Laos: The best place no one has been to (Laos)

Member Name: Ms_Disagreeable

Product:	Laos
Date:	30/06/01 (487 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 'Culture', Landscape, Peaceful

Disadvantages: little infra-structure, no luxuries, Police sometime disagreeable

I am somewhat reluctant to tell you about Laos, I fear that if too many of you go you will spoil it when I next go :). Self interest aside, Laos is the most beautiful place in the world that I have visited with the worlds most hospitable and friendly people.

It is a communist state (don’t let that put you off) land locked located between Thailand, Burma, Vietnam and China. It is estimated that 70% of the worlds illicit opium comes from Laos, something you are reminded of late in the evenings as a strange smell wafts under the door.

I travelled all the way through Laos before entering China at the north, the best way to enter Laos is from Thailand and travel to the capital, Vientiane. This is lovely small capital city, the colonial influence is quite apparent with shutters on the windows, it is a relic from c.1920.

After finding yourself a guesthouse for £1 a night you should visit the ‘revolutionary museum’ and amuse yourself with the great achievements of the Laos nation. Such as their newly built sewerage system or partial electrification, the captions are great too, I particularly liked the one of an American G.I. with the caption “Capitalist dog on the run”.

A word of warning though, my friend broke his leg in Laos and their hospitals are not great so we were treated at the Australian embassy. The British consulate in Bangkok was very helpful but the American embassy in Laos told us to go away and pointed a gun at us! We visited a hospital to collect some crutches and saw various amputees, a grim reminder of the Lao peoples turbulent history.

Crime is virtually non-existent (a Buddhist karma thing I imagine) the main problem we encountered was terrorism. When we were there I was nearly blown up by a bomb and a day later nearly burnt alive when a incendiary device exploded in the morning market. That was when I decided to leave the capital.

As with any third-world country th
e infrastructure in Laos is minimal which makes trucks on dirt roads the only way of getting around. We undertook this ordeal as we went to Luang Prabang, an exhausting ride and I’d recommend you to stop overnight at Vang Vieng. Luang Prabang is lovely, it is charming and soulful and as with all areas of Laos, the people are wonderful.

Going further north is an experience for the travel hardy, no one speaks English and most have never seen a European before. But this all makes for an adventurous and highly rewarding holiday.
Although I spoke about terrorism, it seems to have quelled down now and I would recommend you all to go. All of my friends who have been to South-East Asia loved it and said it was the best place the visited. Do it justice, spend longer than 4 days there.

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