Laos

Laos, a small but beautiful country, drew us in from Hanoi, Vietnam.

Our first stop was Luang Prabang, the capital at the time, located in the north, which, despite its poverty, offered breathtaking landscapes.

Our accommodation was perfect, with a great pool, rooms, restaurant and friendly atmosphere.

We decided against motorcycling due to the poor roads and booked a tour through GetYourGuide instead. This began with a ride in a longboat, took us to a village that produces rice wine, and then on to caves and an elephant farm. After lunch, we visited the largest waterfall, which was partially closed but still impressive.

The next day we relaxed by the pool, and on the last day we explored the city and climbed Monks' Hill. The 395 steps in 30-degree heat were strenuous, but the candle-making demonstration was worth seeing.

The next day we took the express train from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. The journey was pleasant, although the station had airport-style security checkpoints where no one was allowed on the platform until everyone had entered the building. The route was mostly through tunnels, which didn't make it particularly spectacular. However, what the Chinese have built here with the Laotians is impressive, and the line is slated for further expansion.

Upon arriving in Vang Vieng, we checked into our hotel, which was clean and welcoming, with a great pool, although breakfast wasn't included.

On our first day, we had a fantastic tour: First, we visited a well-designed zipline park, then we kayaked about three kilometers down the river. After lunch, we explored a lagoon where you could ride an inner tube and had a lot of fun jumping into the water from a height of six meters.

Afterwards, we visited another beautiful lagoon, though it wasn't strictly necessary.

In the evening, we were surprised to find ourselves eating German schnitzel, prepared by a chef from Freiburg who has lived in Laos for almost 15 years.

Our highlight was the hot air balloon flight the next morning. We got up at four o'clock and were picked up. At the meeting point, everyone was busy getting the balloons ready to take off in time for sunrise. The view was breathtaking.

Around nine o'clock we returned and found a great bakery where we enjoyed a delicious breakfast. French culture is very prevalent in Laos, which means real bread and croissants—a welcome change from Asian rolls. We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool.

On our last day, we started with another great breakfast and relaxed by the pool.

We had booked four nights, but three would have been enough, as Vang Vieng didn't offer much. Originally, we wanted to take the train to Vientiane, the current capital, but our landlady recommended the minibus, saying it was cheaper and easier. We booked with her, unaware that we'd be packed in like sardines. Instead of 15 people, there were 19 in the vehicle. Luckily, it was a quick trip, and after just under three hours, we were finally free.

The hotel for the next two days was clean, the staff friendly, but the pool wasn't great.

In the evening, we visited the night market, which, as expected, was incredibly crowded. We ended the day relaxing with a glass of wine.

After breakfast, we set out to explore Vientiane. We initially tried walking, but it was difficult because all the sidewalks were being torn up at once, making it quite challenging for pedestrians. So, we took taxis to get to the sights.

The illuminated fountain with its water features was particularly impressive in the evenings.

We spent

We spent the day visiting temples and also explored one of the shopping malls. Unfortunately, we had bad luck with our restaurant choices both evenings, but that's part of the experience.

Of course, we couldn't resist taking a look at the border between Laos and Thailand, since the border runs right through the middle of the river.

The next day, we set off for the airport.

We have to admit that Vietnam and Laos seemed quite similar to us. However, one significant difference between the two countries is that there isn't nearly as much litter lying around in Laos.

We also noticed the following:

• Vietnam is all honking. In Laos, practically no one honks, except in cases of absolute danger.

• The traffic in Laos seems calmer and more considerate overall.

• Here in Laos, the right-of-way rules, which apparently exist, are actually observed.

• The roads in Laos are even worse and in a deplorable state.

• The people in Laos seem even poorer.

• There are definitely many more proper restaurants in Laos, often run by French people.

• Women in Laos don't veil themselves as much from the sun.

Overall, Laos is noticeably much more Chinese in every aspect. There are a lot of Chinese tourists, hotels, and restaurants.

However, since there are so many similarities with Vietnam, we quickly headed for Cambodia.

But I'll tell you about that in the next report.