hi all,
im off to thailand in a matter of weeks from china and was thinking of going overland through laos to get there as i wanna do my entire trip overland (so far got from chennai to beijing with even looking at an airport) because its cheaper and i get to see more. As i didnt forsee this little detail i havent researched too much into laos and internet cafes in ebijing are not cheap/frequent enough to do it now so i was wondering if any1 cud name a few places worth seeing in laos, i will only be there for 2 weeks or so, so maybe 2 places for a week each? also i heard u can go down a river somewhere on a tyre which sounds quite cool and relaxed so wanna add that to the itinerary. any help will be much appreciated. thanks.
Patrick
pjmccartney
1
firearm
From the Lao/Chinese border, go south by bus/pickup truck to Luang Prabang. Then go to Vang Vieng. Then on to Vientiane, cross the border to Thailand.
Luang Prabang is cool. The city is nice, the temple in the north end is nice and the monks there chant every evening. There is a little bit of nightlife at the Hive and then the Vietnamese place. Great food available in the town. Some great views of the Mekong.
The river tubing is in Vang Vieng. It's an awesome place. The river tubing is great fun. Also you can rent a motorbike for $3 per 24 hours and go out and explore the surrounding countryside and caves. You can chill in town in the evenings for dinner and a movie and party at night on the island in the river. You can easily spend a week there.
2
ronie
I was in SEA a couple of months ago and LOVED Luang Prabang! Spent about a week there. Also spent about four days in Vang Vieng where I rock climbed, kayaked and caved. Unfortunately got a REALLY bad sunburn (you gotta put that sunscreen on diligently), so I didn't get to go tubing. So bad, in fact, that I went to the hospital there. But I'm alive and well and here to tell the tale. I'm not a drinker, so it wasn't a big loss for me. Drinking is high on the agenda when you go tubing. Don't want to sound like your mother, but be careful mixing tons of alcohol with tons of sun and lots of fun. While at the hospital there was a guy in the next bed who had alcohol poisoning. I had to put my finger under his nose to make sure I could feel his breath (he looked dead).
The bus ride between the cities is something like 4-6 hours, so figure that in with your travel time.
If you are at all adventurous, I highly recommend doing some eco-adventure tours with Green Discovery. I used them in both cities and found them to be really really good (nice, informative guides, good lunches, safety first, etc.).
Pro tip
Lonely Planet
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