I stopped by for a couple hours to chat with eager learners in English. Students showed up because they wanted to. One wanted to become an English kindergarten teacher. Another was a nurse who wanted to better communicate with her English-speaking patients. A third wanted to learn so he could visit America. One more excitedly pulled out a "Better Homes and Gardens" periodical he had just checked out from the library to practice English with. When they heard a new word they would ask for the spelling and scribble it down in their notebooks. This was a sweet last night in Laos.
While there aren't as many "attractions" in Laos as its neighbors, some historic places and natural beauty mean there are lots of stops worth visiting, and they're all spread out. After enjoying my first couple spots at a leisurely pace, I wasn't rushed, but I did have to do some creative planning to fit everything else in my visa window.
From the 4,000 Islands I did a boat-bus-bus-boat routine up to Champassak to see Wat Phu. Built on the side of a mountain, the views from the top were as impressive as the Angkor-era ruins.
A lovely Belgian family let me tag along for the day in the relative luxury of a private chartered minivan before dropping me in Pakse. After half a day wandering and eating around town, I grabbed a five hour night bus up to Thakek. With a full flat mattress to myself, I slept great. A muddy day trek was the main draw there, which took us trudging through muddy fields that were underwater a few weeks prior, swimming through river caves, with some very good water buffalo sausage and sticky rice for lunch.
After dinner from stalls setup by the river, I was off on another six hour night bus to Vientiane. This time on a simple sleeping mat instead of a mattress, but I still slept well. A cheap local bus ride on a fleet donated by Japan then brought me from the bus station into the center of Vientiane, a calm capital compared to Bangkok or Hanoi. After one night I continued north, five hours by minibus, to the river town of Vang Vieng. The limestone karst scenery and caves hidden within are the main draw. I explored those and the beautiful countryside by bicycle. Outside of town were signs of major development by the Chinese: river dams on the Mekong, and a high speed train that will one day link all of southeast Asia by rail. And....this is when my phone's camera stopped working.
After dinner from stalls setup by the river, I was off on another six hour night bus to Vientiane. This time on a simple sleeping mat instead of a mattress, but I still slept well. A cheap local bus ride on a fleet donated by Japan then brought me from the bus station into the center of Vientiane, a calm capital compared to Bangkok or Hanoi. After one night I continued north, five hours by minibus, to the river town of Vang Vieng. The limestone karst scenery and caves hidden within are the main draw. I explored those and the beautiful countryside by bicycle. Outside of town were signs of major development by the Chinese: river dams on the Mekong, and a high speed train that will one day link all of southeast Asia by rail. And....this is when my phone's camera stopped working.
Eastern Laos tends to not get the attention it deserves, no doubt because you won't just stumble upon it. It takes some work to get there. First was a 10 hour minibus to Phonsavan, known for little else than the Plain of Jars. Some were destroyed by bombing, and MAG continues to clean up UXOs; only a few of the sites are cleared and safe to visit, and I heard their controlled explosions in the distance.
The history and mystery add to the jars themselves--there's no consensus on what exactly they were used for, though likely related to burials. There's also a local myth that giants drank rice wine from them. Better than the jars were the bike ride and especially the views from a jar site perched atop a hill. 48 miles didn't feel nearly that far thanks to cool temps with pine forests to match, and a nice carbon fiber mountain bike in tip top shape--until my handlebars loosened. I asked around for an Allen wrench and a local produced a flathead screwdriver which he ground down til it fit, and snugged them up for me.
After the jars, aside from the MAG visitor center, an excellent Indian restaurant, and crossing paths with travellers I'd met in Cambodia, there wasn't much else happening in Phonsavan.
I moved on up to Sam Nuea via a 10 hour hairy minibus back breaker, made worth it by views of the steep green valleys and layers of green distant mountains. Twenty one squeezed in our 15-seater between countless stops. One more wanted in, and I swear it looked like she was moving houses. Not wanting to pass up another passenger, the driver made room for her enormous bags on the roof and in she climbed.
Sam Nuea is not much more than a small hub, so I found a shared taxi to nearby Vieng Xai. The communist Pathet Lao were based in Phonsavan until severe bombing forced them to seek shelter. They found numerous caves around Vieng Xai to do that, which they dug deeper and converted to printing houses, hospitals, schools, living quarters, and a movie theater. These have recently been opened up for tourists to visit and take a step back in time. A three hour tour by bicycle with an excellent audio guide showed us well preserved sleeping quarters, airtight shelter chambers (with hand crank air pumps), and the very table where the politburo plotted out their new independent country as bombs continued to rain down outside.
The town that exists today was built from 1973 when the bombing stopped. Craters are still visible and limestone karst skylines remain altered. Surprisingly I found another great Indian restaurant, but nothing else worth staying a second night for. So we waved down a local bus, with aisles full of plastic stools and stuffed fruit and rice sacks, back to Sam Nuea bus station, and a taxi from there to the other bus station across town, just in time for a local minibus to Nong Khiaw. This 10.5 hour rib rattler made me thankful I don't get car sick, but others did. Some slept, but I'm not sure how. Too bumpy to even read, I took in a mountain view sunset and rural life with women weaving at their looms.
The town that exists today was built from 1973 when the bombing stopped. Craters are still visible and limestone karst skylines remain altered. Surprisingly I found another great Indian restaurant, but nothing else worth staying a second night for. So we waved down a local bus, with aisles full of plastic stools and stuffed fruit and rice sacks, back to Sam Nuea bus station, and a taxi from there to the other bus station across town, just in time for a local minibus to Nong Khiaw. This 10.5 hour rib rattler made me thankful I don't get car sick, but others did. Some slept, but I'm not sure how. Too bumpy to even read, I took in a mountain view sunset and rural life with women weaving at their looms.
Nong Khiaw was a nice little town on the Nam Ou River, stuck between limestone cliffs on each side, with trekking and good Lao food. I found a good group and guide to trek with, and we went up "100 Waterfalls" by foot, where we were rewarded with stunning views to enjoy with our curry rice lunches packed in banana leaves. On the way back we stopped at a cave with what looked like a dead end, that was in fact large enough to army crawl through. We continued on a hundred meters more, and felt like explorers.
Fighting off a cold, Luang Prabang was next for a comfortable place to recover. Our four hour minibus was a breeze compared to the last few, and we rolled into what may well be the most beautiful city in southeast Asia. Set on the river and protected by UNESCO World Heritage status, buildings don't exceed two stories, tour buses aren't allowed in the old town, streets are uncharacteristically free of rubbish, and there might be more temples than stray dogs (not quite). You could get lost in countless cafes serving Lao coffee, upscale French restaurants, local handicraft shops, and wander down brick lined alleys before hitting the night market for dinner and a fruit shake as the sun sets one more time over the Mekong. Most of my time was spent sipping tea to shake my cold, but we did (apparently) have a dinner cooked by royalty. The chef was a princess from the former Lao royal family, no longer so important or powerful since overthrown by the Pathet Lao in 1975. Once that happened, she was allowed to marry a "common" man. My fried pork with crispy garlic and sticky rice was royally good.
Nearly recovered, I went north to Luang Namtha, just 15 miles from China, famous for some of the best trekking in the country, and home to dozens of ethnic minority villages that make it one of the most diverse places in southeast Asia. Ten hours on a minibus brought me there, with a lengthy stop for our driver to carefully select a bag of live eels at market. Well, I didn't quite get back to feeling well enough in time for some trekking up there. Out of time after a couple days I doubled back to Luang Prabang (only seven hours by big bus this time) without much to show for my visit except some very good local food.
I was then able to properly enjoy Luang Prabang in good health for a few days, one highlight of which came a few hours before my flight down to Kuala Lumpur.
Fighting off a cold, Luang Prabang was next for a comfortable place to recover. Our four hour minibus was a breeze compared to the last few, and we rolled into what may well be the most beautiful city in southeast Asia. Set on the river and protected by UNESCO World Heritage status, buildings don't exceed two stories, tour buses aren't allowed in the old town, streets are uncharacteristically free of rubbish, and there might be more temples than stray dogs (not quite). You could get lost in countless cafes serving Lao coffee, upscale French restaurants, local handicraft shops, and wander down brick lined alleys before hitting the night market for dinner and a fruit shake as the sun sets one more time over the Mekong. Most of my time was spent sipping tea to shake my cold, but we did (apparently) have a dinner cooked by royalty. The chef was a princess from the former Lao royal family, no longer so important or powerful since overthrown by the Pathet Lao in 1975. Once that happened, she was allowed to marry a "common" man. My fried pork with crispy garlic and sticky rice was royally good.
Nearly recovered, I went north to Luang Namtha, just 15 miles from China, famous for some of the best trekking in the country, and home to dozens of ethnic minority villages that make it one of the most diverse places in southeast Asia. Ten hours on a minibus brought me there, with a lengthy stop for our driver to carefully select a bag of live eels at market. Well, I didn't quite get back to feeling well enough in time for some trekking up there. Out of time after a couple days I doubled back to Luang Prabang (only seven hours by big bus this time) without much to show for my visit except some very good local food.
I was then able to properly enjoy Luang Prabang in good health for a few days, one highlight of which came a few hours before my flight down to Kuala Lumpur.
Ten years ago, it was widely seen that "Lao people don't read." Textbooks, sure. But reading for the fun of it? Unheard of. They didn't have Dr. Seuss or "Goodnight Moon" or "Everybody Poops."
Big Brother Mouse was founded to try to change that. What started as six books printed from a simple guesthouse room is now a full fledged publishing house and more. They write, design, illustrate, and print bilingual books for all ages, and throw "book parties" to get "fun" books to rural schools that have never seen one. They wrote a program in order to properly print Lao fonts, and were granted a publishing license--a headscratcher for the government as that wasn't a typical request. In 2006, Big Brother Mouse received the first Lao publishing license outside of the capital. So far they've handed out "first books" to 150,000 kids.
Additionally, they offer English classes and twice daily open discussions in Luang Prabang. I stopped by for a couple hours to chat with eager learners in English. Students showed up because they wanted to. One wanted to become an English kindergarten teacher. Another was a nurse who wanted to better communicate with her English-speaking patients. A third wanted to learn so he could visit America. One more excitedly pulled out a "Better Homes and Gardens" periodical he had just checked out from the library to practice English with. When they heard a new word they would ask for the spelling and scribble it down in their notebooks. This was a sweet last night in Laos.
So Laos was different, in that you travel long and slow, without a ton of must do attractions along the way. But that's part of visiting a less developed, less travelled place, and it's also part of the draw of this beautiful country.