This series will go country by country through my two-year trip. I plan on sharing some experiences, thoughts, and photos of each country that I visited.

Country by Country 18: Laos

I've already written 2 posts about Laos. One is for why it's worth visiting, and another post is about why I'll never go back to Laos. Instead of rehashing those topics, I'll just write about my first journey through this country.

In Pai, Thailand I bought a ticket to Luang Prabang. We started by taking a bus to the border with Laos. We slept there, then crossed the border. From there we were driven to the river where we got on a slow boat. At night, we stopped at a small town and slept there. The next day, we finished the journey to Luang Prabang. It was a long journey, but it wasn't too uncomfortable.

A few house boats.

Luang Prabang is a pretty town that was a lot nicer than I expected. I was surprised by how many older tourists were there.

I met a boat driver and agreed to have him show me around for a couple of days. We went to some of the tourist attractions, but the best part was visiting his home in a village across the river from Luang Prabang. We also went on a bike ride.

My guide / driver.

A temple that we visited.

After a couple of days in Luang Prabang, I took a bus to Vang Vieng which seemed very chill.

When I found a hotel to stay in, the guy who checked me in warned me not to try the mushrooms. In the room was a sign saying not to eat the mushrooms. In Vang Vieng, many of the restaurants allow you to make your pizza or shake "happy" or "magic". Making your food "happy" means they put weed on it. Making it "magic" means they put magic mushrooms on it.

I stayed in Vang Vieng for 3 or 4 days. On one day I rented a motorbike. When I was at the motorbike rental place a Chinese tourist got on his bike. He started it up and immediately lost control. The bike went across the street into a bunch of tables in front of a restaurant, with the guy on it. Luckily, no one was hurt because I couldn't stop laughing.

The river in Vang Vieng.

From Vang Vieng, I took another bus to the capital city of Vientiane. A lot of people don't like Vientiane, but I enjoyed myself there. Having been away from my country for so long, I was excited to have access to western food. The city is pretty small compared to cities in Thailand and Vietnam. Here are a few pictures from there.

A temple in Vientiane.

A street scene.

Another temple in Vientiane.

After a few days in Vientiane, I took a bus to Thakek to ride scooters. The Thakek loop is pretty popular among backpackers. I think riding this loop was my favorite thing that I did or saw in Laos.

Taking a photo break.

A procession.

A farm.

A swimmin' hole.

From Thakek, I took another bus to Pakse. There is another motorbike loop called the Bolaven Plateau loop. I rented a bike and spent a few days on that loop. It wasn't as good as the Thakek loop, but it was still enjoyable.

One of the places that I stayed.

Cool looking bungalows. I wish I had stayed there.

There are a ton of waterfalls on this loop.

Pakse was the last place in Laos that I stayed in. My visa was close to expiring, so I caught a bus to Cambodia. I'll post about that soon.