Vientiane, where has your smile gone?

By editor, on January 31st, 2010

The best, the most memorable, the most important reason to travel is to interact with the people of the country. We enter a country with hope, certain expectations and a curiosity about the place. We make plans upon, and save our money just to see how other people: live, work, play and celebrate.

That original eye-opening, horizon-building purpose is washed away when a place becomes too touristy. The road just too well traveled waters down the mystery and excitement of discovery, or at least steals the thunder out of our travel stories. That’s not to deny a country or a certain place their fair share of the tourism pie, but there is a point where tourism becomes just a business; cold and corporate.

That’s exactly where Vientiane, Laos is headed. I don’t know exactly what happened. Perhaps it was the UN money pouring in for development, or the . . . → Read More: Vientiane, where has your smile gone?

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Tubing in Vang Vieng, a beer themed waterpark

By editor, on January 4th, 2010

I first travelled Laos in 1997. Vang Vieng hardly existed, rice fields and fisherman; an airstrip.  It was hard to get there, a tiring bus ride, dirt roads.   But the Nam Song really made the trip worth it.  Untouched, Gorgeous. Back in 2004, the travel was easier, the river was still pristine.  Tubing down the Nam Song was already a backpacker rite of passage.  There were exactly 3 stops/bars with a swing or a jump, beers were cheap and the scent of marijuana hung in the air.   It was gloriously fun, yet the river, framed by magnificent karst limestone mountains, was the chief draw.

It was like paddling in your own Lao secret garden of Eden. Well, the secret is out.

Now, sad to say, that 4 km stretch of river has turned into a waterpark. Every 100 meters there is a bar with . . . → Read More: Tubing in Vang Vieng, a beer themed waterpark

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