Short Journeys: Laos. Second Edition. Written by Andrew Boland. Photographs by Andrew Boland. Copyright 2013/14

Short Journeys: Laos Second Edition Written by Andrew Boland Photographs by Andrew Boland Copyright 2013/14

Précis Short Journeys is a series of stories about my travels to different countries. Whilst they are not intended as a guide book, I have endeavoured to include information about where I stayed, what I ate, what I saw and how to go about it if you were to visit the countries in question. My previous writings the Dhaka to Dakar books, were simply travel experiences. This time I wanted to go a little further for the reader. I wanted to include any stories and experiences I thought were interesting, important or amusing whilst I was travelling. I want to encourage you the reader to read, think about, and then perhaps go there yourself. You will find information on the places I stayed and visited, and how I got there and around. Occasionally I may write about a place I didn t stay at if say I stayed with a friend to give readers an option. However, please don t use these writings as a guide book! The countries covered will in the main part not be the most touristed of places. Hence they may be less literature out there for these places than say Western Europe, but they are places I found very interesting, beautiful, perhaps challenging at times, but essentially worthwhile. Don t be afraid to challenge yourself and head somewhere you may have never considered before. You won t be sorry!

Snapshot: Laos Location: South-East Asia, landlocked. Borders: China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Population: 6.4 million Capital: Vientiane Area: 220,000 square kilometres Currency: $1US = 8,000 kip Religion: Buddhism (60-70%) Language: Laotian Head of State: President Choummaly Sayasone

Introduction: Why go to L Laos? Laos is found in the depthss of South-East South Asia. It borders China to the north, h, Thailand Thailan to the south, Vietnam to the east and Cambodia ambodia to the south-east. It s right in the thick of it, you might say. It s not everyone s first, second d or even third thought when they think of South-East East Asia, As but, perhaps that s what makes it special - because becau it is special, very much so. The Mighty Mekong River, Luang Prabang Whilst Thailand, Vietnam and nd Cambodia Camb are getting swathes of tourists these se days, Laos is not featuring on travellers itineraries eraries quite q as frequently - however, it s not thee secret it once was either. It s a beautiful little place, slightly s cooler than Thailand, with the mighty ghty Mekong Mek River flowing through it. A place that em embraced communism but retained its Buddhist ddhist so soul. The peaceful Luang Prabang, g, perched perch on the Mekong and the gateway to less-explo explored north of the country, is one of the mostt relaxing and calming places to visit in all of South-East East Asia. A The unassuming capital, Vientiane, ane, is a delightful spot right on the border with Thailand, Thailand and out in the east is Phonsovan. Phonsovan van is fam famous for the Plain of Jars, a collection off huge st stone jars dotted about the plains near Phonsovan. nsovan. It s I also in an area that was heavily bombed bed in th the 60s and 70s, and some 30 percent of them em didn didn t explode on impact. Laos is one of the most bombed/mined bom countries in the world. The way the community has dealt with the problem of unexploded unex ordinances is eye-opening and perh perhaps inspiring. The Plain of Jars, Phonsovan

Aside from those places, there is much more to see. Vang Vieng is a place that has claimed notoriety along with a bit of infamy in recent years. It s a town where foreigners appear to have completely taken over, where the sport of tubing got quite out of control. It is, however located in a beautiful area of the country although most of Laos is pretty beautiful. This was very much an eye-opening place to visit for me. Most who go there have only partying on their minds. Hence whilst Laos is an opportunity to get off the beaten South-East Asia tourist trail, you can still find places overrun with foreigners. There is definitely a strong ex-pat community here too, and perhaps one of the drawbacks is that all this makes it harder to get to know the locals. For the most part, people in Laos are quiet and humble. In short, as a traveller Laos has a lot to recommend it. It presents peace and adventure, the chance to get off the tourist trail or the chance to party with other foreigners, and today it presents more opportunities for travel than it ever did before. You can learn about history, and learn about projects to remove mines. Laos is not a big country with a small population. But its heart is big and beats proudly. The Arriving Today Laos is more connected to the rest of the world than ever before. With the advent of budget airlines over the last decade or so, getting to Laos is easy and relatively cheap from other countries in Asia at the very least. Air Asia flies through Kuala Lumpur, and Tiger Airways through Singapore. Of course, there is always the overland route and come from Thailand is relatively easy. Vietnam and Cambodia are crossed fairly easily too, but long bus rides are often in order to get to towns of any size on either sides of the borders. I flew in from Hanoi, Vietnam. I flew into Luang Prabang on Air Lao and then my itinerary took me south eventually to Vientiane, where I took Air Asia to Kuala Lumpur. Flights: Hanoi (Vietnam) to Luang Prabang Air Lao (code share with Vietnam Airlines) about $200 (price December 2013, direct, no stops) Vientiane to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) Air Asia. Current prices range from $35 sale seats to around $100. Getting the ultra-cheap fares depends mainly on when you want to go and when you book lining up well. You can find Jetstar flights as well for good prices. Air Lao were fine, the flight was short, however they have in the past had their safety issues and even as recently as 2013 had a fatal crash. Despite this, their safety record over the last 10 years has improved a lot. Air Asia is a pretty good budget airline and if you get in on the right day when they are having a sale, then you can find some pretty impressive deals. It s no frills so everything you want in terms of food and entertainment you have to pay on top of your airfare, but that s how all the budget airlines work. Once in Laos, you are looking at buses, taxis or minivans. Getting around the country and the region can be pretty slow, even if many roads have been upgraded and repaired in recent years. The topography is rather hilly if not mountainous, so things tend to take longer than one might expect.

Once you re in Laos, most people get from town to town by minibus. It s the most convenient way to travel and it s pretty fast considering Laos is a mountainous country with some extremely windy roads. Money has been spent in recent years on the roads in Laos, so they are a lot better than they were 15 years back when people were really just starting to discover the country. In towns you ll find tuk-tuks are the common form of transport if you don t fancy walking (and most places are small enough that walking is perfectly feasible to get to most sites). A tuk-tuk is really just the regional term for the auto-rickshaw, a three-wheeled vehicle that runs on a small motor with a compartment for a couple of people on the back. In Laos many had a bigger compartment, so presumably a bigger motor that could carry up to around 12 people. There were quite a few in Luang Prabang. To save travel time, internal flights are a good, if not eco-friendly, option.