Travelogue: Laos
This past winter, a group of 7 of us left Pattaya, Thailand in two SUVs to drive through Thailand and into Laos. First stop: Vientiane, the capital of Laos. It took about 12 hours to get to the Lao border and about 4 hours just to get through all the goddamn red tape at the immigration center (particularly because we were bringing Thai vehicles in). Vientiane is as sleepy as a country’s capital can get. With a population of only 200,000 people, it is unlike any other Asian capital I’ve ever been to. The most common activity is drinking Beerlao (the undisputed national beverage) along the banks of the Mekong, where locals have built decks housing restaurants & bars stretching as far as the eye can see. A one liter bottle of Beerlao is $1 (US) at virtually every establishment in the country. We spent three days there visiting temples, markets, hanging out with other travelers, riding bicycles around the city and drinking heavily.
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From there it was on to Vang Vieng, a haven for young, drug-seeking backpackers. Situated along the Nam Seung river, surrounded by massive rock karsts and dense jungle, Vang Vieng is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise: the most popular activity here being floating down the river in a rented inner-tube wasted out of your fucking mind. The riverside is littered with dozens of bars offering mushroom milkshakes, weed sprinkled French fries, and of course, lots of Beerlao. The bars blare music at ungodly levels and wave furiously upon your approach in hopes of enticing you to choose their establishment over the next. Please note that these bars ONLY play the following music: Bob Marley, Red Hot Chili Peppers, CCR, and more Bob Marley….that’s it. Whilst floating away,
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trusty Beerlao in hand, and “Fortunate Son” blaring across the water, one can’t help but feel like they’re in a scene from Apocalypse Now. After enjoying the river from sun-up to sun-down, we hit up the bars and restaurants in town.
“Whilst floating away, trusty Beerlao in hand, and “Fortunate Son” blaring across the water, one can’t help but feel like they’re in a scene from Apocalypse Now.”
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The Plain of Jars is located in the tiny town of Phonsavan (still happens to be one of the largest in Laos) and contains hundreds of stone relics that, to this day, no one has any fucking clue about. Some say they were for burial, some say food storage, some say they were commissioned by the King as a monument to himself. Phonsavan is approximately a 6-hour drive from Vang Vieng along treacherous mountain roads. There are only
two highways in Laos, and they are only two lanes wide. Because of the poor roads and continual elevation change, a 50 mile trip can easily take over two hours. Phonsavan is a sleepy place and there really isn’t much to see except jars… It is, however, a harrowing reminder of a dark period in world history: Phonsavan was one of the key target areas of US bombing during the Vietnam War. Tourists are advised not to veer from designated trails if exploring the surrounding countryside due to the strong presence of UXO (mines, cluster bombs, etc).
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The last stop was definitely the most popular destination in Laos. Luang Prabang is several hundred kilometers north of Vientiane and has an entirely different vibe than any other place in Laos. It is the old capital, and certainly the current cultural capital. Littered with beautiful French colonial mansions (Laos was a French colony at one point), and even more beautiful French food, Luang Prabang is as scenic and unique as a town can get. It is surrounded by two rivers and is bustling with art galleries, traditional craft dealers, trendy bookshops, cafes, upscale hotels and monks…..lots of monks. There were dozens of amazing restaurants here, which, coupled with an average meal price of $3, made eating an unnecessary amount of food a common occurrence.
Unfortunately, for this Southeast Asian travel story, all of the prostitutes, lady-boys and ping-pong shows stayed back over the border in Thailand. The sex trade in Laos is non-existent, crime is virtually non-existent, and the people are as laid back as anywhere you’ll find in the world. The country is growing very slowly, but that isn’t stopping tourism. In Luang Prabang, the amount of tourists outweighed the local population by a staggering amount, and I can see why. Laos is worth the visit.
by Marc J.