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.

May 24, 2019

Luang Prabang, Laos

Kuang Si waterfalls are absolutely stunning. You know the cliche expression "pictures don't do it justice"? Well, it applies 100% here. The water has a perfect turquoise color, and the rock formations create dozens of small natural infinity pools. I suggest not going with a tour, which usually gives you 2h there. Instead, arrange your own transportation and spend the whole day if possible.

May 23, 2019

Luang Prabang, Laos

I woke up very early today to see the sunrise from famous Mount Phousi. We were lucky to get clear skies. Luang Prabang is a very walkable city, so I was able to do most of the touristy things on my list today. We then tried "Sabai" (Lao BBQ) and checked out the bowling alley everyone keeps talking about: it was lots of fun 🎳!

May 22, 2019

Luang Prabang, Laos

Day 2 of the slow boat. We left Pak Beng at 9 and got to Luang Prabang around 5:30. The riverside scenery was mostly the same throughout the day, briefly interrupted by small villages with happy kids playing in the river and waving at the boat, or by wild buffalos roaming around the shore. Once in Luang Prabang, a group of travelers I met on the boat and I went to explore the famous night market of the city.

May 21, 2019

Pak Beng, Laos

The 2-day slow boat is one of the most common routes to Luang Prabang, especially for travelers coming from Thailand. It's a local boat, so definitely not the most comfortable one, but a good way to relax, catch up with your book or Netflix series, and meet some other travelers going on the same direction. The first day, the boat gets to Pak Beng, where you spend the night. Pak Beng is a small town that revolves around this boat ride, with cheap accommodation and expensive everything else.

May 20, 2019

Nam Kan National Park, Laos

I went from having no zipline experience to ziplining as main means of transportation in these past 3 days. We must have ziplined more than 10 times each day, going in and out of our treehouse, as well as while hiking around the park. We were sad to say goodbye to our home for the past 3 days, and head back to Huay Xai. This is without doubt of the best experience of this trip, maybe even of my entire life.