Laos Travel Blogs | Travelogues | Travel Journals

Well we went through Thai immigration this morning and paid our huge exit tax of five Baht (about 13 cents) and then hopped aboard the "ferry" which is really just a long, wooden canoe like boat with a noisy, smelly outboard engine for the five minute crossing to Huay Xai in Laos. We went through Laotian immigration with no problems - it ends up you can now get a 30 day visa on the spot making our efforts in Bangkok a waste of time and money. We figured we needed to change some money and ha...

You would never believe that Laos is located between two visited countries such as Thailand and Vietnam, unless you go there and see it. Unlike those two countries, beautiful as well but much more tourist, Laos seems to belong to another planet. You´ll notice it by looking at the people. Children and adults will wave and smile to you not because they want to get something from you, but just because they are authentic. Laos is a jewel not found yet. Hopefully it will last forever...

     Nope, Never!!! Well at 8am this morning I was up and packing my bags ready to go kayaking. Trying to decide what I should pack in my daypack. Should I take a first aid kit, is it dangerous, how many changes of clothes, camera, phone, valuables, so many choices!!! Anyway I was ready in time for 9 when the tuk tuk came and picked us up from our hotel. I was almost glad to be getting away from Vang Vieng after being there for 6 days. ...

On my way home from another great stint in Australia i had no idea that i was to come across such an awesome country, the people were fab, scenery amazing and the sunshine, just what i needed before i returned to the UK weather!

Our journey to Laos turned out to be good fun and I’ve done nothing but enjoy myself immensely since arriving.  We took one bus from Chiang Mai, then a more local bus to the border of Chiang Khong, and finally a ferry across to Laos, arriving for the evening.  We secured our slow boat and set off early the next morning.  The boat holds about 150 people and ours was almost full.  The seats were terribly uncomfortable, just wood and hardly any leg room, but floating down t...

Finding Victoria. Many countries across the globe have honoured Her Majesty Queen Victoria and the Commonwealth. On my travels I will keep my eye out for various namesakes.

Still unsure about Vientiane, I was glad my Dad had arranged a tour for us today which will hopefully put my uncertainty to rest. It was 8am and we were on the back of yet another Tut-tut heading off into the unknown, literally as my Dad failed to let us in on where we were going. He likes to do this quite a bit; he’s a stickler for surprises.   So we are bumping around, inhaling all the yummy car fumes and taking in the sights on our way out to our first stop. We passed the Beer La...

It's hard to believe that a capital city can be so quiet. I'd expect High Wycombe on Christmas Day to be busier than this. Mind you, it has only got a population of around 500,000. It was actually a very welcome change from the pandemonium that is Hanoi, especially after the long bus journey. The five of us that had checked into a dormitory together in a guesthouse overlooking the Mekong River got some food and sampled a few bottles of the infamous Beerlao. There isn't that much in the way o...

I really like arriving by train, though that's not something you can do when travelling to Vientiane as the railway stops at the Thai border, though it does look like it will be very soon open all the way to Vientiane.  It's not just the journey by train which is great, lots of space to move around and easy to see the country, but arriving is more fun; railway stations, even here in Asia, always seem to be places of grandeur which airports and bus stations just can't match.  After o...

The first thing on the agenda today was crossing the border.  Crossing the border itself was not a big deal; just get on a small boat and 5 to 10 minutes later you're on the other side. The immigration procedure was a lot more fuss. Luckily the guide for the trekking was already there to meet us, so he could help us through the whole thing.  Fill out several forms, get your passport photo’s stapled to the forms, stand in line to get your visa and then get in another li...

Ok, have been in Laos for about a week and would universally recommend it. It is absolutely beautiful. I left Nongkhai last saturday with Connie and Maaike and we crossed the border into Laos and went to the capital Viene Tiene (probably spelt wrong). We spent just a couple of hours there as not so much to do and got straight in a pick up truck to Vien Vieng. The truck was less than comfortable. There was a live pig wrapped in a sack on the back steps with just its nose sh...

Our first day on the river ended at this little town beside the river. Our hotel was ok, except it took three hours for our group to all be served. Ok - there were sixteen of us - lesson learned about not going to a Laos restaurant in a big group - as you won't get served for a while... just relax!There was some kind of concert being prepared, but we didn't get the chance to see it.Most of the places are powered by generators and these get turned off at 10pm - so make sure you have a torch ha...

For my final day in Luang Prabang, after managing to get up, I popped by Phu Si market (Yes it's pronounced, Pu-Sy... grow up) which was nothing special. On the way back into town, I stopped off a few local Wats before climbing up Phu Si Hill.- Wat Mahathat- Wat Hosian Voravihan- Wat SuvannaphoumThat evening I climbed up Phu Si Hill, 3 times as I had to go to the toilet really bad and couldn't wait, BUT it was well worth the climb. The sunset was beautiful, as it set behind the mountai...

There are some nice trips we took and it was a fond memories of Laos. i have no official words to explain but i will drag you through with all the pictures i have captured throughout my travels, at least i could think of sharing right now. our last trip in the Southern Laos was on Lao New year we went on Rd trip to Wat Phou Champasak. the Lao New Year we call "Boun Hon Nam" this year in Buddhism is 2550. every year start New year from the 13th April from the International calendar.

The guide:Xou.The group:Hazel & Maria, again!Gaby, a Canadian yoga teacher.***Day 1I woke up still drunk from the previous nights excesses, which I'm sure is not the best way to prepare for six hours of trekking up and down mountains. First thing was to drop off my pack at Carolines room and then to have some breakfast with the girls. We were picked up at out guesthouse by our guide, Xou, at 9am and driven to the Nom Khan river, about thirty minutes away. A quick trip across the river in ...