A woman on the shores of the Mekong River, Laos
It’s crazy that less than a month from now I will be back in the USA! How time flies. In the mean time, this entry covers June 19 – July 5, 2009 when Carrie and I headed to Laos. During our whirlwind two weeks there we went ziplining over the forest, slept in treehouses, took a two day boat ride down the Mekong River, visited temples and ruins, swung off high platforms into the rushing river, planted rice, relaxed in hammocks, watched dozens of episodes of Friends and enjoyed the slow pace of life.
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Situated between Thailand and Vietnam, Laos (pronounced Lau; the s is silent) provided the return to the rural third world lifestyle we had been missing since leaving Sri Lanka. The country is primarily countryside with small villages scattered throughout and the occasional bigger city. Most houses are built on top of stilts and made of flimsy wood with tin roofs and stairs or a ramp leading to the door. When it is not raining, the underneath part is used for shade, laying in hammocks, eating, working, storage and more.
Fun in a rice field in Don Det
Tourism is relatively new to Laos, only having appeared on the traveler radar around 20 years ago. Still, the people have caught on quickly and, even if it is limited to a few block radius, most cities have a tourist area filled with dirt cheap (by our standards, expensive by theirs) guesthouses, food, markets, Internet and travel agents. However, it is much easier to escape these areas than in other countries, as a quick trip outside this small area provides a fascinating window into local life.
While there may not be that much to actually do in Laos in terms of major tourist attractions, we spent two weeks there relaxing, enjoying nature and the slower pace of life, seeing the occasional temple or site and immersing ourselves in the environment. Two weeks was not nearly enough and I would love to return one day.
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