Laos: exploring nature

We arrived in Laos by plane, which of course did not go smoothly. Someone in our group, who shall remain unnamed, forgot their Swiss Army knife in their carry-on baggage and had to go back to the baggage check and check everything in again!🙈

Fortunately, our tour guide PC had allowed enough time, so there was no stress and we were still able to explore the airport extensively.😅

Unfortunately, we didn't see much of the capital city because we continued our journey quickly. We visited the Buddha Park, a temple complex, and the 'Independence Gate'.

On the same day, we continued to Vang Vieng, more in the center of Laos, via the 'dancing roads' (countless potholes!!). From there, we went on a kayak tour on the 'Me Nahm Song' river. We also went tubing and explored a cave, and the highlight was the visit to the (unfortunately too touristy) Blue Lagoon.

From Vang Vieng, we continued to Luang Prabang, not without a quite memorable toilet stop with an impressive view 😁!

Another nature experience was the visit to the Kuang Si Waterfalls! I have rarely seen such bright blue water, especially not in this amazing jungle environment. Visiting the temple in Luang Prabang is definitely worth it, not least because of the great view over the Mekong River and the city.

Before boarding the longboat for two days, we had to get up early and participate in the offering ceremony at the temple at 5:30 am.

At 7 am, we boarded the boat that would take us to the Thai border within the next 2 days. The journey was very pleasant and the on-board kitchen was vegetarian-friendly.😊

After 8 hours of travel, lots of food, drinks and chatting, we reached the village somewhere in the middle of nowhere, without electricity and running water, which was our accommodation. We took a walk through the village, had dinner together, enjoyed the starry sky, and then were divided into pairs. In pairs, we were picked up by a family member of the village and taken to their house. There, we spent the night in the same room as the family, on a mat surrounded by a mosquito net. However, our immersion in the local way of life was cut short early in the morning because we had a long day ahead of us on the boat towards Thailand.