May 31, 2019

Don Det, Laos

Traveling in low season has its pros and cons. Obviously the pros are that places aren't flooded with tourists and prices are usually cheaper. However that comes with a price: most boats, buses, tours, etc. require a minimum of people to be profitable. So in low season they just aren't available, or you have to pay full price. That's what happened today: the ferry from Don Khong to Don Det wasn't available, so I had to pay an "expensive" motorcycle ride instead.

May 30, 2019

Don Khong, Laos

Today was quite an adventure! I traveled more than 400km to the very south of Laos. I started the day with an early bus to Pakse, then a very precarious passenger truck got me to Hat Xai Khun. At this point it's already pitch black, and I had to walk around a small village where no one spoke English to find a way to cross the Mekong river. Eventually some one woke up the boat driver that took me to Don Khong.

May 29, 2019

Thakhek, Laos

Thakhek is mostly known as the start and end of "The Laos Loop", a 400km loop that goes through beautiful caves and landscape. However, from the beginning of this trip, I said to myself I wouldn't ride a motorcycle. I was warned by several friends about how dangerous it is, and all the injured tourists I keep seeing in hostels confirmed this. But where there's a will, there's a way. So I rented a bicycle today and biked about 50km to visit 2 of the closest caves of the loop. It was amazing, and quite a good workout!

May 28, 2019

Thakhek, Laos

Another day spent almost entirely on a bus. I made the rookie mistake of taking a local bus, which stopped in every single village on the road. A couple extra dollars would have saved me two hours, or even more. Lesson learned. I made it to Thakhek by the end of the day.

May 27, 2019

Vientiane, Laos

Today I visited Buddha Park, a park with dozens statues of Buddha, mixing Buddhism and Hinduism. Quite an odd place, especially for the complete lack of explanation. I changed hostels today as well. I rarely do so, but as it was written in the vandalized bathroom of my previous hostel: "If you don't like where you are, move. You're not a tree". Wisest words I've read in a bathroom stall.

May 26, 2019

Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane has to be the most laid-back capital I've visited. There's almost no traffic, and you barely see people on the streets. Today I visited several of the city's tourist attractions, which are easy to do by foot. Although pretty, they were quite rundown and not well maintained, compared to its more tourism savvy neighboring countries.

May 25, 2019

Vientiane, Laos

I love seeing locals at the night market: chatting with their friends while eating Lao BBQ or popping balloons to get a teddy bear for their girlfriends. It reminds me that this is not a tourist attraction, it's an inside look at their day to day. Today I spent most of my day sitting on a minivan, traveling from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. I'll explore Laos' capital tomorrow, but for now I just want a bed to sleep in.