Category: Laos
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Luang Prabang: Kuang Si Falls
One afternoon in Luang Prabang – actually on my first one – I find myself venturing out of the city center and into a popular destination 30 kilometers southwest. The Kuang Si Falls is but one of the many waterfalls surrounding the city but is the most popular. Getting there is easy – it’s just one…
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Luang Prabang: Old-School Beauty
A SERENE EVENING greets me as my tuktuk delivers me to my guest house in central Luang Prabang. I’ve long wanted to go to Luang Prabang, Laos’ tourist epicenter, with its elegant old school vibe and temples and French cuisine. And now I’m here, asking the lady at the guest house lobby about my companions. Right on…
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Vientiane: Sunset By The Mekong
The Mekong River is the longest river in Southeast Asia, flowing from China’s Qinghai province near the border with Tibet, crossing Yunnan, forming most of the border between Laos and Thailand, then cutting through Cambodia and Vietnam before emptying into the South China Sea. The upper course features steep descents and raging rapids, but becomes…
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Vientiane: Capital Calm
I’M HAVING BREAKFAST of croissant and coffee at La Benneton, a French bakery near my hostel in central Vientiane. From the bakery’s veranda, the classical music playing in the background and the drone of conversation of French expats at a nearby table make this section of Southeast Asia feel like Western Europe. Lingering elements of…
The Tourist Gaze 