Laos is often described as a beautiful country that is simply forgotten about. Landlocked between China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar, it is easily, and often, overlooked. When China has the Great Wall, Vietnam has Halong Bay, Thailand has Bangkok and the Thai Islands, Cambodia has Angkor Wat and Myanmar has a unique foreignness different to almost any other country in the world, what could Laos possibly have to offer that would draw people there over all of these other amazing places?
If I’m being honest, I was drawn to Laos because of the river tubing in Vang Vieng. Arriving in Laos though, I realized that the country had a lot more to offer than a day of debauchery on a river. Coming from Vietnam, it was a complete and utter relief for some peace and quiet. Vietnam is perhaps louder, noisier, busier, and more chaotic than Times Square in New York City, and after a few weeks in Vietnam, it was a relief to be able to hear myself think again. On top of that, the scenery is magical. The mountains are not impressive in terms of size, but the lush greenery that crawls across them is nothing short of breathtaking. Arriving in Laos, I felt the stress of Vietnam roll off my shoulders, and I enjoyed slowing down for a few days.
While in Luang Prabang, our days were spent roaming the streets, visiting the Buddhist temples, drinking Beer Lao at Utopia and sipping lattes at Joma Cafe. Laos is easily the most undeveloped country in SE Asia, with 80% of the roads left unpaved, and admittedly, Ryan and I were out of our comfort zone. We sought comfort in the backpacker hubs of Utopia and Joma Cafe, clinging to little pieces of familiarity and home in such a foreign place. As with everywhere we travel, we pushed ourselves outside of our comfort zone by visiting the local night market, trying all sorts of tasty Laos dishes and treats. I am often torn between trying something new and risking getting sick, and playing it safe with Lonely Planet recommended restaurants, and although I really do hate being sick in a foreign country, the risk is worth it to uncover even a small piece of authenticity of a country. The night market that we visited in Luang Prabang was touristy, albeit less so than both Utopia and Joma Cafe, and I felt as though we did uncover a bit of authentic Laos in the food that we tried… and let me tell you – it was worth it!
One of the highlights of Laos was visiting an elephant sanctuary, where we had the opportunity to ride elephants that have been rescued from hauling heavy loads of logs in the forestry industry. We began our mahout experience by learning the commands in Lao, directing our elephant around a small courtyard. Riding an elephant was like nothing I had ever experienced before. Despite being big and bulky, elephants walk with a certain amount of grace and sure footedness. I was shocked to discover that they have extremely prickly hair on their heads – who knew?! After our initial learning experience, we proceeded to take a longer ride through the jungle. I felt uneasy on the elephant at first, worried that she might tip over, lose her balance, or begin to run in the jungle, carrying Ryan and I along with her. Our elephant was extremely calm and gentle, and with each new step that she took, I began to feel more and more confident, until I was enjoying myself immensely. Following our ride through the jungle, we got the opportunity to bathe the elephants in the river. By the end of it, I was not ready to get off and say goodbye to my elephant!
After a few days in Luang Prabang, we took a minivan 6 hours south to Vang Vieng. As we ripped along poorly paved roads, weaving through the Laos mountains, I was torn between being terrified for my life because of the quality of driving, and being in awe at the strikingly beautiful scenery surrounding me. The entire drive was an inner battle between wishing that the drive would end and I could get out of the van safe and sound, and enjoying what could be a once in a life time experience in what just might be one of the most beautiful and desolate places in the world. I tried to soak in as much of the experience and the scenery as I could, but after a near miss with a cow, I was ready to be in Vang Vieng.
Arriving in Vang Vieng was a bit of a surreal experience. It is a tiny town in the middle of no where (no where being the lush green mountains of Laos), filled with guest houses, souvenir shops, and bars and restaurants with episodes of Friends on rerun. I’m not sure how much we acknowledged at the time that we had arrived in a backpacker party town, but it is very clear to me now that we arrived as 2 ignorant backpackers, ready for a day of drinking and partying, with little respect for the town of Vang Vieng and the Laos people that live there. This is a perfect example of how my idea of travel and tourism has grown and changed over the years, as looking back at this experience leaves me feeling slightly ashamed and guilty. Nevertheless, we chose to do do this, and it went a little like this: we rented our tube around 12:30 in the afternoon the day after arriving, and were taken in the back of a truck with other like-minded travellers to the edge of the river, where we were taken across to the first bar. Upon arriving at bar number 1, Laos whiskey was forced down our throats, and we were encouraged to purchase our first bucket. Although I had planned to take it slow, I was swept up with the excitement of the bar and our fellow travellers, and the anticipation of the day. One bucket turned to two, and before we knew it, we were cruising down the river, bobbing our heads to the thumping bass from the rickety bars that lined the river. We stopped along the way at a few different bars, daring to swing from one bar out into the water, and go down what was known as the “death slide”. Five hours later, we had only made it to 3 bars, and had to take a tuktuk back to the starting point to return our tubes on time and get our deposit back. Did I, along with hundreds of other people, take my life in my own hands while being completely inebriated? Yes, I did. One thing that is interesting about being in an undeveloped country like Laos is that there aren’t rules protecting you the way there are in Canada. People are given the opportunity to take risks, to do dangerous things, and to really take responsibility for themselves. It is interesting the way in which people will flirt with danger when given the opportunity.
So was tubing in Vang Vieng fun? Yes, it was an extremely fun day. Would I do it again? No, I wouldn’t. Since Ryan and I were there in 2011, the Laos government has actually stepped in, shutting down the dangerous tubing, tearing down the bars, and encouraging tourists to float the river in a safer manner if they choose to visit. With this, I wonder if Laos is still being visited, or if people are simply crossing it off their list of places to visit. How has the tourism been effected since the shutdown of the tubing? I hope to visit Laos again in the future, in hopes of having a more authentic cultural experience, as opposed to a drunken backpacker experience.
Interested in hearing more about Ryan and I’s time in Laos and our views of the changing tourism? Check out our podcast here!