Having been vaguely planning on Kerala, MrsMcMad has just thrown in a curve ball & said as we did Sri Lanka two years ago how about something a little more different

& she suggested Laos.

Now I know nothing about Laos, so please divulge.

I went ten years ago backpacking. Most amazing happy smiley people. Very laid back way of life. I would imagine it is very different nowadays, possibly like Thailand.

off the backpacker trail I’ll bet there are still some quiet spots.

Go for it. Stunning country.

Sabaidee!
What do you want to know?
I’ve been there several times in the last few years, remote parts on a dirtbike.
If I dont know I can put you in touch with someone that does

I havent spent much time in the south but I’d like to.
Its still got a long way to go to be like Thailand
Chinese tourists are starting to arrive there, lots of new roads, and bad drivers.
What do you want to do there?
And how long will you have, travelling is slooow

Also some recent shooting, mainly of chinese dam employees,by “bandits”,so some areas are off-limits, basically the army is killing off some hmong.
But go now, see it before it is all cut down and carried off to china

or how about cambodia or BURMA?

Hello,

I’ve worked in Southeast Asia since 2005 and was based in Vientiane for 9 months in 2013. As said above, the mountains (and Laos is mainly mountains) are incredibly beautiful. There are still proper remote places, and yes, road travel is mainly awful (I did a 45minute flight, my colleagues a 27hr bus trip…). Vientiane is fine for deep chilling but is frankly rather boring after a few days (see 9 months above…). There’s a very well-reputed treehouse-ape conservation opportunity in the NW. There are several imitations but the original is run by a French guy – met him but can’t remember name, can ask colleagues if you’re interested. I haven’t been south either but Wat Phu is well-reputed.

Overall, expect a relaxing satisfying holiday but don’t expect mind-blowing ultra-fun. FLY internally, don’t drive.

the Gibbon experience?

OP we spent two weeks in the South of Laos in January. Mrs B fondly remembers a trip she made to the North 10 years ago, right upto the Chinese border at a time the country was really undiscovered. Its normal for travellers to do “the centre”.

Our trip was pretty back-packy (eg accomodation for as little as $5 per night), bus transfers, renting moped etc. Rouh itinery

Cambodia – Siem Reap and Angor Wat temples – these sre stunning, have been before – we soent 2 days there
Bus transfer to 1000 Islands where we stayed on Don Khon, very relaxing wathcing the Mekong go by,mseeing local people live their lives, river dolphins, waterfalls
Then to Pakse where we visited the satellite temple to Ankor Wat (scooter day out)
Then to to do the “big loop” mountains, waterfalls, coffee plantations etc (we frize for a bit +5 during day and not enough clothes !)
After that we took bus/night train to Bangkok

We used Lonley Planet and TripAdvisor

Center is the nirmal packpackers/gap year stop for Laung Probong / waterfalls / rafting / beer / wacky backy

Can email / post more info as required. Will upload some photos to wet your appetite

FWIW I really love Vietnam and a good addition/trip (3 weeks) might be Ankor Wat / Laos / Hoi An

Really liked Laos when I went there 6(ish) yearsa go. However, we were only there a few days – 3 or 4 maybe – as part of a 3 week trip with Vietnam and Cambodia. I’ve lived in S.E. Asia for over a decade and not sure of anyone who’s come from the UK just to go to Laos.

Went to Burma for Christmas and would highly recommend it! Absolutely wonderful place.

You know, I’d second cold play on this one. Burma. I saw people cycling in Laos and wih my colleagues we did have a plan to take MTBs but chickened out as, frankly, it is very very climby once you get away from the Vientiane plains (saw a totally loaded up tourer, looked like a bloody awful holiday :D).

I run a project in Myanmar (near Monywas) now and had a pair of 29ers to share with an old work buddy this January/February. Had an amazing time and couldn’t recommend it enough. Plenty of variability in the terrain and decent enough infrastructure. There’s a guy in Yangon (Jeff Parry) who runs BikeWorldMyanmar (http://www.cyclingmyanmar.com/) and sells Treks and organises tours. He also runs a pretty reasonable guesthouse in Yangon (hotels have rocketed in price in the last 5 years).

Gaidong

Theres a lot of french and dutch cycling tours in South Laos

Check out the Red Spokes tour of Laos. We did it a few years back and loved it.

Would second the Red Spokes recommendation. Bumped into their guide Ken recently on the Thai/Laos border – got the destinct impression from Ken that the North of Laos is changing fast due to Chinese influences – industrialised agriculture, new roads and hydro power schemes being built, and increased traffic from Chinese “convoy” tours – badly driven 4x4s going from resort complex to resort complex. Go soon before it changes too much – having done the Red Spokes tour about 5 years ago I went back three years ago and travelled from Chiang Rai in N Thailand to Sapa in N Vietnam via Laos, using local buses for the whole journey – had a brilliant time and spent virtually nothing. Make sure that you go to Luang Prabang – could easily spend a week exploring around there.

thanks all.

We’ll be backpacking, so on the cheap side, but fly where necessesary for time reasons.

We’ve got three weeks & I have always dreamed of going to Angkor Wat, think it would be rude to go that far & not go there.. Burma also interests me.

I’ll do some more research & tap some of you for more info if I may.

Thanks all.

We cycle toured through Laos in 1999 – beautiful place and friendly, hospitable people. Personally, if you’re cycling there, I’d do it independently rather than join a group. It’s safe enough, and easy enough to navigate (there are hardly any roads, or there weren’t in 1999). DIY will feel more of an adventure. Vang Vieng looks awful nowadays – ruined by backpackers. Whole of SE Asia is mint if you can get off the beaten track a bit. Enjoy yourselves.

Bangkok-siem reap, up to Laos border, 3000islands then around Tad Lao waterfall in South Laos, maybe doable in 3weeks.
Ypure right about Angkor Wat, but Bagan in Burma is better

I spent a month there about five years ago. We took the slow boat down the Mekong, to Luang Prabang: it’s a world heritage site, and well worth a visit for a lovely mix of French colonial architecture and Buddist temples. On to Vang Vieng, which is good for backpackers taking drugs, but not a great deal else, and I’d probably give the bus trip a miss as it’s frankly terrifying.
Vientiane, as noted, has things worth seeing but probably not for more than a few days, then we went on to Si Phan Don (four thousand islands) in the Mekong delta which is absolutely gorgeous. We hired bikes and ambled around Don Det and Don Khon.

From there, it’s fairly easy to get to Phnom Penh overland – have a few dollars for the border guards – see the city for a few days then head to Siem Riep for the temples at Angkor, which again is fairly easy. We hired bikes to tour the temples, and then a tuk tuk for the day to get to the ones further out.

@MadBil sounds good. Have a look at time of year as weather can vary a lot. Ankor Wat can be 40 degrees plus 😯

Will upload some photos as promised, as per prior poster ambling around Don Det/Khon is great (Don meams island). As I posted you can now get a mini-bus direct from Siem Reap to 1000 islands

Burma I have heard mixed things about (many friends family have been inc one 10 years ago when it was supposedly “closed”) very much underdeveloped but therefore onky limited infrastructure and you may well be followed by security services. email in profile for more info on Laos/Viet Nam or Ankor Wat

Just had a quick look at Bagan, Burma – wow.

I went to Sri Lanka, 25 years ago & it reminds me of how Anuradhapura looked then, except possibly better.

Went in 2010/11. Landed in Vientiane. Had a few days there. Headed up to Luang Prabang by bus (12 hours) and had a few days there. Didn’t bother with Vang Vieng, looked shite and full of off their face Aussie backpackers. Back to Vientiane on the bus followed by an overnighter to Pakse and morning bus to Champasak. Night there, followed by a trip to the sister temple to Ankor Wat then back to Pakse for a few days. Hired a scooter and went off exploring the countryside and little villages before heading to Si Phan Don and Don Khon for a few days. Very quiet. Very chilled. Very basic. Went a pootle round on a bike. Went river dolphin watching. Then back to Pakse for a flight to Siem Reap. There 2 weeks in total and then another 2 weeks in Cambodia. Both felt the right amount of time for me as I find it difficult to stay still when backpacking.

Thought Anuradhapura was shite when I went in ’13. Although that’s progress for you 🙂 Burma looks amazing and is on the list. Although our daughters conception in Marissa, Sri Lanka in ’13 has put the brakes on backpacking for a while 🙂

Vang Vieng has quietened down a lot,now the happy shakes bars and swings are gone(soI’m told), cos there were so many accidents before. Not the party place it was.
Its a long way from Luang Prabang to Vientiane/Savannaket, maybe you can fly. Would keep you away from the Chinese drivers

Bagan is an incredible place. I hired a bike and just cruised round the temples for the day. Probably saw 40 other tourists all day. Magical.

if you only have a few days avoid taking the slow boat from the thai border near chaing rai down to Luang Probang(!)…..it is slow (2 days), and whilst picturesque is uncomfortable and theres better things to see.

was there in 2008 for a few weeks. Very beautiful country, particularly the more remote places, relaxed culture that (at the time) felt still very much focused around a fairly simple way of life.

we hired a motorbike and did a week of touring about on it. Great way to see some out of the way places…..bit unsafe mind with the bad roads / drivers! Although we went through places where you got the impression that they never saw anyone none Laotian.

its defiantly not a beach type holiday mind you, more of a backpacking type experience. I would second what some of the others have said and try to tie it up with a visit to either Vietnam, Cambodia or Thailand….although if you are time limited not more than one of these. We visited all 4 in the space of 9 or 10 weeks and it felt rushed.

Internal flights are a good idea throughout the region. I don’t think Air Laos has a good safety record though with only some of their fleet allowed to fly in neighbouring airspaces!

Just registering in an interest. Laos is on my list.

you need to rent a dirtbike to really get off the beaten track
The place/s is changing fast, with all the dams, new roads and chinese finding it easier to travel,if you want to go, go now
I find the food really bad outside the cities/tour places, especially as a vegetarian
You can see bushmeat in the local markets- leopard cat, giant flying squirrel, bamboo rats, bats, small birds, civet, but it is rare to see wildlife in the countryside, as its all been hunted
It was nice taking a boat up Nam Ou river from Luang Prabang, to Nong Khiaw/Muang Khua/Muang Noi.

A few photos I have readily available on phone

Champasek excellent lunch after temple overlooking wide part of Mekong – run by Belgian guy and his Laos wife. You can homestay on Island opposite. You cross river by excellent ferry made up of two old boats and some planks

View from our accomodation on Don Det (next to old raikay bridge to Don Khon) very peaceful, fisherman owner building a new boat

Fatbike of Don Khon small waterfall restaurant owner and forest “singletrack” we rode to get there – not shown is North Shore ( 🙂 ) ie rickety old wodden bridges

Sunset over Mekong on way from Cambodia

We’ve got three weeks & I have always dreamed of going to Angkor Wat…

Stunning. Get there quick too as apparently the water use by local hotels required by the uptake in tourism is causing subsidence in the sandy soil around the temples.

Hahaha, brings back memories jambalaya, we were situated just opposite you when we stayed on Don Khon 🙂

🙂

Mekong Ferry – happy days. Ferryman had only one hand, not sure whether it was a farming accident or landmine injury

[video]http://vimeo.com/160900580[/video]

This is probably a bit niche but should appeal to us mountain bikers, some skillz 🙂

This was a typical sight and what we came for, get off the main road and follow tracks wherever they led (viewranger gps useful for getting back) here we saw water buffalo lazying in mud, kids playing in river pools and women washing the clothes. Normal rural Laos life.

[video]http://vimeo.com/160904623[/video]

Thanks all.

After a bit of hunting & reading we are flipping plans again.

So it is going to be Burma.

Current plan is:

1. fly to Bangkok, spend 2 nights there
2. fly to Mandalay, maybe go up to Hsipaw.
3. boat to Bagan
4. get to Inle Lake somehow – spend a few days walking/trekking
5. Go to Yangon & maybe Hpa-An
6. Fly back to Bangkok for a night
7. go home 🙁

Gaidong – what project are you working on out in Burma?