It sounded so exciting to hear that the next stop on the way to Vang Vieng was to see a forest Buddha and temple. Little did I realise that I was going to be a part, a big part, of the ceremony held there! Tony, the guide, referred to the place as the mountain of…

This was another day where I needed to split into three parts, each event giving me a different perspective on Laos. The newly opened Lao Chinese Expressway takes you between the capital and Vang Vieng in well under 2 hours, but we were to take the old road for 3/4 of the journey to then…

Part 2 The last visit of the day was to the COPE visitors centre. Not for the faint-hearted, but nonetheless important. To give a fair account of this visit, I want to be factual about what it signifies and the local perspective (from Tony), and then share a few thoughts of my own. COPE is…

Part 1 Today was my first day of a week-long ‘small group’ cultural tour of central Laos. Not since altitude sickness at Titicaca have I shared a cultural experience with others, and I do so with some trepidation. Why would I want to be with Richard from Royal Tunbridge Wells when I crave the accolade…

Central Asia has ‘a look’ all of its own. Widish roads, deep-set low pavements with striped edging indicating parking intentions, although often flaunted by parking your car full on to the pavement. Old buildings next to new, front-facing next to side-facing, some edged to the road, others set back. Temples next to hardware stores. All…

My first night in Laos was spent in the Green Park Boutique Hotel in Vientiane. After an amazing Keto Bowl dinner I had 10 hours of pitch darkness comotose like sleep in thee most comfortable bed. Waking up to sunshine, slow-moving palms, birdsong and a dim sum breakfast. Can Laos keep up this pace? Oh,…

When you travel, you have to be prepared for the unexpected, and probably, this is part of the fun. Yet to face the unexpected before you even land at your destination takes some beating! I unexpectedly had to enter Thailand, paying a 60 USD visa fee for 2 hours to collect luggage that couldn’t transfer,…

The most common question I get asked is why Laos, and secondly, for those brave enough to admit it, “Oh, and where exactly is that?” Yes, you know, in that big bump at the bottom, down a bit, left a bit—yeah, there, a small place, landlocked.” The truth is, Asia has never disappointed me. I…