Laos

  • Laos

    Southern Laos (Don Det)

    June 5, 2014 - By 

    The Mighty Mekong stretches widely at the southern border between Laos and Cambodia, harboring hundreds (maybe thousands?) of little islands. The entire area is called Si Phan Don, or 4,000 Islands. Whether or not there really are four thousand islands, there are definitely plenty of uninhabited bodies of land and shrubs, ranging from large rocks to small villages. Don Det is the most popular island frequented by backpackers and the only way to get there is by a tipsy boat from the tiny town of Nakasang. The islands surrounding Don Det and the land mass to the east all belong to Laos,…

  • Laos

    Southern Laos (The Bolaven Plateau)

    June 4, 2014 - By 

    Maps in Southeast Asia are only useful for travelers since the majority of locals cannot even read a map. Their sense of direction depends on memory and landmarks; the concept of cardinal points is nonexistent. Fortunately, motorbike rental companies provide hand-written maps for their customers. I grabbed an extra map for Eric, and we depended on this route and major attractions for the next few days ahead.    Day 1 (May 28): Pakse to Tad Lo Eric and Dina had to renew their Lao visas for an expedited fee since their visas had expired, so we had a slightly late start to…

  • Laos

    Southern Laos (Pakse)

    June 3, 2014 - By 

    Prior to arriving in Pakse in Champasak province, I knew nothing about it. All I knew was that it was the gateway to the Laos-Cambodia border, and that we were going to stop by Si Phan Don (4,000 Islands) smack center in the Mekong for some hammock time. By late afternoon I read about Wat Phou, Saphai village, and the Bolaven Plateau. Chris and I decided that we could not leave Laos without exploring the Bolaven Plateau, but properly exploring it would require anywhere from 3 to 10 days. We decided to do it in 4 days, 3 nights. Since…

  • Laos

    Northern Laos (Luang Prabang)

    May 31, 2014 - By 

    The 6-hour bus ride up into the mountains from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang was not a fun experience! As usual, I got a bit carsick, but even Chris had never gotten carsick before…until this ride. We arrived by late afternoon and spent the remainder of our day settling in and figuring out what we were going to do for the next four full days (May 22-26). We lucked out on our lodging—for $15 per night at Salakphet Guesthouse, we scored the most comfortable bed and pillows we ever slept in during our entire trip, which was fantastic during all the…

  • Laos

    Central Laos (Vientiane and Vang Vieng)

    May 26, 2014 - By 

    Our flight out of KL on May 15 was bright and early, which put us in Vientiane, Laos by around 9:00am. We were the first people in the visa-upon-arrival line, and $35, a full page sticker, a stamp, and 10 minutes later, we were at baggage claim! Laos, People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) is appropriately dubbed Laos, Please Don’t Rush. Life for locals and travelers is laid back, which I think is due to the intense heat. Already at 5:30am, the temperature straddles between 85º-90ºF and quickly soars to 105º-110ºF by afternoon. Even a meager breeze from the Mekong hardly helps.…