Laos - Asia's best kept secret
Laos, the poor neighbour to the more affluent traditional tourist destinations is an absolute must do, preferably before the grubby hands of tourism spoils its charm.
If
you are looking for a holiday with pristine site seeing attractions, great toilets
and entertainment on tap, then Laos isn't for you. Come in 10 years when the Chinese
have finished flooding it with cash and it catches up with the rest of Asia.
Presently
Laos is a poor, laid back, developing country with bountiful charm, character
and the most beautiful people. We were met with a shy curiosity especially
outside of the main centres and made so many new friends on our journey, it was
hard to say goodbye.
Vientiane,
the bustling capital city left us somewhat under whelmed, but with only 4
million inhabitants it had a relaxed laid-back atmosphere, where people still
see and interact with one another. 
Buddha
park (Xieng Khuan), located an easy bus ride from Vientiane is worth a look. A
park housing over 200 Buddha and Hindu religious statues, makes for some great
photographic opportunities and Michael enjoyed climbing inside the large
Pumpkin structure, depicting the rise from Hell ascending to Heaven.
We took local bus number 14 from the central bus station at 6,000 kip each
which drops outside and picks up regularly to go back to city. Avoid the
minibus touts and tut-tut which will charge you 200,000 kip and claim buses no good.
They are just fine!
The
equivalent of one bombing raid every 8 mins for 9
years. 580,000 bombing missions using cluster bombs, 80 million of these bombs
remaining unexploded and killing people today. Affecting people in the poorest areas that rely on the land for food
over 50,000 people have been maimed or killed since the last bombing mission
40-percent being children. A really
harrowing realisation as to why Laos is such a poor and undeveloped country
today.
Best
advice for Vientiane is keep it brief and hire a car and see the surrounding
area. We escaped the city for a day trip out of town and enjoyed ambling
through local parks, feeding elephants and eating a delicious fish meal
alongside the Mekong.
Vang Vieng
In
hindsight we spent far too long in Vientiane and should have moved on sooner.
We would have if we had known what waited for us Vang Vieng. Known as a notorious party destination for years, we
booked a quieter guesthouse on the edge of town away from party central. We
didn’t need to bother as those days are long gone, Vang Vieng has cleaned up
its act. The focus very much now being on organised tours involving outdoor
activities such as mountain biking, trekking, kayaking, caving, swimming, zip
lining and even hot air ballooning. We had the most AMAZING time exploring the
magnificent countryside, swimming in blue lagoons and floated quite safely down
the river on tubes twice. 
Our timing in Vang Vieng coincided with the start of the Lao New
Year. Songkran, known as the water festival. Traditionally a cleansing ritual
to welcome the New Year by washing the feet of Buddha at the temple and
respectfully sprinkling water on one another to show blessings and good wishes.
Well that’s what Google said. Reality is it’s an all-out street water fight, an
excuse to drink Lao beer for 4 days, sing karaoke and have a great time. It
would have been rude not to join in, so we saw in the New year, sat in the river drinking beer with our new Lao friends.
Phonsavanh The six-hour bus trip from Vang Vieng to Phonsavanh was a treacherous mountain trek, affectionately known as the road of 4,000 bends. If that didn’t make you throw up, then the lay by stand up toilet or the street seller selling skinned rats could do it.
That
said we soon forgot our discomfort, fascinated by the hill tribe villages perched
amongst the clouds on the side of sheer mountain drops where they lived and
farmed. Not for the faint hearted. The innocence and simplicity of life here, really
hit home here.
Exhausted,
barely civil and nearly two hours over the estimated time of arrival, we reached
our destination where David our guest house host greeted us with a beer. Day
two of the Lao New year’s celebrations underway! While we struggled with
language barrier, the divide was easily crossed with plenty of Lao beer, local
dancing, great food and of course Karaoke. The trauma of the bus soon dissipated.
If you ever find yourself it Phonsavanh then stay at Pukyo. More like a home stay, you’ll be well looked
after. We were thrilled to be included in their family Basi ceremony for the new
born children, we made new friends as well as life time memories in Phonsavanh.
The
Xieng Khouang province in central Lao is spectacularly beautiful, scattered
with remote villages and home to the mysterious Plain of Jars. Our hosts connected
us with a fantastic guide Tey, who had been an interpreter for archaeologists working
on the jars. Plain of Jars is a landscape of literally thousands of stone jars
scattered around the Xiang Khoang Plateau. We visited 3 of the main jar sites
where the land had been cleared of UXOs (Unexploded 'bombies'). These
sites had marked pathways indicating safe areas to walk. We were extremely
proud to discover that NZAID had funded this mine clearance work and the
building of a visitor centre.
There
are several different theories around what the jars are. Dated between 500BC –
500 AD its suspected they are associated with prehistoric burial practises
after human remains have been found in and around the jars. Our guides local knowledge really helped
bring the area to life.
The
Landscape reminded us so much of New Zealand but unlike home, most of the
countryside remains completely inaccessible to the community, littered with
unexploded mines or the land unusable because of Agent orange which decimated
the land, making it unusable for at least 100 years. It’s hard to not be
affected by visiting this area. Nearly
every family has been affected by a tragedy.
Farmers, children, livestock, Bombs that look like pineapples which have
killed or maimed curious children. The Lao people have lived with the consequences
of the bombing for many years and it has become a normalised part of their
lives. MAG educate villagers into the dangers around them from farming, cooking
and train locals as demolition experts to clear villages, rice paddies, schools
and new build areas. Often an area must be revisited 4 or 5 times as more ‘bombies’
resurface each rainy season as soil is washed away.
We
also visited Tham Piu , a cave where 374 local villagers who took shelter from
the bombing were killed after a missile was fired directly into the cave. A sad
haunting place set in beautiful surroundings the final resting place for them
to this day. So many atrocities inflicted on the Lao people, yet they are some
of the most welcoming accepting and beautiful people we have met in Asia.
Luang Prabang
Probably
our least favourite place in Lao where tourism has arrived. We were lucky
enough to arrive in time to see the conclusion of the New Year celebrations
with the ceremony of watering “Prabang Buddha image for blessing at Vat
Mai. A French colonial city in Northern
Laos, quaint and sleepy set alongside the Mekong River it attracts
a lot of the tourists and higher prices. Known for its many Buddha temples where
you can get up early and feed the monks. We declined opting for the ‘lay in
option” instead.
We came across the not for profit Big Brother Mouse and volunteered for a morning with Lao students keen to practise their English through informal conversation. A great way to get to know more about Lao way of life and give back while travelling.
You
can climb Mount Phousi for a spectacular view of the surrounding area and to
take in the sunset. The highlight for us being our visit to Kuang Si Falls
which were simply stunning. To reach the
falls you also walk through the Kuang Si Bear rescue sanctuary where we enjoyed
watching rescued bears play. Tip - Go early. This attraction is extremely popular. Set in the jungle we trekked to the top of
the falls taking in breath-taking scenery and down the other side for a swim in
the many freshwater pools.
Luang
Prabang brought our stay in Laos to an end. In an
adventurous moment, determined to travel like a true backpacker, we booked to
transit from Laos to Vietnam by sleeper bus. 26 hours back over the mountains,
taking in the Vietnamese countryside. Sounds idyllic but unfortunately didn't
factor in having a temperature and a stinking head cold. A one time never to be
repeated experience which should only be undertaken if you are under 30, 4ft 6,
can hold your bladder and stomach for up to six hours at a time and are totally
broke!
On a personal note three-months in and still not using shampoo!
Feels a bit like a nest some days and in need of a trim but sadly, no dreads
yet. Holding out for something that resembles a salon, hopefully in Vietnam!!
Remember you can Follow our adventures through Vietnam on FB https://www.facebook.com/kiwiseetheworld/
or via our blog https://kiwiseetheworld.blogspot.co.nz/
Here’s a link for friends and family to get 10% discount on
booking.com. A good travel app which we use all the time for booking accommodation
https://www.booking.com/s/11_6/b8785ab8
We will also be publishing the first blog ‘kiwi see the world - through
my eyes’ shortly which follows Michael's journey travelling with Asperger’s for
those interested in following his progress. It has certainly been a reflective
process going back through journey notes and good for us to see how far we have
come. Hopefully our learning may offer some incite for other parents faced with
similar challenges.
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