Laos Off The Beaten Path Tips by calcaf38 Top 5 Page for this destination

Shades of Old Lan Xang

In 1353, Laos was unified as Lan Xang, the Kingdom of a Million Elephants and the White Parasol.

During my visit, I only saw one elephant, in a sleepy village on the way to the Kwan Sy waterfalls near Luang Prabang.

The falls themselves were hardly worth mentioning, but the drive and the villages along the way are captivating.

Wacky Van Vieng

The road between Luang Prabang and Vientiane is all in hills and curves (and, occasionally, bandits, I hear).

It is a fantastic landscape, but an uncomfortable ride.

You should break it in half by staying the night in Van Vieng, a "Wild West" sort of place in the Far East.

No temples here, no colonial houses. Just palms and cinder blocks, but you feel as if in a beehive of mysterious activity.

Step out of town, and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous.