Laos – Travelling Pole

Pakse and 4000 islands, Laos

Located in the Southern part of Laos, Pakse was our penultimate stop in this incredible country. We arrived on an overnight bus from Vientiane which we booked through 12go Asia (very useful site by the way). The bus was actually really comfortable but you need to remember to book 2 tickets if you are a normal sized foreigner. The bus has proper beds but they are rather small and meant to fit 2 people hence why the 2 tickets advice. If you book just one, you can end up sharing a bed with a stranger, or a monk, for 10 hours or so…

Pakse has an airport too so if you don’t have time you can opt in to fly instead. Our hotel was just a short stroll from the bus stop and we got a room immediately despite it being 6 am! The hotel is called Pakse Hotel and is actually one of the nicer ones around but costs very little (about £25 per night). It also has a great rooftop bar and a restaurant from where you can watch the sunset and take advantage of the happy hour (3 large beers for £3.50).

The town itself is pretty small and doesn’t have any attractions as such. The main reason why people come to Pakse is to visit the Bolaven Plateau. The Plateau is fairly large and there are a number of attractions there like waterfalls, coffee plantations and ethnic villages. You can join a shared tour and tick off all the attractions this way (the cost is approx £15) or if you’re unlucky and there are not enough people you can hire a driver to take you to all the spots. You’re guessing correctly that we fell into the second option. It was of course more expensive (double the price of the tour) but the driver turned out to be a lovely guy with quite a good grasp of English which made the day very enjoyable. It was also nice to have an air conditioned car to yourself. We booked it through one of travel agencies in town. It is worth shopping around though as they don’t all have the same prices. The trip was really nice and we got to see some beautiful scenery and 3 waterfalls, we saw local villages and had a great coffee at the plantation.

Lush green jungle surrounding Tad Fane waterfall

With the main attractions crossed off our list in Pakse, we took a shared minivan to an area called 4000 islands or Si Phan Don, just by the Cambodian border and about 3 hours away from Pakse. A lot of people combine the two areas or base themselves in one of the two so we were quite lucky to be able to spend time in both. 4000 islands is a stunning part of Laos where the Mekong is very wide and lots of islands have formed there. It is an area known for being a backpacker paradise with a very laid back vibe and lots of bars and cheap hostels. The promise of it being cheap was quite attractive to us as the rest of Laos actually turned out to be more expensive than Thailand and we needed to reign the spending in a little.

The ticket from Pakse to Don Det (the island we chose to stay on) also included the ferry. We got dropped off near the ferry, and had to walk a little to get on the boat. Once on the boat, the beautiful scenery opened up everywhere and I immediately felt so happy we allocated 5 nights to this place.

We chose to stay in Little Eden Hotel. One of a few hotels with a pool. Most guesthouses on the island just assume people will jump into the river to cool off but since I’m not a great swimmer I thought it may be good to have a pool in case the river is too much for me. The hotel is definitely one of the more upmarket places on the islands but cost us just £23 per night. The room was basic but functional and we hardly spent any time in it anyway. The pool was amazing and when the temperatures went up to 38C we were so happy that we chose this place.

The island of Don Det is really small and very rural with a laid back atmosphere. Think reggae music, sitting on the floor, cheap booze and other delights if you are in the market for them. Also, judging by the state of some foreigners here, they came in the 90s and never left 😂 It’s all part of the experience and what makes the place very unique and feels a million miles away from the manicured streets of Luang Prabang.

There is a lot to do here for the adventurous like kayaking, ziplining, dolphin spotting or cycling. The kayaks were out of the question for me since they take you through some big rapids. We did ziplining in Costa Rica a few years back so we weren’t that bothered about it either. Dolphin spotting was on our agenda however we found out they only have 4 specimens on this side of the border so we decided to do it while in Cambodia where it is pretty much guaranteed we will see them. So we were left with cycling. I have to say that cycling around this lovely island (and its bridge-linked brother Don Khone) is truly idyllic. The bikes are in good condition and cost less than a £1 per day to hire. We took them out twice, went to see a waterfall the first day and then went to a wild river beach the second. The best part is cycling through the village and observing the local life. Such a nice experience and one I will always remember. The shores of the Mekong here look so exotic, makes you think you’re in a film!

Being on a backpacker islands, we couldn’t help but participate in the lifestyle a little so we went on a booze cruise organized by one of the hostels nearby. It was a lot of fun, we got taken to a lovely beach not far away and plied with booze of course. The music was playing and there was a lovely sunset in front of us. Really nice experience and we got to meet some like minded people to exchange some travel stories with.

It was also going well on the food front too, we went through the majority of the stay with no issues until Steve was struck with a bug on the morning we were due to leave for Cambodia and we had to change the plan and stay one more day here for him to recover (travelling 6 hours in a cramped minivan is not something you want to do when I’ll, especially not in Laos with the bumpy roads and non existent roadside toilets). The restaurants all seemed fine though and there is a good variety of places here including some decent Western food. Who knows which place gave us the bug, could have easily been the Lao whiskey too 😂 Nevertheless, my favourite meal on the island was the pineapple fried rice and watermelon/coconut shake at Emily’s Noodle Restaurant on the other island. So exotic!

Vang Vieng and Vientiane, Laos

These two places are fairly close to each other so you can visit both in a single trip easily. Also, we didn’t explore everything Vang Vieng has to offer because we stayed out of town so our experience of it is pretty limited.

We arrived in Vang Vieng in a minivan from Luang Prabang. It is a pretty uncomfortable ride as the roads are very bad but it only takes around 4 hours so it is bearable. We paid £8 each for the journey and booked it through one of the travel agents on the main street in Luang Prabang. After the fact, we were told by our hotel that you can do this cheaper but it seemed a fair price to us so we didn’t change the plan. The VIP bus was double the price and more comfortable (it avoids the bad roads) but it takes 2 hours longer I’m told.

We booked to stay in Green View Resort which we saw in YouTube videos. The hotel is located on the shores of the Nam Ngum Lake which is around half an hour drive south from Vang Vieng. We were aware of the location and picked it so that we can have a relaxing time but if you wish to be close to the action I would recommend staying in Vang Vieng centre. It was a bit difficult getting in and out of the resort and it cost a lot too.

The town of Vang Vieng itself isn’t amazing or particularly big but it became very famous a while back for raucous backpacker parties along the river. Tubing on the river used to be huge business here. You basically got a giant tractor tire and you floated down the river in it stopping in various bars. But all good things must come to an end and after a year of over 20 tourist deaths on the river, the Lao government shut down the tubing and the bars. The town needed to reinvent itself and now you can do tons of other activities here like kayaking and zip lining. Tubing was eventually reopened and lots of the death traps were removed but only 3 bars can be opened on any given day and no drugs are advertised openly either. I’m guessing the fact that the activity was toned down, coupled with the modern, health conscious backpacker profile, is the reason why tubing doesn’t attract as many people today as it did in the past. Nevertheless, we liked the idea of floating gently in the river for a few hours so we decided to give it a go. It was really nice and we thoroughly enjoyed it, we even stopped in one bar and got slightly tipsy but decided to move on once the owner started offering us some dubious looking opium vodka shots… The river is really shallow and it was slow in parts so we had to get out of the tubes to try and push ourselves along. A good piece of advice would be to wear water shoes as the bottom of the river is covered with stones. We had a lovely time and including the bar stop it took us just over 5 hours to get to the end. The tube hire is just under £6 per person and the tuk tuk to the starting point is included. Overall, a very good value activity. You end up right in town and leave your tubes there.

So that was our Vang Vieng experience! We stayed in the resort for 5 nights and were largely super lazy but the hotel offers free kayaks so we explored the lake a little which was fun and my first time in the kayak too! As some of you know, I can’t swim so this was a big deal. The hotel is just a few chalet type rooms overlooking the lake with your own private terrace. They also have a restaurant on site and the chef makes really good food, the curry and larb were superb. The swimming pool is a big bonus too. The views were beautiful and sometimes you felt like you were in a nature program when the water buffaloes came to graze on a nearby island and were swimming in the lake just in front of you.

Once our lazy time was over we took a minivan to Vientiane, the capital city. It took just over 3 hours to get there in a minivan and cost £5 each. There is of course an airport in Vientiane too if you were flying in to this part directly (no direct flights to Europe but you can easily connect from Bangkok or Hanoi). Vientiane is a small capital city, with less than a million people and no major high rises. It certainly feels like a local town more than a capital. We stayed in Vientiane Garden Villa Hotel, great location near to the night market and many bars and restaurants. We didn’t have a long list of attractions to tick off here so wanted to be near a pool and the hotel offered this too (about £30 per night).

The first thing we saw was the Cope project centre. It is a charity which helps people who lost limbs to get prosthetic replacements. This is actually a big issue in Laos and one I wasn’t aware of. Due to tons of unexploded bombs scattered around Laos accidents involving these bombs are actually fairly common. The charity helps to raise awareness of the situation too it was very eye opening to find out how badly Laos suffered during the Vietnam war. Highly recommend a visit here.

The next day we went to see the Buddha Park which is located out of town, 30km away. The hotel quoted some outrageous price for a return journey so we were a bit put off but we noticed an ad for a tuk tuk tour on a tree in town and decided to try it out (it was about £7 pp). Simple advertising works it turns out! The driver was a bit of a character and spoke decent English. He stopped at a temple before getting to the park and told us a few interesting stories.

The entry to the park is about £1.50. The park has over 200 Buddha and various Hindu statues scattered all over beautiful landscaped garden. It’s a lovely place to hang out and enjoy the green space (there aren’t many of those in the city). As a part of the tour you could also go and see their most impressive temple and the Patuxai monument but we chose to call it a day and see them the next day.

We explored Vientiane further on our second day. First we went to see That Luang temple, supposedly the biggest one in town. It was all gold and nice to look at but didn’t have the grandeur of its Myanmar equivalent, Shwedagon Pagoda. Still, it’s worth a quick visit and you can also see a reclining Buddha in a nearby religious complex too.

Our final stop on the sightseeing tour of Vientiane was the Patuxai monument which is also called Arc de Triumphe since it bears some resemblance to the one in Paris. The area around it feels very European and it’s a nice square to hang out in and have some ice cream.

We also had a brief stroll around the riverside and the Night Market which predominantly sells clothes and tech from China so unless you need some new tshirts or shorts can be skipped altogether I think. The area around the market has a lot of nice bars and restaurants though, so should definitely feature on your agenda. We had a few beers in the Bor Pen Yang bar, very lively atmosphere and decent music (well, apart from the 15 minutes they played Ronan Keating’s biggest hits). Tired from the Asian food, we used Vientiane to fill our bellies with as much Western food as possible and if you fancy a change from the endless rice dishes please visit Tyson Kitchen. The owner is Canadian but of Lao descent and is super friendly and attentive. The food is amazing too.

Steve enjoying a Beerlao in the Bor Pen Yang bar

To sum up, I think Vientiane is good stop over place if you need to break up the journey around Lao or rest after a long flight but I wouldn’t recommend more than 1-2 nights here as the attractions are far and few in between. Also, being any longer in a city where there are no proper taxis and you have to haggle with tuk tuk drivers would drive anyone mad.

Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang was our first major stop after we crossed the Thai border with Laos. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and for that reason it attracts a lot of tourists from all over the world. It has some well preserved cultural and religious monuments and the city itself is very visually appealing due to lovely French colonial architecture. It was a no-brainer that we had to visit it on our journey through this part of the world.

First of all: logistics. Luang Prabang can be easily reached by air from the neighbouring countries making it a very accessible destination for most people. Since we tried to reduce the amount of flying on this trip, we decided to get there by boat on the Mekong from Thailand. There are a number of companies running cruises and there is also a slow public boat you can take if you’re on a smaller budget. The journey takes 2 days and you need to stop for the night in Pak Beng. I researched the options and decided to go for a slightly more comfortable option using the Nagi of Mekong tour company. They were super helpful on email and provided a lot of information and pictures which ultimately helped us decide on who to pick. We got to Chiang Khong on the Thai side the night before the cruise and the tour agency gave us all the Laos immigration forms so that we could fill them in ahead of time. They then picked us up in the morning and escorted us through the border which was very helpful and took us to the pier on the Lao side where we boarded the boat. There were around 30 people on board and each couple or group had two benches and a table (a booth) to themselves. There were also beds you could nap on and tons of extra space. The lunch was cooked by the family who owns the boat and both days it was delicious. Coffee and tea were available all day as was some fruit. The cruise was really lovely and we spent the time watching the scenery and chatting to fellow passengers. The price of the cruise also included a hotel for the night in Pak Beng in the Mekong Riverside Lodge which was awesome (think bamboo huts overlooking the Mekong). We made a couple of stops in local villages and in the Pak Ou Cave near Luang Prabang which was great since the cave is one of the attractions in Luang Prabang, so we got to do this before we even got to town. Throughout, we had an English-speaking guide and at the end of the journey they organized vans to take us all to our respective hotels – amazing service. All of this cost £115 pp which I think was great value given the comfort of travel, great food and the excellent service. I would definitely recommend doing this as it’s an unforgettable experience.

Lunch on board: chicken curry, stir fried veg, fried fish and rice

Now for the main event – Luang Prabang. It is a lovely little town and I can see why it draws the crowds in. It has a beautiful riverside location, Mekong on one side and the Mekong’s tributary on the other, so you are never far from a river stroll. There are of course numerous, well-preserved temples to visit but the architecture and the whole vibe of the town is the most charming aspect of it. It feels as if you were transported to the French colonial Indochina you see in films. The town itself is pretty small and you can see most sights within town in a day if you wanted to, that is if you have enough stamina to walk or cycle in about 35 degree heat all day! We allocated 6 nights for it so we had a lot of time to spread out the sightseeing a little.

We started off by climbing Mount Phoussi which is directly in town. It’s best to go really early when the heat is not too oppressive. It’s not a big hill and won’t take longer than half an hour to reach the peak. There is a pagoda on top but the best part is the 360 degree view of Luang Prabang and the surrounding areas. I believe we had to pay a small amount to enter but it’s definitely worth it (less than £2 pp).

View of Luang Prabang from Mount Phoussi

We also visited the Wat Xieng Thong, the most famous gilded temple and the Royal Palace, where Laos’ monarchy resided until it was abolished in 1975. The Palace is now a museum and you can have a look through the actual rooms where the kings lived. The temple had a small entrance fee and so did the museum. If you wish to visit the museum you need to take notice of opening hours – they are closed at lunchtime.

One of the biggest attractions lies outside of town – it’s the Kuang Si Falls. There are lots of shared vans that run that route and you can easily arrange a ticket through one of the numerous tour agencies in town. We chose to go early to avoid the worst heat. The van cost approx. £3.50 pp return. It takes about 45 minutes to get there and they give you 2.5 hours before returning to Luang Prabang. You also need to pay the entrance fee to the falls which is fairly small, less than £2 I believe. By the way, the reason I keep saying “less than” is because of the awkward conversion rate: £1 = 11,500 kip. Most entrance fees, tickets etc. are 20,000 kip or 30,000 and it’s too time consuming to say exactly what this means in £ 😉

As you go in to the falls, you first have to go through a sort of a mini zoo I guess where they keep bears. The bears have been rescued (apparently the Chinese capture them to extract their bile for medicinal purposes, so awful) but I couldn’t help thinking that the space they have been given here is very small so the word rescued seems a bit ironic to me but hey, everyone can have their own opinion on this. Anyway, you can see the falls at different levels and if you feel adventurous you can even climb up to the top however you can’t see the drop from there so it’s worth it but from an exercise perspective only :-). It is a very beautiful place and you are allowed to swim there too if you want. Overall, a great half day out of the city and very worth it.

Another attraction out of town is the Pak Ou cave. It is right on the Mekong river and we visited it as a part of the cruise but you can catch a ride their from town too. You can reach the cave by climbing up steep steps and once inside you can see lots of buddha statues. You can also climb further and see another cave. It was a nice stop but having seen the Sadan Cave in Myanmar which was enormous and really cool this one failed to make an impression on me to be honest.

Our activities in Luang Prabang also included cycling. Our hotel had some available free of charge so we took them out one morning and did a bit of cycling around villages on the other side of the Mekong. You can get a car ferry over there which departs every 20-30 minutes and costs less than £1 pp with a bike. There are cycle friendly paths there which are really easy if you have some basic gears on your bike and a comfy seat. Sadly, our bikes turned out to be too basic so we gave up after a while but nevertheless it was good to get out of town and see some surrounding areas.

One final activity we did here which I definitely recommend is the sunset boat cruise on the Mekong. SaSa bar runs these daily and the cost is £8pp which includes a Lao mojito. You can also get some other drinks on board if you like. The cruise takes 2 hours and we really enjoyed it. There are some great photo opportunities as the boat goes quite slowly. We liked the vibe so much that we returned to the bar itself the next day. The bar is located on the Mekong side and has comfy sun lounges from where you can watch the sunset.

The rest of our time in Luang Prabang was spent on eating our way through various restaurants and enjoying the nice vibes. Lao food really surprised us actually. It is heavily influenced by the neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam but they seemed to have taken the best bits of both to create something new and very tasty. The best part for me is the sticky rice. It is served with pretty much anything in cute little bamboo baskets and is slightly chewy. Great texture! The curries are flavoured with a lot of coconut and lemongrass and are less watery than the Thai ones. The stir fries are more saucy and thicker than their counterparts from Thailand too. The Vietnam influences come from the heavy use of herbs and more of a clean composition of dishes. A great example is lab or larb which is minced chicken or pork mixed with herbs and spices served as a sort of a salad. Sounds weird but it is delightful served with some crunchy shredded cabbage for example. The beer is better too and reminded me more of Central European beers than the usual weak Asian varieties. If you fancy something European, Yuni restaurant had a great European menu and the mezze platter was particularly delicious.

There are a lot of hotels and hostels to choose from in Luang Prabang including some fancy options like Sofitel or Avani. We went for a more budget-friendly option and stayed in Villa Ban Phanluang. It is a little out of town but we had the benefit of visiting in the dry season so could make a shortcut to town by a bamboo bridge which doesn’t exist in the rainy season. We had to pay a little to cross but it didn’t bother us at all, was a fun adventure each time as the bridge is a little bouncy and rickety. The best part of our guesthouse was having your breakfast delivered to your balcony each morning, a delightful start to the day!