Erin's Thoughts about Laos

We may have been a little slow with blogging about Laos (blame Erica) but we truly loved it. Laos was not on our original itinerary but after our period of troubles, we were ready to escape from Thailand for a little while. Other travellers had raved about Laos, so off we went.

As I mentioned before, arriving in Laos felt like one deep, relaxing breath. Everything moved a little (or a lot) slower, the food was familiar and tasty, the people friendly, and no hawkers to be seen. It is a developing country with the attendant problems -- pockets of extreme poverty, deforestation, poor water quality, etc -- but is still a fairly easy place to visit. The bus breakdowns and electric outages just added to the experience.

The countryside is lovely, the wats are more to my taste than those in the Thai style, and the shopping is just excellent. Go to Laos. According to experienced travellers, it is changing fast. I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing but it is worth experiencing before it enters its next incarnation. I can't wait to go back.

(The first picture is from the walk up Phu Si to view the temple in Luang Prabang. The bottom two were taken from our balcony in Luang Prabang.)