Democratic People's Republic of Laos

Vang Vieng - the outdoor paradise of Laos

The roads here are not good. Really not. It took us 4.5 hours to travel a distance of 150 km (approximately from Linz to Salzburg in Austria). Between the potholes and gravel areas, there are some sections of paved roads.

After our arrival, we quickly visit the banks of the Nam Song River to watch the sunset. It's important to note that it is winter here, and the sunset occurs around 5:30 pm.

Afterwards, our tour guide, Yang, takes us to a dinner at an Irish pub.

In Vang Vieng, you can do everything related to nature, water, and mountains. We have a package that includes kayaking, cave tubing, and a visit to the 'Blue Lagoon.' We start at 8:30 am and are taken to the starting point of the kayak tour in a large tuk-tuk. After a short briefing, we begin the first 8 kilometers of the river.

Upon reaching the rest stop by the river, we switch to another watercraft, a large inflatable ring, known as a tube. We sit inside this ring, with our bottoms in the water, and pull ourselves along the rope into the water-filled cave. At the end of the water, we continue walking through the cave with dry feet.

After exiting the cave through a second, dry exit, we return to the rest stop for lunch. After lunch, we have another kayaking segment before we return to our hotel.

After a short break, we head to the 'Blue Lagoon,' which turns out to be a small blue swimming pond. We spend the rest of the afternoon there among a bunch of Japanese and Korean tourists who are having a great time in the water.

Luang Prabang - the most beautiful city in Laos

After another 5-hour bus ride, we arrive in Luang Prabang the next day. Luang Prabang was the capital of Laos until 1975 and is still the city with the biggest tourist significance. Similar to Hoi An, the French colonial era has left its (positive) marks here. There is a beautiful well-maintained old town with wooden houses and the famous yellow facades.

For lunch, we have the Laotian version of Pho, a noodle soup with various ingredients, but without the fresh herbs we are familiar with.

In the afternoon, we decide to try a Laotian massage. Two masseuses use a lot of physical effort to massage us, and surprisingly, we end up feeling much more relaxed than before!

The next morning, we embark on a one-hour tuk-tuk ride to the Kuang Si Waterfalls. The river has carved beautiful blue pools and waterfalls into the muddy ground.

We wanted to take the opportunity to observe the night sky, but it is a full moon and too bright to see most of the stars. However, we have no problem finding our way to our house without a flashlight.

The next day, we continue our journey along the Mekong, starting at 6 am to complete the 10-hour boat ride. The not-so-restful night in the village houses allows us to catch up on sleep during the boat ride.

In the evening, we reach a small secluded town by the river where we will spend the night. Here, we meet the local population, mostly farmers, who provide us with a delicious dinner.

We spend the night here in the houses of the local families, which despite the hard and small mattresses, is a remarkable experience.

We had planned to observe the starry sky, but it is a full moon, and therefore too bright to see most of the stars. However, we have no problem finding our way to our house without a flashlight.

The next day, we continue our journey along the Mekong. We start at 6 am to complete the 10-hour trip. The not-so-restful night in the village houses is compensated by several hours of sleep on the boat.

Finally, we reach Houayxai, the border town with Thailand. After crossing the border and completing all the formalities, we have reached the third country of our journey!