Travel for Two: Laos

Laos: Wild Wonderful Asia

Kilometers Traveled: 20,149

Countries Visited: 8

Cities Visited: 24

Cost of a 1L Beer Lao: $2

Wow, we are getting really behind on these posts so I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

Landlocked Laos is still a little rough around the edges in regards to tourism but this is a great place to immerse yourself in some of the last remaining bits of unspoiled SE Asia. This is a stunning place to get outdoors either into the misty mountains or the unbelievably beautiful waterfalls near Luang Prabang. Get here quick before it becomes just another stop on the banana pancake trail.

The Laos public transit system has been our favorite so far.

Luang Prabang

Staying in Luang Prabang feels like you are surrounded by rivers in all directions. The old part of the city (and the most interesting part) has the mighty Mekong river to the north and the Nam Khan to the east and south. The relative flat stretch of land has the highest concentration of blinding golden roofed wats and Buddhas we have ever seen. French Indochina is very alive in this town. The colonial buildings are immaculate, restaurants are impressive and you can finally get a decent croissant. But be warned that this place is a bubble - you'll find very few locals here and there is a weird dichotomy between the self-indulgent tourists and the minimalist monks that receive alms of rice every morning from kneeling villagers.

Sunset from the "new" side of Luang Prabang. All you need here is a massive Beer Lao and a place to sit.

We splurged on a flight directly from Hanoi. The bus to get here was 30 hours and involved a 5am border transfer. As Captain Murtaugh would say in the Lethal Weapon movies, "I'm getting too old for this sh*t"

The Royal Palace Museum. One word review: meh. Stick to the wats and the restaurants.

The lesser known Fat Albert Buddha.

One of the two rickety bamboo bridges that cross the Nam Khang to the other side of town. The bridge has to be rebuilt every year after it gets washed away during monsoon season.

Falang (Thai word for white people) as far as the eye can see here.

Hitting the red carpet at the LB Film Festival. Who are you wearing Janelle?

Mount Phou si. The only hill on the relatively flat peninsula with 360 views of the area.

French colonial style found all over the peninsula. A very tasteful fusion of styles.

Bike ride to the Tad Sae waterfalls 15 km outside of town. Finally getting a peek of the local life.

Tad Sae waterfall. We still can't understand how a place could be so idyllic.

We wandered around for a bit just to make sure it was real. Absolutely gorgeous.

No trip to a waterfall is complete without a rope jump. This was taken right before the embarrassing flop on my back.

The night market was touristy but they actually had interesting stuff. The main drag down the old town was shut down every night and hundreds of stalls popped up in a matter of minutes. Very impressive.

A moment of good behavior in front of the monks.

Mekong River Cruise

Getting to our next destination (Chaing Mai) involved riding on a slow boat up the Mekong for two days. The trip was incredibly scenic and relaxing as we passed craggy mountains carpeted with jungle flora, elephants and waterfalls. But even something this beautiful can get repetitive after eight hours of chugging along the river. If you ever plan to do this journey, make sure to bring a book.