As you may know if you’re following along on the ‘gram (if you’re not, come join, it’s a party), I spent the first month of 2019 backpacking in Laos. Why Laos? Many people asked. I had a whole month to play with, why not see more of Thailand or Cambodia, more famous backpacking destinations? Truth […]
Category Archives: Laos
The Mekong River is the life and soul of South East Asia. It’s crucial for much of the trade in the region and connects all of the neighbouring countries. It acts as country borders, is home to floating markets, and is vital for transportation in some areas. But, fun fact – it’s actually home to […]
If you’re backpacking South East Asia and start talking about Laos, you’ll generally get asked just the one question: did you go to Vang Vieng? My answer: Yep, I hated it. Honestly. I hated the most popular tourist destination in Laos. Vang Vieng is a tourist hotspot, the busiest place in Laos without a shadow […]
Laos is remote and takes a long time to travel around in. Northern Laos (north of Luang Prabang) is remoter than remote and takes a few years to get anywhere. The mountainous destinations of Luang Namtha and the Nam Ou River are absolutely stunning and promise adventure, but you’ll want to tack on a few […]
Not so fun fact: I’m terrified of driving a motorbike. I only learnt to ride a bicycle properly very recently, and although I managed to drive around the whole of Australia in a car, the thought of controlling a bike going at 60-70 kmph is absolutely terrifying. But in Asia, everyone rides motorbikes. It’s just […]
Laos’ southern city, Pakse, isn’t famous for much. It’s widely known as a destination where ‘there isn’t much to do’. But the area is well worth a stay in – in fact, on my Laos itinerary, I advise travelers to spend the most time in this area. Why is that? Two words: Bolevan Plateau. This […]
Luang Prabang is Laos’ ancient, religious city and is somewhere that I really took to. It’s a popular city in Laos, and is visited by most of the travellers who pass through, but it still manages to be completely authentic and doesn’t feel too tourist trodden. It’s home to religious buildings and traditional rituals, museums, […]
Much of South East Asia is already very well explored. Everyone knows about Bangkok, Bali and the Vietnamese coastal route (although it’s still very easy to get off the beaten track in these places!). But somewhere that’s not given nearly enough credit is Laos. Laos does have a position on the ‘banana pancake trail’, but […]
Oh Vang Vieng… how I hated you. Don’t get my wrong, the place is pretty – far away from the main strip, that is. Vang Vieng is the worst kind of backpacker town – one where boozed up Westerners flock the main street, seemingly day and night, and save for restaurants offering curries, there isn’t […]
Not many tourists make it to Savannakhet in Laos. It’s kind of midway between the tubing of Vang Vieng and the chilled 4,000 islands; meaning many travellers skip past it on a night bus or don’t even go to through part of the country. Now, while I think it would be a crying shame for […]