TRAVEL DESTINATION – LAOS

Laos has a rich history stretching back 10,000 years. At its height, it ruled over present day Laos and much of neighboring northern Thailand. Landlocked and laid-back, it’s a unique spin on the Southeast Asia experience.
A landlock country. often overlooked in favour of its better-known neighbors, Laos remains one of Southeast Asia’s most beguiling destinations. Caught in the middle of the two Indochina wars and long isolated from the rest of the world, the country retains a slow, rather old-fashioned charm, and its people – incredibly laidback and friendly, even by Asian standards – are undoubtedly one of the highlights of any visit.

Laos’s lifeline is the Mekong River, which runs the length of the country, at times bisecting it and at others serving as a boundary with Thailand; the rugged Annamite Mountains historically have acted as a buffer against Vietnam, with which Laos shares its eastern border. Most people visit the country as part of a wider trip in the region, often entering from Thailand and following the Mekong further south. However, Laos alone rewards further exploration, and with a little more time it’s not hard to feel like you’re visiting places where few Westerners venture. Stretching from the forest-clad mountains of the north to the islands of the far south, there’s enough here to keep you occupied for weeks, and still feel as though you’d barely scratched the surface.

For such a small country, Laos is surprisingly diverse in terms of its people. Colorfully dressed hill tribes populate the higher elevations, while in the lowland river valleys, coconut palms sway over the Buddhist monasteries of the ethnic Lao. The country also retains some of the French influence it absorbed during colonial days: the familiar smell of freshly baked bread and coffee mingles with exotic local aromas in morning markets, and many of the old shophouses of its larger towns now (appropriately) house French restaurants.

The effects of the wars, and of its communist government, are unmistakable – it remains completely inadvisable to strike out into the countryside without following paths for fear of unexploded ordnance(UXO) – and the country remains heavily dependent on its neighbors for all manner of products; indeed in some parts of the country, the local markets stock more Chinese and Vietnamese goods than Laos. However, whether you’re riding through the countryside on a rickety old bus crammed with sacks of rice, more people than seats, and blaring tinny Lao pop music, leisurely sailing down the Mekong past staggeringly beautiful scenery, or being dragged by a stranger to celebrate a birth over too much Beer Lao and lào-láo, it’s hard not to be won over by this utterly fascinating country and its people.
Here Buddhism permeates every facet of life, change comes slowly, and cities bed down early. The perfect place to break from office politics or put a pause in a hyperactive travel agenda, this land of mountain, mists and untamed natural beauty tempts with unrivalled peace and serenity.

Open your heart, open your mind, and let the genuine faith and generous hospitality of Laos replenish your soul.

 

Where to go in Laos?

 

North

 

Luang Prabang

 

Central

 

Vientiane

 

Phonsavan

 

South

 

Pakse

 

Champasak

Go Laos

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LUANG PRABANG
VIENTIANE TRAVEL GUIDE
PHONSAVAN TRAVEL GUIDE
PAKSE TRAVEL GUIDE
CHAMPASAK TRAVEL GUIDE