Category: Laos

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Relaxing at the 4000 Islands

It’s only 3 hours driving from Pakse to Si Phan Don, literally called the 4000 islands. It’s called 4000 islands because during the dry season the river recedes and leaves behind hundreds of islands and islets! We stayed on one of the bigger ones called Don Khon, which is much more quiet and have a more village vibe than Don Det..well, that’s at least how I feel about it. We decided to go for a little bungalow with a shared riverview terrace ànd hammocks. I used the restaurant nextdoor quite frequently as ‘office’ 🙂 Life on the 4000 islands is...

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Thakek, Pakse and Bolaven Plateau coffee

Thakek In Thakek itself there is not really much to do. Most people come here to do the Loop, an off-the-beaten-track circuit through some of the more remote parts of the Khammuan and Bolikhamsai Provinces. I did consider doing The Loop but I think I was still a bit scared of riding a motorbike myself  😐 Writing this blog made me once more reading about the places I visited. And it appeared that there are some sites around Thakek that were worth a look. There are eg. several caves, an abandoned railway line and some natural swimming pools. A pity...

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My first trekking in Phou Xieng Thong NPA

Northwest from Pakse is the Phou Xieng Thong National Protected Area (NPA). It was in this NPA that we (me and a German woman and her daughter) would do a 3d/2n tour. We were also introduced to our local guide Miek, 30 years old with a decent knowledge of English.Our first stop was Ban Mai Singsaphan Village where we met our first homestay family. It’s a village with about 380 families..no idea though how many heads 1 family counts.. After lunch, prepared by the family – actually all meals were prepared by the homestay families – we, accompagnied by a...

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There is more than tubing in Vang Vieng and less than you expect in Vientiane

Vang vieng In these few weeks of travelling I already learned that you need to take things how it comes, especially when travelling by local transport. Your bus or train might show up in time, but NEVER expect it to arrive in time! Do not get agitated but stay zennnn…..The day when I travelled to Vang Vieng turned out to be a very very long day, mainly due to a wrong booking by the agency but also because one of the cars in front of us broke down on a mountain and we had to wait till that got fixed....

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Laos’ first Unesco site Luang Prabang

You can opt to go from Hanoi to Luang Prabang by bus for only 35-40€. This option aka the ’24-hours journey from hell’ option is for sure the cheapest way. I however preferred paying 130€ for a 1-hour flight with Vietnam Airlines than taking this hell ride! My visa on arrival cost me another 35$+1$ administration fee. A friend told me I would really like Luang Prabang as people are very friendly and especially not pushy when bying stuff at eg. the nightmarket. It appeared she was right 🙂 Of course there are exceptions but most of the Lao people...

No paved roads or cars in the quiet little Muang Ngoi 1

Life in the small villages near the river: Muang Ngoi & Nong Khiaw

After the whole Gibbon experience, I still had a little bit more than a week left in Laos before my visa for Vietnam kicks in. I could be spending it trekking in Luang Nam Tha, one of the hotspots for trekking in Laos, but I figured I had just finished trekking in Huai Xai and I’m not exactly aching for another 2-3 day hike through the blistering sun. So I just tried to enjoy the quiet little life along the rivier in one of the remote villages in the north. First village was Muang Ngoi, one of the more popular...

View from the treehouse 0

Living like a Gibbon: The Gibbon experience in Huai Xai

The main and only reason why people stop by Huai Xai is to go on the Gibbon Experience. Gibbon experience is an eco-friendly adventure in the wilderness of Bokeo Nature Reserve. The experience basically consists of flying through a series of ziplines from canopy to canopy. The experience includes an overnight stay in an AWESOME treehouse, way up high in a tree. Depending on a which package you pick, you stay in the treehouse for 1 or 2 nights. Before I go on, I do have to tell you that this unique experience doesn’t come cheap. For 1 night it’s...

Sunset in Luang Prabang 2

Luang Prabang, UNESCO World Heritage centre

While some people decide to skip Vientiene or/and Vang Vieng, noone visits Laos without stopping by the charming little town of Luang Prabang. The entire peninsula surrounded by Mekong and the Nam Khan is UNESCO protected along with its numerous Wats and French colonial buildings. Traveling in Luang Prabang isn’t about trying to visit all the attraction. It’s about enjoying the laid-back traveling life. The heat probabbly also has something to do with it too though. We spent all and all about 5 days or so in the city itself. First day we rented a bike and went around the...

Drinking to help with kids educations 10

Threading into Laos – Vientiene & Vang Vieng

Vientiene The first stop in the unknown Laos was Vientiene. I had no idea what to expect from this “little” town. It wasn’t until I left Vientiene on the bus that I found out that Vientiene is actually the capital of Laos…. There wasn’t much to see in the city itself besides the cool sculpture park. For me one of the only things that were worth visiting. They had tons of weird, buddhistic, godly sculptures spread out over the area. It was a nice 1 hour stroll, in the scorching sun though…. It was also the first time to experience...