Luang Prabang is Laos’ funky UNESCO World Heritage City, full of temples, palaces, and lots of cool cafes. Here are some of the best cafes in the city, both the ones that are long-time tourist haunts and those that are more local and traditional. Lao coffee is world-famous, and you definitely must not miss enjoying a cafe or ten while you are in the country.
Tag Archives: Laos
Lao-Lao: What is Laotian Rice Whisky?
As ubiquitous as the ever-popular Beer Lao, lao-lao, or Laotian rice whisky, is one of the staple drinks of the Lao PDR. This super cheap home-brewed moonshine is found throughout the country, and is today even served in a large range of craft-style options. What is lao-lao? How is it made? Where can you buy it? How much does it cost?
Two Temples in Central Vang Vieng, Laos – discover Lao spirituality
Visit Vang Vieng’s two amazing temples! While Vang Vieng may be best known for its wild parties and basically free alcohol, there’s a quieter, more cultural spiritual side to the popular backpacker’s town as well. As Vang Vieng struggles to reclaim its culture and peaceful atmosphere from its bad reputation, more visitors are looking to the lesser-known side of this little town on the Nam Song River.
Visiting the COPE Center in Vientiane, Laos
Laos, the most heavily bombed country in the history of the world, is still suffering after the Vietnam War. There are more unexploded ordinances (UXO) in Laos than there are people, and the poor infrastructure and rough terrain make it difficult to remove bombs. The COPE Center, an NGO in Vientiane, is a fascinating and heartbreaking museum that does a lot of work on UXO removal and providing prosthetic limbs to those who have been injured in explosions.
Wat Si Mueang and the City Pillar Shrine: Royal Temple in Vientiane
Visit Wat Si Mueang and the nearby City Pillar Shrine, two of Vientiane’s most historic and important Buddhist landmarks. Both the temple and the city pillar are located in the eastern side of town, just a short walk past the Presidential Palace and Wat Si Saket, and easily reachable by foot. Both the temple and city pillar are free to visit.
How to get from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, Laos: Bus REVIEW
What is it like to travel by bus in Laos? How much does a ticket cost? Is it safe to take the bus between Vientiane and Vang Vieng? How long does the trip between Vientiane and Vang Vieng take? We travel by bus in northern Laos. Here’s our review!
Do you need a visa to visit Laos?
Almost everyone needs a visa to visit Laos. The good news is that many nationalities are able to apply for visas-upon-arrival at certain international airports and border crossings in Laos. Make sure that you are able to receive a visa on arrival, or else risk being turned away at immigration.
Riding the Vientiane City Bus from Wattay Airport, Laos
Save money and get around Vientiane, Laos easily with the new city bus. The bus runs directly to and from Wattay International Airport, and visits all of the most popular sites in the city, including Patuxai, Buddha Park, the Friendship Bridge, and much more. Learn how to take the bus, where it goes, and how much it costs here!
Reviewing Three NEW Flavors of Beer Lao (Craft Beer in Laos)
Beer Lao, the national drink of the Lao PDR, is widely considered to be the best beer in Asia. This year, for Visit Laos Year 2018, the brewery has released three brand-new flavors or Beer Lao: White, Amber, and Hoppy. We give these three new brews a try in the Laotian capital of Vientiane.
Three Visa Run Destinations from Bangkok
Any long-term expat in Thailand knows of the dreaded ninety-day “visa run”. Every three months, depending on the visa classification, an expat must either report to the local government office to “check in”, or leave the country and re-enter on a fresh visa. This can get tedious and dull, but it doesn’t have to be. Make a weekend getaway out of your visa run and visit one of the three best visa run destinations that are cheap and easy to visit from Bangkok.
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