Laos

Laos

Mekong River
Pak Beng
Luang Prabang
Vang Vien
Vientiene

This was. short tour of Laos after
Chiang mai. We crossed into Laos at
Huay Xai and took the river boat
down the Mekong river to Luang
Prabang. Then we took busses to
Vang Vieng and Vientiane, before
flying back to Bangkok. Laos is a
remote country, undeveloped and
beautiful and still retains it's real
character.

Mekong

The Mekong is one of
the worlds greatest
rivers over 4000 km
long. It originates in
Tibet near the
source of the
Yangtze. It flows
down the Himalayas
through China,
Laos, Myanmar and
Thailand then into Cambodia, where it flows
in one direction in the wet season and the
opposite direction in the dry season. Finally it
reaches the sea at the Mekong Delta in
Vietnam. In Laos it is often the only means of
transport and we pick up all along the route

Pak Beng

The journey down the Mekong takes 2
days with an overnight stop at Pak Beng.
The town felt very remote with only 1
road in and grew as a service station for
the increasing tourist traffic. A posse of
bearers descends on the boats as they
moor each evening and jostles to grab a
suitcase or back pack. The travellers
disperse to their guest Houses and in the
morning, they migrate down the main
street to the river bank, buying food for
the new day. Plans for an HEP dam north
of Pak Beng have drawn concern and
criticism for the potential human and
environmental impact.

Luang Prabang

We arrived at Luang Prabang at
dusk. The town was the royal
capital until 1975 and retains a rare
charm with a mix of traditional
and French colonial architecture.
Although there are increasing
number s of visitors, the town has a
relaxing atmosphere and we spent
a few days exploring in and around
town.

Vang Vieng

After a day long bus ride we reached
the dusty out of town bus station in
Vang Vieng. The landscape is
stunning with sheer limestones
cliffs looming out of the haze of the
late afternoon. The town offers
adventure activities in a beautiful
landscape and has shed its
reputation for backpacker excess
after an increasing number of
deaths during drink and drug
fuelled tubing parties on the river.