Laos

We left our guesthouse in Kuala Lumpur in the late evening and got on the last train to the airport where we spent the night. The next morning, with barely any sleep in our bodies, we headed to the capital of Laos, Vientiane. Our hostel was in a neglected part of the city, removed from the main tourist strip. Our first order of business was to get to the Vietnamese Embassy to apply for visas we would need in a couple weeks.

To get to the Vietnamese Embassy we walked along a large boulevard that was constructed during the French colonial period. In the middle of the road is this grand Victory Monument, dedicated to those who fought for independence from France.

One of the strangest places we visited in Asia was this Buddha Park about an hour outside of Vientiane. The park has hundreds of stone statues built by the same artist. Even though the name would suggest that the park has a Buddhist influence, most of the statues seem to depict Hindu gods. The artist was apparently chased from the country and then built a replica park in Thailand. 

While in Vientiane we visited the COPE Visitors Centre. There we found a confronting display of the deadly legacy of American bombs in Laos. It's estimated that 25% of villages in Laos are still contaminated with unexploded bombs. The worst part is that Laos was never officially at war with the US, yet remains the most heavily bombed country per capita in history.  The COPE Visitors Centre provides assistance to those who have lost limbs from coming across these unexploded bombs. 

You can buy almost anything on the streets in Asia. One of our favourites was this man selling goldfish on the side of a busy highway in Vientiane. 

On our last day in Vientiane we jumped in a tuk-tuk (a motorbike pulled carriage) and visited the striking Golden Stupa. While most of the city is quite gritty, this entire complex is beautifully maintained, probably because of its proximity to the government district. 

Prayer sticks inside the Golden Stupa temple. These sticks are lit and placed in front of the temple while the devotee kneels and says a prayer.

Next we flew to the cultural heart of Laos, Luang Prabang. There are over 30 temples in the city, each one housing several monks. As you walk through the temples it's not unusual to see a monk sweeping the front steps or studying under a tree. If you're lucky you can walk by as they are reciting their daily chant.

Most temples are quite simple with a few decorations and Buddha statues. This temple, Wat Xieng Thong, was very unusual in that it was extravagantly decorated. There are colourful murals and mosaics covering both the inside and outside walls.

It's hard to find a city in Asia that doesn't have some kind of vendors market. In Vientiane the night market was a great thing to witness because it was most frequented by locals. In Luang Prabang the markets were clearly intended for tourists. One of the downsides of travelling for a year is that we don't have room in our luggage for all the beautiful things on sale at these markets.

One of the reasons to visit Luang Prabang is to see the historic Alms Giving Ceremony. Every morning over 200 monks from the various temples are the city walk in single file to receive food from the locals. This tradition dates back to the 14th century. 

We crossed the Mekong on a vehicle ferry for a dollar each and visited a small village. There was a humble temple sitting at the top a hill that seemed to house only one Monk. We were the only tourists around for a good hour until a French tour group arrived. 

We took a shared shuttle van to the Kuang Si falls about an hour outside of Luang Prabang. The falls were incredibly beautiful but the area was packed with Chinese tourist on vacation for the Lunar New Year. We decided to get away from the crowd and climb up to the top of the falls. The hike up was fine but it was very steep and muddy on the way down. On the way I somehow picked up a caterpillar who must of hopped on my shirt when I was holding on to a tree. He left traces of tiny hairs on may arms and hands and caused on allergic reaction. 5 weeks later and I still have tiny itchy bumps on my arms. 

On our last day we took a cooking class just a few doors down from our guesthouse. Our favourite meal was banana flower salad topped with pork. 

So far Laos has been a highlight for us. It meets all of our travel criteria, the locals are friendly and still like travellers, the food is delicious, accommodation is affordable and the coffee is cheap!