Back in Bangkok my parents and I planned a bit of our trip through Southeast Asia: a jungle trek near Chiang Mai, the slow boat to Luang Prabang, then on to Vientiane. We were met with a blank stare from the guy working at the travel agency when we mentioned Vientiane. "Why would you want to go toe Vientiane?' he asked. 'There's nothing to do there. Nothing.'
It probably won't surprise you that we went to Vientiane anyway. Laos as a country is already majorly neglected by most tourists, but its even worse for its capital Vientiane. It's not more or less mythical like Luang Prabang, you can't go tubing like in Vang Vieng and there are no creepy-looking river dolphins like in Pakze. Still there's plenty of reason to visit Vientiane. Let me tell you why you should go there!


There's this thing about Asian cities: they're freaking crazy and chaotic. Vientiane is not really like that though. It is a quite big city, but honestly feels like a small town. Most cities in Southeast Asia drained me both physically and mentally, but not Vientiane. Even the crowded places weren't as crowded as I was used to. Most of the major landmarks are well within walking distance and crossing the street is more or less safe. As far as cities go, Vientiane is laid-back for Southeast Asian standards.


If you're into pretty buildings and want to see some French influences from the colonial area, you have to go see the Patuxay. It's an unfinished victory arch which the Lao call ugly (they even put a sign on the thing saying it looks like a block of concrete), but it's actually pretty awesome. The Patuxay is an amazing mix between European architecture and Lao culture. The walls are decorated with frescoes in Southeast Asian style, just like the windows on top. Yes, you can climb to the top of the Patuxay. It's about four stories high, with gift shops full of communist clothes on every level. Once you reach the top you'll have a great view of all of Vientiane, especially the presidential palace. It's also vertigo friendly; I usually get vertigo as soon as I'm three meters up in the air, but managed to climb the Patuxay without wetting my pants.

Okay, terrible joke, but I had to make it at least once while writing about Southeast Asia. Vientiane has plenty of wats, Buddhist temples. For those who suffer from temple fatigue (i.e. having seen so many temples they all look the same now) because of previous trips to Southeast Asia, it's still worth going on a temple tour. The architecture is slightly different from that of Thai and Cambodian temples and some are also museums. Wat Ho Phra Keo for example is full of ancient Buddha icons. The exterior walls are covered in amazing mosaics and there's a little temple garden. If you want to visit a temple with more historical significance you can go to Wat Sisaket, the only temple that survived the Siamese-Lao war of 1828.
Apart from loads of other, smaller and unknown wats there are also a few stupas, oddly shaped buildings containing relics. So if you're looking for culture. Vientiane has enough to offer.


My number 1 recommendation for Vientiane is and always will be the COPE Visitor Centre on the grounds of the Centre for Medical Rehabilitation. COPE is an organization that helps handicapped people by providing them with the prosthetics and rehabilitation they need, free of charge for those too poor to afford it. The Visitor Centre tells the story of Laos' Cold War history, the victims US bombs make to this day and the way COPE helps people overcome their handicap. There is no entrance fee, but donations are massively appreciated so COPE can provide more people with the medical help they need. You must be completely heartless if a visit to COPE doesn't break your heart and restore your faith in humanity at the same time.

I have a thing for river banks. I hate swimming in rivers because there's fish in the water, but I love sitting on a river bank and watch life on the water pass by. This is much more fun on the banks of the Mekong in Vientiane than... let's say the Maas in Rotterdam. During the day the river banks are quiet, the boulevard almost empty. You can go for a relaxed stroll and look at Thailand on the other side of the water.
At night the boulevard changes. The road is closed off and a market pops up. It's more of a real market, less touristy than the night market in Luang Prabang. But the funniest thing that happens on the river bank every night are the free aerobics and bootcamp classes. A guy or girl sets up some stereo equipment, climbs on a cart and gives instructions like in those group classes at the gym. It's not just great to watch, you're also free to join - which some tourists actually do on their bare feet.


All in all I see no reason not to visit Vientiane. There's nothing to do? Dear guy from the travel agency, you were wrong. You can easily spend two great days in Vientiane - and it's a perfect stop for a break from the awful roads if you take the bus from Luang Prabang to Pakze to see those weird-looking dolphins. So if you're ever asked why you'd go to Vientiane of all places, you now know the answer!

Lonely Planet does a good job at making hidden gems a little less hidden. Yet sometimes these places still don't get the attention they deserve. This is the case with the COPE Visitor Centre in Vientiane, Laos. My parents read about it in their Lonely Planet, wanted to go and I came along, even though a museum-like place all about prosthetics didn't sound that appealing to me. But this is Laos, and Laos is full of surprises.

We decided to walk to COPE and do some sightseeing along the way. The sightseeing went great. Finding COPE... not so much. We found ourselves in front of a red and white barrier when we came close to the Visitor Centre. A sign next to it said we were about the enter the grounds of the Centre for Medical Rehabilitation, an official Lao government institute. It didn't look like a place tourists could enter without getting sent away by angry-looking government officials, but the man in the booth next to the barrier assured us it was okay. A bit unsure I stepped onto the grounds, spotted a little sign with COPE Visitor Centre on it, followed it past the building of the Lao Paralympic Committee and then I saw it: a white building with the word 'COPE' made from old prosthetics on the front. I stepped inside. A few hours later I stepped outside a slightly different person.


Some time last century the US decided to fight communism. We all know how that went down in Vietnam, but did you know Laos suffered from this war as well? Laos was seen as a buffer between communist Vietnam and western allies Thailand and Malaysia. Now as Vietnam was turning communist it started working on the Ho Chi Minh Trail to provide the not-yet communist southern part of Vietnam with ammunition. Part of this trail went straight through Laos. Those two factors were enough for the US to bomb the shit out of Laos for nine years. It made the place the most bombed country per capita ever. To make matters worse: the US used cluster bombs, many of which never went off. This unexploded ordnance, or UXO for short, can be find all over Laos. Children play with the smaller bombs, farmers find them while working on their land, and many pay for this encounter with their life. Those who are lucky enough to survive often lose limbs and are in need of prosthetics, a product that's not easy to come by in a country like Laos.
This is the story the COPE Visitor Centre tells in its permanent exhibition. It might not have been the best idea for me to visit the place as I was a bit emotionally unstable at the time and the exhibition is very impressive and heart-breaking at times.


The first thing you see when you enter the exhibition is the UXO sculpture. It's the most photographed item and with good reason. For me it made clear what kind of fear the people of Laos must have felt when the cluster bombs fell from the sky almost every single day. I was already in tears and had only seen a sculpture.

In the rest of the first part of the exhibition I learned all about UXO, why it's there and what the consequences are. Anually the US donates a lot of money to Laos to help them clear up the American UXO (I really hope Trump doesn't put this to a stop, but I fear the worst), but there are still a lot of unexploded 'bombies' in fields and under houses. It's especially a problem in rural areas. And once those bombies go off there and a person loses a limb, they have to rely on homemade prosthetics... This is is where COPE comes in.
COPE stands for Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise, which is nice and all, but the reason why I like the name COPE is that they literally help people cope with their handicaps. This is what the second part of the exhibition is about. Loads of homemade prosthetics are on display here, some professional-looking, others barely more than a wooden peg. All of them had been used up until the point where COPE doctors found these people and gave them real prosthetics - free of charge for those to poor to pay for it.
The Visitor Centre tells the stories of these people. How they became handicapped after an UXO encounter, what materials they used to build themselves their prosthetics and how their life changed when they came into contact with COPE. The exhibition will break your heart, stitch it back up and make it feel all warm and fuzzy inside in the end.


The last part of the exhibition showed more about the rehabilitation process, with which COPE also helps. Phantom pains, teaching people how to use the prosthetics more effectively, educating local people to become doctors specialized in prosthetics, COPE does is all. I was very impressed and pretty emotional. As usual when I visit places like these I wished I could help. There wasn't much I could do (besides telling the internet about the COPE Visitor Centre), but I noticed the gift shop sells their stuff to raise funds for COPE. When I saw the postcards and tote bags designed by Colin Cotterill, one of my favorite authors. If you like detectives and want more diverse reads you should check out his books, which are set in Thailand and Laos. Of course I had to buy some things, because who cares it's a little expensive compared to other gift shops in Laos when the money goes to such a great cause and the items have been designed by one of your favorite authors?
As I already buy postcards in every city I visit, this was the first thing I went for. All the postcards are cute, but I was immediately drawn to one that said 'Broken hearts are probably the only thing we can't fix'. I found it funny, since a broken heart was the only thing I needed fixed. For some reason the postcard made me feel hopeful; my broken heart would heal with time and COPE would help those with much more serious injuries.
Then, after I'd already paid for the postcard, I decided to take a tote bag with me as well. I went for a red one that said 'Stand up for COPE', so I'd have a reason to tell everyone back home all about COPE. It was also a much fancier bag than I'd expected, with a button to close it and a small pocket with a zipper for your valuable. I just had to have it.


When I left the COPE Visitor Centre I felt this unexpected hopeful sensation in my heart. Laos is a very impoverished country, so seeing it work hard to help its people overcome their handicaps restored my faith in humanity.
If you're thinking about going to Vientiane, I couldn't recommend visiting COPE more. It's interesting for people who want to know more about Cold War history, life in Laos or living with a handicap. It's also interesting for every person who has a heart.
There is no entrance fee, so there's really no reason not to go. Even thought more and more tourists find their way to COPE, I still think it deserves more: more attention, more appreciation and more donations to help more people overcome their handicap. If you want to know more about the COPE Visitor Centre, or maybe even make a small donation, you can visit their website at copelaos.org. And if you find yourself in Vientiane, go for a visit. It's more than worth it, I promise.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Laos does not get the love it deserves. Everyone obsesses over Thailand, quickly flies over to Vietnam and does a flash visit to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, but barely anyone goes to Laos. They say the weather in Laos is too bad, or that there's simply nothing to do. All lame excuses if you ask me. I actually think you'll love Laos, for these five reasons.

Like I said, most backpackers start in Thailand. Vietnam is getting hyped up at the moment, so that's the next stop. Laos seems to get forgotten, and you notice it when you meet other tourists there. Less party people and more experienced travellers visit Laos. In general there just aren't as much tourists, so it feels like more of an adventures. You'll see and meet more locals, do more things in Lao style. Thailand has already adjusted to mass tourism, Laos hasn't. You'll share buses with more locals than tourists, won't get called by tuktuk drivers every other minute and find yourself exploring more instead of following the masses. In Thailand you'll have to actively search for a hidden gem, a place that hasn't been taken over by tourists yet. In Laos that's not the case - Laos is a hidden gem itself.

In Thailand I met some people who'd heard the rainy season in Laos was stuff of nightmares. We were in Chiang Mai at that moment, where pouring rain fell down from the skies every day around 5pm. I prepared myself for the worst when I crossed the border into Laos... and didn't see any rain until the fourth day of my stay. It wasn't even nearly as bad as the Chiang Mai torrents.
The rainy season in Laos lasts from May until the end of September, exactly when most of us have time to travel to Asia. It's around 30 degrees Celsius every day and when it actually does rain it's nice and refreshing. It was nowhere near as bad as I was told. In fact, the weather was better than in Thailand. Laos was the place where I finally stopped being pale as a ghost and actually got a bit of a tan!

I've visited every continent except Africa, so it takes quite a bit to impress me. Laos impressed me effortlessly though. My jaw dropped when I saw the Pak Ou caves nestled into the side of the mountains that rise straight up from the waters of the Mekong. I loved cycling through the countryside with hills in the distance and water buffaloes in fields on both sides of the road. But most impressive of all was the Vientiane district with its mountains. They were so beautiful I lack the vocab skills to properly describe them. They looked like Ha Long Bay without water. With fog coming up from the jungle below it's nothing short of majestic. I'm telling you, the views in Laos are among the best in the world.

Everyone knows about Vietnam. Not because of a very fun reason, but everyone knows a little bit about Vietnam's history. Now I dare you to name on historical fact about Laos. Not much that comes to mind, is there? Trust me, that's just because we don't learn about it in the western world. Laos has a long history of one ruler kicking out the other, armies clashing, Asian oppressors and in the middle of all that chaos is the rise of Buddhism.
More recently it was a French colony: together Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were French Indochina. Of course the French have left their mark, but did you know the Americans did so too? Sadly that was in the form of bombs during the Vietnam War. Yes, Laos played a role in that too, as the Ho Chi Minh Trail led right trough it.
Now if that kind of history isn't your thing and you like some more mystery to your history, you should visit the Plain of Jars. This plain on a plateau in the Xiang Khoang district is filled with big stone jars which have been there for an eternity. No one knows why or how the jars got there, but they're now one of the main historical landmarks of Laos. So you see, whatever kind of history you're looking for, you'll find it in Laos.

This year it came to my attention that a lot of people are obsessed with Thai food. It's good, I'll admit that much, but the food in Laos is the food that immediately comes to mind when I think of the best meals of this summer. The pizza is perfect, they're geniuses when it comes to potatoes and spinach, but the best thing ever was the pork with garlic, which was put on my table by accident one night. I ordered it every night after., it was just too good. The local specialty lap Lao was nothing special according to my dad, but still something to try if you're ever in the area. And if you're not sure what to do for breakfast or lunch, don't worry: the people of Laos have taken the art of the French baguette and brought it to the next level!


So long story short: good food, good views, loads of history. Sunshine for days in the rainy season and every step you take is a new adventure. What more could you possibly want? It's pretty much the perfect destination, one very few people have ever visited, but everyone who likes the unknown should visit asap. So go and give Laos some love. It deserves it.

"It'll be fun,' he said. My dad (who's probably reading this. Hi dad!) often has good ideas when we're traveling. This wasn't one of them. But with us being so stereotypically Dutch it almost hurts, we just had to rent bicycles. I mean, when in the history of anything had bicycles not been a good idea? Well, we were about to find out.

On the day we were going to rent our bikes, I had a tiny little storm cloud above my head. I was sure that a nice bicycle ride would lift my spirits. I was in Luang Prabang, in the north of Laos, the first place I've ever immediately called 'picturesque' in my mind. I already saw myself cycling through streets lined with colonial era guest houses and banana trees, along the Mekong river.
My dad had different plans. He'd heard about a waterfall on the other side of the Mekong, about 15 kilometers away. I grumpily agreed. Grumpily because I just had a bad mood. Agreed because I was up for an adventure and just taking the ferry to the opposite river bank already sounded like one.
Not knowing what kind of roads we'd face, we hoped to rent some mountainbikes. A few gears would come in handy, we thought. Apparently so did every other tourist in Luang Prabang. We had to settle for some regular bikes instead and went on our way.

As I'd already expected, the ferry ride to the other side of the Mekong was already an adventure in itself. Getting onto that boat included jumping over a puddle and a lot of mud, bicycle in hand, while the loacals watch in amusement when they see you've rented a regular bicycle. The short trip across the water itself was nice and calm. The boat had a bit of an unreliable steering system, but we made it across and back without dying, so I'm not complaining. No, the thing I was complaining about was the freakishly steep incline on the other side of the river. After fently slamming right into it the boat was ready to be disembarked and my dad and I were expected to somehow make it up to the top of a hill that had a road made of freaking broken pieces of rock.
It felt like ages before I made it to the top of the hill. All my hopes of finding a nice smooth road evaporated right then and there. I was pretty sure my dad and I would never cycle 15 kilometers on those roads. Fifteen minutes after reaching the top of the hill the roads still hadn't gotten any better and we hadn't cycled a single meter yet because it was simply impossible. Believe me, when the Dutch can't cycle a road, no one can.
I was getting pretty fed-up with the whole thing. If I'd been alone I would have turned around, taken the ferry back and cycle through Luang Prabang instead. But I wasn't alone. I was there with my dad, who eventually found a place where the road became a more or less solid dirt road. Never before have I been so happy to cycle on a dirt road that occassionally was covered with rocks. It was a flat tire waiting to happen. The tiny thundercloud above my head slowly disappeared though. Then I looked around, realized where I was, and it disappeared completely.

There were water buffolos on the side of the road. Hills far of in the distance. Laos' countryside was aggravatingly hard to cycle through, but also breathtakingly beautiful. I didn't care about all the dust I got in my eyes every time a car passed me by, about the amount of times I had to get off my bike because the hills were to steep to climb. The dust would settle down and I'd see the amazing view again. The hills might be steep, but eventually the road would go down on the other side again. Every time it did I smiled as I soared down the hill, locals yelling at me, probably worried that I'd fall. It was amazing.

Eventually my dad and I arrived at a river, which seemed a little difficult to cross by bicycle. We decided to stop there for lunch and cycle back to Luang Prabang afterwards. We saw locals using the river as bathtub, washing machine and sink all at once. We saw motorbikes get stuck in the potholes of the river crossing, after which my dad just had to try it on his bicycle. Spoiler alert: his feet got very wet.
The river seemed to be a good point to turn around, and so we did. I was just thinking how lucky we were not to have gotten a flat tire or accident yet, when we plummeted down a hill and the chain of my dad's bike flew off. Yup, bike fixing in the middle of nowhere in the Lao countryside, it had to be done. Definitely a unique experience.


After a few minutes of messing with the chain my dad managed to fix his bike and we returned to the ferry. I felt like I'd die making my way back down that slope. I'd hated the first fifteen minutes of the trip, I'd cursed at every single car that passed me by and I was pretty sure cycling in the countryside wasn't the best idea ever. But I'd seen water buffalos. I'd felt free as I'd raced down those hills. I'd secretly laughed my ass off when my dad's bike broke. I'd enjoyed the Lao countryside more than I'd ever imagined. It was the weirdest and probably most dangerous bike ride I'd ever been on, but it was completely worth it.

'You've got to be kidding me.' Those were the first words that came to mind when my slow boat arrived at the port of Luang Prabang in Laos. There was nothing there except for an inflatable dock, a staircase into the jungle and a sign saying that it was indeed the port of Luang Prabang. It was my second day in Laos and I was kind of afraid Luang Prabang would be a disappointment. Judging by the port there wouldn't be much to do... And I had 48 hours to kill... Luckily my first impression of Luang Prabang couldn't be further from it's true awesomeness.

As it turned out, the port is just a bit of a fake thing to make tourists pay for a tuktuk ride to the peninsula where all the touristy stuff is. I didn't mind (I can almost hear my dad think: That's because you didn't have to pay for it), because I really like tuktuks. It took us to, well, some place. No idea exactly where we were and the driver couldn't explain either. So with a Lonely Planet in hand my parents and I  wandered onto the peninsula to find a place to stay. The first thing we came across was the night market. It's totally aimed at tourists and I loved it. It was extremely Instagrammable. If I hadn't been backpacking I probably would've doubled the weight of my luggage with handmade stationery and little lanterns with fairy lights in them. It's a wonderful busy place after sunset, which I'd recommend visiting. Especially if you still need some cute souvenirs to take home.

My parents and I checked into one of the many guest houses on the peninsula, got some food and sorted tickets to Vientiane and Phnom Penh out the next morning. Then my dad and I rented bicycles. There are lots of places that rent out bikes for practically no money and an ID as deposit (expired student IDs are fine too). The peninsula is a great place to ride a bike. It's calm, there isn't too much traffic (for an Asian city) and it feels like cycling on a Caribbean island. Most tourists stay on the peninsula, but it's easy to discover more of Luang Prabang by bike. My dad and I, stubborn Dutch people as we are, decided to go to the other side of the Mekong river to cycle there. That wasn't the best idea, but it made for an awesome story for another day.


I spent the rest of that first day buying souvenirs and almost passing out. Turns out I don't handle a combination of heat and hunger well at all. A bit of pork with garlic from an alleyway restaurant later I was fine thought and the next day I was all set and ready for the excursions we'd book.

Early in the morning we took a small boat back up the Mekong. I tried to take a nap, as it was the exact same route we'd taken with the slow boat, but couldn't sleep because of a plus-sized woman going from the left to the right of the boat and back to take pictures. I was fairly sure she'd make the already not too stable boat tip over by switching sides every few minutes, but luckily that didn't happen and I even managed to sleep for a few minutes.
After what could've been hours or maybe minutes (I have no idea since I lost all track of time) we arrived at the Pak Ou Caves. These caves are accessible from the rive and are home to over 4000 Buddha icons. It's been a sacred place for centuries, where locals come to pray. We had to pay a small entrance fee, then also made to small donations. In exchange for the donations I got a small orange candle which I could burn on an altar. It was there, in the lower Tham Ting Cave, that I prayed for the first time in my life and started to get a little bit into Buddhism.
Once the candle had been burned I started the steep climb to Tham Theung, the upper cave. The upper cave is darker, creepier and also filled with Buddha icons - and for some unknown reason one of a penis. I would've liked to spend more time in the upper cave to take some good pictures, but had to rush to catch the boat back to Luang Prabang.

A short lunch break in Luang Prabang later we got into a minivan that brought us to what everyone simply calls 'The Waterfall'. It's officially called Kuang Si Falls, but The Waterfall will do just fine, everyone will understand what you're talking about. Again we had to pay a small entrance fee, but this time the minivan driver tried to scam us. Luckily I'd learned to count to four in Lao, so my dad and I managed to make clear we wanted the money he took for the fourth ticket back, because there were only three of us. When that was all cleared up we entered the park, which had both a bear rescue and the Kuang Si Falls as tourist attraction. I walked straight to the waterfall because I desperately wanted a swim. Yet when I arrived at the lowest tier of the waterfall I forgot all about swimming. The waterfall was the most beautiful waterfall I'd ever seen. The water was a beautiful shade of turquoise, there was a fine mist in the air and the tropical trees and plants all around made it look like paradise. It was a true photographer's dream. And as soon as I dipped one toe into the water I decided to stick with photography because the water was freaking cold. Totally worth the visit though. Instagram aesthetics, you know.

Back in Luang Prabang my dad and I decided to climb the random staircase on the peninsula that had been calling our names since the minute we arrived there. It led to a legendary stupa, a building that contains a Buddhist relic, which had been put there by the god Hanuman because he apparently liked it better in Laos than in Sri Lanka. We paid yet small another entrance fee and suddenly found ourselves completely surrounded by a mob of tourists once we reached the stupa. The sun was about to set and the stupa is the most popular place in Luang Prabang to see it happen, which my dad and I neither knew, nor cared about. It was a cloudy day anyway, so my dad and I admired the stupa that all the other tourists ignored.

By the time we came back down from the stupa I was pretty tired. As we walked back to our guest house I took my final pictures of Luang Prabang's peninsula. It was such a relaxed place with so many beautiful views. I could've easily filled my memory card then and there.
Close to the guest house I came across Big Brother Mouse, a small local publishing house that works hard at providing Lao children in the entire Luang Prabang region with quality books in their own language. Every day they organize free English classes for the local schoolchildren and invite tourists to come and practice with them. Your accent doesn't matter. The children are really good at speaking English and are used to accents. I'm ashamed to admit I was too chicken to join in, but if you're ever in Luang Prabang and want to make a small positive change in the world, go to Big Brother Mouse at 9am or 5pm. It'll be much appreciated.

That night marked the end of my 48 hour stay in Luang Prabang. The next morning we'd take the bus to Vientiane. I already knew I was going to miss Luang Prabang; it was busy and lively, but not crazy and crowded like most Asian cities. It's one of those place I hope to see again one day.

I was gone for a long time this summer. You might have noticed it, that entire month of quiet on this little part of the internet. And you probably already figured out I spent a lot of time in Thailand. That wasn't the only country I visited in Southeast Asia though. No, I was already getting ready to tell you all about the second country, Laos, when I realized most people barely know that it exists. Seriously, you deserve a freaking medal if you can immediately point it out on a map and name its capital. It's a little sad how few tourists visit this place, just because they don't know much about it. Laos deserves so much more love. But then again, barely anyone ever talks about the place. So I figured I'd use this post as an introduction/guidebook to Laos, also known as my favorite Southeast Asian country!

First things first: you'll hear people call this place Laos, Lao and Lay-o. It's pretty confusing, but two out of three are correct and people will know what you mean. Laos is correct in English, Lao is the name of the country in its own language and Lay-o is what you get when people perpetually brain fart.

Laos borders to China in the north and Thailand in the west and southwest, just to give you a general idea of where it is. If you want to visit the country it's easier and cheaper (also a lot more fun) to buy a ticket to Bangkok and travel to Laos from there. You can buy a simple ticket to Laos' capital Vientiane or Luang Prabang, or take the super awesome slow boat. Believe me, you'll want to take the slow boat. First a van will bring you from Chiang Mai to the Thai-Lao border, where you can get a Lao visa on arrival. There you'll board the boat which will take you to Luang Prabang in two days. Some people will turn it into a booze cruise, but once you find the right people it'll be an awesome ride. We had ukulele jam sessions, impromptu Lao language classes and time to rewrite Niall Horan's 'Slow Hands' into 'Slow Boats'. It was pretty great.


Upon arrival you might have a serious culture shock, even if you've been to Thailand first, like me. Laos is similar to Thailand, yet very different. Laos is a former French colony and the French influences are pretty obvious in some parts of the cities. You'll see it in the architecture and food. I've eaten more baguettes and croissants in Laos than the last time I was in France. Speaking French won't get you anywhere though, because barely any Lao speak it. Which doesn't keep the French tourists from expecting everyone to speak French. Don't go for a quick 'bonjour' when greeting someone, it's way better to use the Lao 'sabaidee'. The locals will really appreciate it.
Apart from the French influences there is another thing you'll see everywhere: poverty. I think Laos is the least developed Southeast Asian country after Myanmar. France does help its former colony by subsidizing construction sites, but there's still a long way to go. It can be quite devastating to see. Everything in Laos is super cheap for western tourists because of the poverty. A western tourist is literally a billionaire there, as the local currency is virtually worthless. It's called the 'kip', which is hilarious for Dutch people because that's also the Dutch word for 'chicken'. Not a day could go by without multiple jokes about chicken coops, chicken farms and chickens in general. Anyway, a single kip is equal to €0,0001. Exchanging some money will instantly make you a chicken millionaire. Sorry, bad inside joke.

Once you've got your kips, learned to happily say sabaidee and have explored Luang Prabang, you're probably going to want to see more of the country. Plane tickets to the capital Vientiane are relatively cheap. Bus tickets are even cheaper though, but there's a good reason for that. It's only about 400 kilometers from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, but it'll take you twelve hours by bus. Lao roads are horrible, road sickness waiting to happen. If you do take the bus you can break the journey up by visiting Vang Vieng. The place is famous for it's tubing route down the river, and also for its past full of drug-related deaths. Not the place to be for a goody two-shoes like me.
A good thing about the bus is that you'll get to see the most amazing views. If you can forget about reckless drivers getting you pretty close to your untimely death, you'll love looking out of the windows at a landscape that looks like Ha Long Bay with trees instead of water. Eventually you'll get to Vientiane. Loads of people skip this city, but I think it's worth it to visit the Lao capital. That's another story for another post though. Vientiane was my last stop in Laos and I was sad to leave. Laos deserved more of my time, but I didn't have any more to give...


At the end of my visit I'd fallen in love with Laos. And you know what? I think it deserves better. That's why I'm going to blog about all the Lao awesomeness I encountered this summer. And now that you know the basics of Laos and my route through the country, you're all set to follow me on my journey in blog posts - or visit Laos one day yourself!