Ok! We are on to country #4 – Laos!! But don’t worry, I’m not finished with Vietnam. I’ll be back again (actually at least another 3 times) to continue to explore the country with some of my friends! In this post I am featuring some of my adventures in Vientiane (the capital of Laos) and Vang Vieng the self proclaimed adventure capital of the country (and shown in the feature picture). I could have also named this post “Laidback Laos” because I had to get used to things not running on time. And for me that is VERY difficult – I live by the motto if you are on-time you are late 😂 And I will tell you – that hasn’t changed even while on sabbatical. I had one transportation service pick me up 1 hour late and another van company texted me at pick-up time saying “we aren’t going to pick you up, why don’t you take the train”. A chilled vibe is the name of the game in Laos! Maybe not such a bad lesson to learn!
Vientiane
Vientiane surprised me, I really enjoyed my time in the city and I was very lucky that my visit coincided with the most important Buddhism celebration at the country’s most important temple – Pha That Luang. But sadly, no pictures to share – I left my phone at the hotel…on the charger. But I did buy a postcard 😂 The rest of the city was an eclectic mix of ancient temples and Buddha Park (Xiang Khuan) which is a statue park. It was created by an eccentric man in the 1950s who was run out of town because the locals didn’t appreciate his artistic vision. But I sure did, and so did the many Buddhist monks that were in town for the festival and visiting it along with me! Vientiane also had a stunning Arch that is their local version of Paris’ Arc de Triomphe – the ornate inner section was gorgeous, as you’ll see in the video!
Vang Vieng
What sets Vang Vieng apart from other places in Laos is its beautiful karst mountains. The highlight of my time in Vang Vieng was a 16 kilometre kayaking trip that I took down the Nam Song River. I was very proud that I paddled the entire route! The trip also included stop-offs at local temples and we visited a cave in which you had to navigate the first portion by pulling yourself along a rope, on an inner tube, to get to the dry portion of the cave. So much fun!!!
These are my fave pictures to date! Love the tubing!