Laos
My roommate Natalie and I needed to get extensions on our Thai visas so we took border run to Laos. I ended up spending about two weeks in the country.
Our first stop is the capital of Vientiane. The city is a natural stop-through for backpackers doing the loop through Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. I spent a couple days in the hostel chatting with travelers and knocking back a few Leo beers. For a capital city there is not much activity.
While there I learned a lot about the history of Laos. Laos is the most bombed country, per capita, on the face of the planet. For 9 straight years during the Vietnam War B52s dropped bombs once every 8 minutes, 24 hours per day on the countryside. 350,000 citizens died.
The most devastating weapon used was the cluster bomb, a weapon containing 680 small “bombies” that disperse in the air. They detonate on impact, propelling ball bearings 25 meters in every direction. The US dropped 260 million of these.
30% of the explosives that were dropped did not detonate on impact, leaving 80 million potentially active explosives scattered throughout the countryside. Even though the Vietnam war was over decades ago, the country is still facing serious developmental issues because of this.
Ok, enough depressing shit. The other cool place I went in Vientiane called the Buddha Park. The park is filled with strange statues that integrate Buddhism and Hinduism and were designed by a weird priest-shaman named Luang Pu Bunleua. The sculptures are beautiful and bizarre.
After Vientiane I caught a bus to the backpacker haven of Veng Vieng. Nestled in the mountains of Laos, it is a small and earthy town supported almost entirely by backpacker tourism. It is surrounded by lush jungle and mountainous rock faces.
Vang Vieng is best known for two things: caves and drinking. The most legendary activity is a pub crawl down the Nam Song river. While floating down you get roped into bars, fed shots, and get back on the river. This used to include as many as 12 bars but after too many fatalities the government stepped in and now there are only 3 on any given day.
Instead of that craziness I rented a motorbike for the day and set off with a German girl I met to explore the caves. They were pretty awesome, although we lacked technical gear to really go deep.
Laos may very well be the most beautiful country in Southeast Asia. The flora is green and vibrant and the hills are endless. The country is very sparsely inhabited with a population of only 7 million. To compare, its neighbors Thailand and Vietnam have 67 million and 90 million respectively.
After leaving the beautiful but soul-sucking small town I ventured on to the picturesque town of Luang Prabang. Located on the Mekong River the town has a shining temple, night market, and possibly the best baguette sandwiches in Asia (being colonized by the French wasn't all bad).
The jewel of the location is the stunning Kuang Si Waterfalls. They flow into multiple natural pools perfect for swimming, diving, and lounging in the sun.
If you go here, bring beer and plan to spend an entire day. To date they are the best falls for just messing around and relaxing I have been to. There are natural rock chairs and pools you can chill in while tiny fish clean your feet. The water is a fantastic shade of green from calcium carbonate in the smooth limestone.
Laos is undoubtedly one of the most relaxed places I have been. If I go back I hope to do a motorbike trip around Thakhek, a 3 day trip with very little motor traffic and amazing scenery. My other plan would be to venture south to the 4000 islands “an archipelago of islands where the pendulum of time swings more slowly and life is more laid-back — yes, even by Laos standards,” says Lonely Planet.
I will be sure not to go too far off the beaten path, however, lest I get blown up by a 40-year-old conflict bomb.
