Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Canuckophile]

I got some good tips from this board on visiting Thailand - now I'm off to Laos in a few days. Thanks to all.

Any suggestions on places to go in Laos? (And this time, BTW, I'm a 55 year old female and I don't do drugs - so I don't need suggestions on either finding women or illegal substances. You can always post them, since some may be interested for future reference - I'm not trying to censor here!).

Thanks!
CANUCKOPHILE

[cdnhawk]

Well..skip Vang Vieng..lots of young uns and drugs there. Definitely spend some time in Luang Prabang....nice place to chill out for 4 or 5 days. Vientienne is worth a few days.

[indytrucks]

[aussie col]

Ah, Luang Prabang. I spent a week there doing nothing, it was great. If you want some great Laoation (sp?) coffee there is this little coffee shop (if you can call it that) right near the river where all the guys try and get you to go on a boat tour with them (don't worry, you'll know when they find you). The shop is run by this old guy and his wife and is only open for a few hours in the morning. it's just a tarp for a roof and a few wooden benches but the coffee is great. best coffee shop in the world.

My suggestion is to just relax and let the world pass by. I loved Luang Prabang. cheap food, cheap beer, cheap coffee. can't wait to get back there.

as a side note. VV has some great 'happy shakes'. for a little extra they blend a little 'happy grass' into the shake. if you want somewhere to relax there is another great coffee shop on the river bank accross from the hospital in VV (well, somewhere in that area). you have to walk down a little dirt track to get down to the river bank and they have benches along the river. i sat there for hours just reading , drinking coffee and watching backpackers float by on tubes.

[hjkorea]

i found the places i visited in laos very laidback and lovely. not as many people visit laos as other countries, such as thailand i found the travelers in that country to be a bit more mature and not seeking the big party scene as much. people seem to move a bit slower there taking their time. vang vien is definitely nice but more fun if you have company. the landscape is gorgeous. exploring the caves is nice but can be a little creepy if you are alone. some of the caves are pretty dark and have sketchy walkways made by ladders and stuff. definitely be prepared to do some bending over, crouching in small places and to get a little dirty. luang prabang was really nice and laid back. you can spend the days just walking around taking in the sights and lazily watching people go about their business. it's near a nice river too. vientiene, the capital is also nice. there's a temple there where i had the pleasure of having some nice conversations with some of the monks. also, i rented a bike one day and rode to a temple in the woods that has an herbal sauna, massage and meditation (sitting and walking). the herbal sauna was great. they use over 30 herbs and change them every 30 minutes. finally, i took the slow boat from luang prabang up to huay xai. it took 2 days, was a nice, slow experience...once i got up north, there is really not all that much to see. i traveled to a few little smaller towns and most of them seemed very similar to me. very small villages with one main street and a market. also, there are hill tribes up north. sometimes the women can be a little aggressive as they try to sell things...beware. anyway, laos was definitely one of my highlights in a long backpacking trip i took.