Admittance to the town’s botanical gardens would cost over $100 for all of us so I found a nature park around 10km away. Most of the way was off-road and our little bikes were getting battered, fortunately there was virtually no other traffic and we had the Nahm Dong Park to ourselves when we arrived. Again entry was ridiculously cheap at 20k (70 baht) each and the place was professionally setup and managed. The big attraction here was almost a kilometer of zip-lines running through the jungle so we had to give that ago at $15 each. This place was a hidden gem, it would have been far more spectacular in the wet season though when all the rivers and falls are running, the foliage is lush, and the air is clear.
Back in town we took a walk down the river front in the evening and enjoyed a Mekong sunset with a cold one as the tour boats plied the lazy brown waters. The following morning involved a climb up Mount Phousi which is home to a sprawling temple complex and offers good views across Luang Prabang … if you could see through the smog. An amble through the old quarter would have been better without the tuk tuk mafia constantly hounding us, the only place we have encountered this over the past three weeks.
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More to follow ...
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Back into town late afternoon by pedal power on some cranky bicycles from the hotel, we wanted to grab a boat out on the river for our last night in Laos. They’re not difficult to find and 500 baht lighter we were chugging up river in our own charter with a bottle of imported French wine watching the sun slip lower casting a glistening red hue over the Mekong. It served as a great way to end a great trip, Laos leaves you relaxed and wanting more but it was time to head back to Thailand.
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Well that's pretty much the end of the trip report and photos. Thanks for reading I hope I've inspired a couple of people to take a road trip! I made some videos also which can all be found on www.ontheroadasia.com
Technical stuff - photos shot on Nikon D7200. Used ND8 filters for waterfalls and some gradient ones for the sunsets. Post processing all done using Adobe Lightroom.
To follow I'll post some general observations and comparisons with Thailand.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Well, for me, this has been your best ever trip report. The photos and text are excellent, but with respect, it's really the photo's that sell it and it's been great to see areas I have heard about and would love to get the chance to visit. But not the hot air balloon. That's not for me.
All I have to do now is persuade the other half and as she hails from Khon Kaen and all Laos means to her is a day trip to Vientiane, that'll be hard!
Echo the above. Brilliant report! Have thoroughly enjoyed all of it and it's reinforced my decision on where to head next. I've always preferred Laos to Thailand but had difficulty finding decent paid work there. I haven't really ventured far out of Vientiane before (Yet still prefer it to everywhere in Thailand) but will do now after following your travels.
Many thanks for sharing.
I don't trust children. They're here to replace us.
I did this same trek many years ago when I first ventured into SE Asia. I was green as grass in those day - maybe still am.
I enjoyed seeing it all again. Indeed, maybe I'll do a repeat someday.
Cheers for the comments guys, its always a pleasure sharing these things - travel is food for the soul!
I'll add some general observations, notes and comparisons now, feel free to ask anything.
Researching the trip
Contrary to popular belief search engines were not that helpful during the research for this trip. Google is no longer the information mine it used to be as most of the top results now are paid and commercial listings like Tripadvisor, Agoda, Lonelyplanet or keyword and link stuffed advertising blogs rather than real information. Google, like Facebook, has lost its purpose and is now purely a money driven ad machine – the Google Maps, however, proved invaluable and were of more use for research purposes and finding places to go. Thai social media also offered some comments and reviews on places to go.
Tourism
The Chinese breed of tourist is very different to the western one. They are a group collective and will not do anything alone. A consequence of this group mentality is obliviousness of anybody else and an elevated level of noise and hollering at each other from a couple of feet away as if they are the only ones on the planet, which in their eyes they are. Westerners and other Asians will acknowledge each other with a greeting or a nod – the Chinese only acknowledge other Chinese. As in Thailand, they tend to frequent only Chinese operated businesses and hotels; I would estimate that they make up around 60-70% of the total tourist count in Laos. There appeared to be a lot more farangs in Laos than I have seen anywhere in Thailand in recent years.
The development and construction in Laos is rampant and the vast majority of it appears to be Chinese funded. They are an unstoppable force slowly enveloping Southeast Asia, and greedy governments are hungry for more at the expense of their own people and cultures.
The People
The Lao people appear to be a lot more genuine with their sincerity and friendliness than Thais. There is no superiority attitude or pretentiousness with them and there is a genuine desire to help or communicate with foreigners, even if they are not in the tourism business. Naturally the two languages are very similar so speaking a Thai/Lao combo got me a lot further with the locals. Laotians are not pushy at all which is a pleasant change - in Malaysia and Indonesia touts will pull your arm off and hassle you to death in tourist places. I didn’t have to say ‘bor ao’ at all (apart from Luang Prabang)!
Sadly the mobile zombie factor is creeping in but nowhere near the levels seen in Thailand where staff in the hospitality industry are more interested in their phones than doing their jobs.
The Environment
Unfortunately Laos is also afflicted by the plastic disease but whereas Thailand is awash with plastic bags, it is the bottles that are everywhere in Laos. There does not appear to be any incentive to recycle here so plastic bottles are just tossed aside. The towns are pretty clean but when you venture into the countryside trash lines the roads and has reached every corner that people have.
There are very few dogs in Laos, which is also a deeply Buddhist country. No feral packs of aggressive mutts roaming the street which makes the place a lot safer to walk or cycle in. Hua Hin probably has more dogs down that Bo Fai Soi alone than I saw in the whole of Laos!
To follow - cost comparison
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Costs
Food in Laos is very similar to Thailand, with the exception that you can get decent bread and baguettes everywhere. Most of the restaurants in tourist places served identical menus so eating gets a little repetitive after a week or two. Prices are similar to Thailand but portions are a fair bit larger which makes eating out in Laos better value.
The beer is about half the price and there is no massive bar/restaurant/hotel inflation in prices that you get in Thailand. The most I paid for a large bottle of Beer Lao was 15,000 kip (55 baht) and the least 10,000 (36 baht), the tins are even cheaper. Naturally it is a far better beer than the Thai chemical lagers and you get no ill after effects from a little over indulgence. Wine is a steal, a bottle of reasonable imported French Cab Sauv for under 400 baht, buying it by the box is even less at under 150 baht a liter. There are no absurd time, day or location restrictions on alcohol either, and yet the people are not killing each other or driving like nutballs – go figure Thailand.
Accommodation is also a little cheaper but this one is relative. We were paying around 1,000 baht a night for a decent room in a 3-4 star place with a pool and regular facilities. This would probably cost the same in Thailand but in the low season only. Staff and service was way above what you get in Thailand where everyone has become so indifferent to foreigners and more interested in their phones.
One pleasant surprise was that the entrance fees were a fraction of the price. Yes, there is dual pricing but it is far easier to swallow as you’ll typically pay 10,000 kip (about 35 baht) to get into a waterfall, cave, temple or other popular natural attraction (apart from Luang Prabang where it will be double). Magnify that by ten if you want to do the same in Thailand. Kids under 12 are not charged, even if they are foreigners. You can’t really begrudge paying 6 baht to park your motorcycle on someone’s land either!
Transport is limited and as a result a little more expensive. Thailand has good roads, rail and air networks so getting around is cheap and easy. In Laos the roads should not really be called roads so getting anywhere takes half a day instead of two hours! As a result there are way fewer accidents, no nutters in high powered pickups doing 150kph, and the pace of life on the roads is a lot slower.
I did not investigate directly but would presume that schools and hospitals are far superior on this side of the border. Laos is still pretty primitive but is developing fast so now is the best time to see it before it becomes just another province of China.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
