Post by Lao update on Jan 19, 2005 21:17:50 GMT -5
Laos travel guide
January 19, 2005, 5:20:27
Less than a decade ago, Laos (pop. 5.25 million) was largely unknown to Western travellers. Other than a brief period during the 1960s, when the former French colony became a player in the Vietnam War , it has been largely ignored by the West - a situation that only intensified after the 1975 revolution and the years of xenophobic ******** rule that ensued.
However, since the Lao People's Democratic Republic reluctantly reopened its doors in the 1990s, a steady flow of visitors has trickled into this poverty-stricken, old-fashioned country, and a few traveller-oriented services have begun to emerge. For many, a journey through Laos consists of a whistlestop tour through the two main towns of Vientiane and Louang Phabang, with perhaps a brief detour to the mysterious Plain of Jars or ancient Wat Phou. However, those willing to explore further and brave difficult roads and basic, candlelit accommodation will be rewarded with sights of a rugged natural landscape and ethnically diverse people not much changed from those that greeted French explorers more than a century ago.
Laos's life-line is the Mekong River , which runs the length of the landlocked country and in places serves as a boundary with Thailand. Set on a broad curve of the Mekong, Vientiane is perhaps Southeast Asia's most modest capital city, and provides a smooth introduction to Laos, offering a string of cosmopolitan cafés to compensate for a relative lack of sights. From here, most tourists dash north, usually by plane, to Louang Phabang , though it's worth taking more time and doing the journey by bus, stopping off en route at the town of Vang Viang , set in a spectacular landscape of rice paddies and karsts. Once the heart and soul of the ancient kingdom of Lane Xang , tiny, cultured Louang Phabang is Laos's most enticing destination, with a spellbinding panoply of gilded temples and weathered shop-houses. The wild highlands of the far north aren't the easiest to get around, but the prospect of trekking to nearby hilltribe villages has put easy-going Muang Sing on the map. From here, you can travel to the Burmese border at Xiang Kok , and then down the Mekong River to Houayxai , an entry point popular with travellers arriving from Thailand in search of a slow boat for the picturesque journey south to Louang Phabang. Lost in the misty mountains of the far northeast, the provincial capital of Xam Nua gives access to Viang Xai , where the Pathet Lao directed their resistance from deep within a vast cave complex. Following Route 6 south brings you to the ramshackle town of Phonsavan , set beside the Plain of Jars , a moonscape of bomb craters dotted with very ancient funerary urns. In the south, the vast majority of travellers zip down Route 13, stopping off in the three major southern towns: uninteresting Thakhek , the genial and cultural Savannakhet - also a handy border crossing with Thailand, and offering buses to Vietnam too - and the important transport hub of Pakxe . Further south, near the former royal seat of Champasak , lie the ruins of Wat Phou , the greatest of the Khmer temples outside Cambodia. South again, the countless river islands of Si Phan Don lie scattered across the Mekong, boasting scores of traditional fishing communities and the chance to spot the rare Irawaddy dolphin.
November to January are the pleasantest months to travel in lowland Laos, when daytime temperatures are agreeably warm and evenings slightly chilly; at higher elevations temperatures can drop to freezing point. In February, temperatures begin to climb, reaching a peak in April, when the lowlands are baking hot and humid. Generally, the rains begin in May and last until September, rendering many of Laos's roads impassable.
Fiery and fragrant, with a touch of sour, Lao food owes its distinctive taste to fermented fish sauces, lemon grass, coriander leaves, chillies and lime juice and is closely related to Thai cuisine. Eaten with the hands along with the staple sticky rice, much of Lao cuisine is roasted over an open fire and served with fresh herbs and vegetables. Pork, chicken, duck and water buffalo all end up in the kitchen, but freshwater fish is the main source of protein. An ingredient in nearly every recipe is nâm pa, or fermented fish sauce, and its thicker variation, pa dàek, which contains chunks of fermented fish (and carries the risk of liver flukes, except in Vientiane and Louang Phabang). Use of monosodium glutamate (MSG) is also quite common; if you'd prefer to avoid MSG, try saying baw sai phõng sElot when ordering your food. Vientiane and Louang Phabang are the country's culinary centres, boasting excellent Lao food and international cuisine, but in many places outside the Mekong corridor, you'll be lucky to find anything more than a bowl of noodles.
The Lao don't drink water straight from the tap and nor should you; contaminated water is a major cause of sickness . Plastic bottles of drinking water ( nâm deum) are sold countrywide for around 1000K, even in smaller towns. Noodle shops and inexpensive restaurants generally serve free pitchers of weak tea or boiled water ( nâm tóm) which is fine, although perhaps not as foolproof. Most ice in Laos is produced in large blocks under hygienic conditions, but it can become less pure in transit or storage, so be wary. Brand-name soft drinks are widely available for around 2000K per bottle. More refreshing are the fruit shakes ( màk mâi pan) available in larger towns, which consist of your choice of fruit blended with ice, liquid sugar and sweetened condensed milk. Freshly squeezed fruit juices, such as lemon ( nâm màk nao) and coconut juice ( nâm màk phao) are a popular alternative, as is sugar-cane juice ( nâm oi).
Many foreign beers are available in Laos, although Beer Lao ( Bia Lao) is by far the most popular and the cheapest. In Vientiane and Louang Phabang, draft Beer Lao known as bia sót and sometimes labelled "Fresh Beer" is available at bargain prices by the litre. There are dozens of bia sót outlets in the capital, most of which are outdoor beer gardens with thatch roofs. Drunk with equal gusto is lào-láo, a clear rice alcohol with the fire of a blinding Mississippi moonshine. Although the government distils its own brand, Sticky Rice, which is sold nationally, most people indulge in local brews. Lào-láo is usually sold in whatever bottle the distiller had around at the time (look twice before you buy that bottle of Fanta) and sells at drink shops and general stores for around 2000K per 750ml. Drunk from a large earthenware jar with thin bamboo straws, the rice alcohol lào hái is fermented by households in the countryside and is weaker than lào-láo, closer to a wine in taste. Drinking lào hái, however, can be a bit risky as unboiled water is sometimes added during fermentation. Several brand-name rice whiskies, with a lower alcohol content than lào-láo, are available for around $1 at local general stores.
Visas are required for all foreign visitors to Laos. A fifteen-day visa on arrival can be bought for $30 (US dollars cash only, plus one photo), but is only available to travellers entering Laos at Wattay Airport in Vientiane, Louang Phabang Airport or at the Friendship Bridge between Thailand's Nong Khai and Vientiane. If entering Laos from Chiang Khong in Thailand's Chiang Rai province, you can obtain fifteen-day visas through Chiang Khong guesthouses and travel agencies: processing takes 24 hours and costs the baht equivalent of $50. Thirty-day visas can also be arranged here for much the same price but take three to four days to process .
When leaving Laos by air or via the Friendship Bridge, you'll have to pay a departure tax equivalent to US$5, payable in US dollars, Thai baht or kip. At other border points, officials may levy small "fees" for arriving or departing during lunch, late in the day or at weekends
Source: www.femalefirst.co.uk/travel/1192004.htm
Laoupdate ;D
January 19, 2005, 5:20:27
Less than a decade ago, Laos (pop. 5.25 million) was largely unknown to Western travellers. Other than a brief period during the 1960s, when the former French colony became a player in the Vietnam War , it has been largely ignored by the West - a situation that only intensified after the 1975 revolution and the years of xenophobic ******** rule that ensued.
However, since the Lao People's Democratic Republic reluctantly reopened its doors in the 1990s, a steady flow of visitors has trickled into this poverty-stricken, old-fashioned country, and a few traveller-oriented services have begun to emerge. For many, a journey through Laos consists of a whistlestop tour through the two main towns of Vientiane and Louang Phabang, with perhaps a brief detour to the mysterious Plain of Jars or ancient Wat Phou. However, those willing to explore further and brave difficult roads and basic, candlelit accommodation will be rewarded with sights of a rugged natural landscape and ethnically diverse people not much changed from those that greeted French explorers more than a century ago.
Laos's life-line is the Mekong River , which runs the length of the landlocked country and in places serves as a boundary with Thailand. Set on a broad curve of the Mekong, Vientiane is perhaps Southeast Asia's most modest capital city, and provides a smooth introduction to Laos, offering a string of cosmopolitan cafés to compensate for a relative lack of sights. From here, most tourists dash north, usually by plane, to Louang Phabang , though it's worth taking more time and doing the journey by bus, stopping off en route at the town of Vang Viang , set in a spectacular landscape of rice paddies and karsts. Once the heart and soul of the ancient kingdom of Lane Xang , tiny, cultured Louang Phabang is Laos's most enticing destination, with a spellbinding panoply of gilded temples and weathered shop-houses. The wild highlands of the far north aren't the easiest to get around, but the prospect of trekking to nearby hilltribe villages has put easy-going Muang Sing on the map. From here, you can travel to the Burmese border at Xiang Kok , and then down the Mekong River to Houayxai , an entry point popular with travellers arriving from Thailand in search of a slow boat for the picturesque journey south to Louang Phabang. Lost in the misty mountains of the far northeast, the provincial capital of Xam Nua gives access to Viang Xai , where the Pathet Lao directed their resistance from deep within a vast cave complex. Following Route 6 south brings you to the ramshackle town of Phonsavan , set beside the Plain of Jars , a moonscape of bomb craters dotted with very ancient funerary urns. In the south, the vast majority of travellers zip down Route 13, stopping off in the three major southern towns: uninteresting Thakhek , the genial and cultural Savannakhet - also a handy border crossing with Thailand, and offering buses to Vietnam too - and the important transport hub of Pakxe . Further south, near the former royal seat of Champasak , lie the ruins of Wat Phou , the greatest of the Khmer temples outside Cambodia. South again, the countless river islands of Si Phan Don lie scattered across the Mekong, boasting scores of traditional fishing communities and the chance to spot the rare Irawaddy dolphin.
November to January are the pleasantest months to travel in lowland Laos, when daytime temperatures are agreeably warm and evenings slightly chilly; at higher elevations temperatures can drop to freezing point. In February, temperatures begin to climb, reaching a peak in April, when the lowlands are baking hot and humid. Generally, the rains begin in May and last until September, rendering many of Laos's roads impassable.
Fiery and fragrant, with a touch of sour, Lao food owes its distinctive taste to fermented fish sauces, lemon grass, coriander leaves, chillies and lime juice and is closely related to Thai cuisine. Eaten with the hands along with the staple sticky rice, much of Lao cuisine is roasted over an open fire and served with fresh herbs and vegetables. Pork, chicken, duck and water buffalo all end up in the kitchen, but freshwater fish is the main source of protein. An ingredient in nearly every recipe is nâm pa, or fermented fish sauce, and its thicker variation, pa dàek, which contains chunks of fermented fish (and carries the risk of liver flukes, except in Vientiane and Louang Phabang). Use of monosodium glutamate (MSG) is also quite common; if you'd prefer to avoid MSG, try saying baw sai phõng sElot when ordering your food. Vientiane and Louang Phabang are the country's culinary centres, boasting excellent Lao food and international cuisine, but in many places outside the Mekong corridor, you'll be lucky to find anything more than a bowl of noodles.
The Lao don't drink water straight from the tap and nor should you; contaminated water is a major cause of sickness . Plastic bottles of drinking water ( nâm deum) are sold countrywide for around 1000K, even in smaller towns. Noodle shops and inexpensive restaurants generally serve free pitchers of weak tea or boiled water ( nâm tóm) which is fine, although perhaps not as foolproof. Most ice in Laos is produced in large blocks under hygienic conditions, but it can become less pure in transit or storage, so be wary. Brand-name soft drinks are widely available for around 2000K per bottle. More refreshing are the fruit shakes ( màk mâi pan) available in larger towns, which consist of your choice of fruit blended with ice, liquid sugar and sweetened condensed milk. Freshly squeezed fruit juices, such as lemon ( nâm màk nao) and coconut juice ( nâm màk phao) are a popular alternative, as is sugar-cane juice ( nâm oi).
Many foreign beers are available in Laos, although Beer Lao ( Bia Lao) is by far the most popular and the cheapest. In Vientiane and Louang Phabang, draft Beer Lao known as bia sót and sometimes labelled "Fresh Beer" is available at bargain prices by the litre. There are dozens of bia sót outlets in the capital, most of which are outdoor beer gardens with thatch roofs. Drunk with equal gusto is lào-láo, a clear rice alcohol with the fire of a blinding Mississippi moonshine. Although the government distils its own brand, Sticky Rice, which is sold nationally, most people indulge in local brews. Lào-láo is usually sold in whatever bottle the distiller had around at the time (look twice before you buy that bottle of Fanta) and sells at drink shops and general stores for around 2000K per 750ml. Drunk from a large earthenware jar with thin bamboo straws, the rice alcohol lào hái is fermented by households in the countryside and is weaker than lào-láo, closer to a wine in taste. Drinking lào hái, however, can be a bit risky as unboiled water is sometimes added during fermentation. Several brand-name rice whiskies, with a lower alcohol content than lào-láo, are available for around $1 at local general stores.
Visas are required for all foreign visitors to Laos. A fifteen-day visa on arrival can be bought for $30 (US dollars cash only, plus one photo), but is only available to travellers entering Laos at Wattay Airport in Vientiane, Louang Phabang Airport or at the Friendship Bridge between Thailand's Nong Khai and Vientiane. If entering Laos from Chiang Khong in Thailand's Chiang Rai province, you can obtain fifteen-day visas through Chiang Khong guesthouses and travel agencies: processing takes 24 hours and costs the baht equivalent of $50. Thirty-day visas can also be arranged here for much the same price but take three to four days to process .
When leaving Laos by air or via the Friendship Bridge, you'll have to pay a departure tax equivalent to US$5, payable in US dollars, Thai baht or kip. At other border points, officials may levy small "fees" for arriving or departing during lunch, late in the day or at weekends
Source: www.femalefirst.co.uk/travel/1192004.htm
Laoupdate ;D