How good it feels to back in a big city again! Feeling the energy only this kind of international cities can give. After four weeks of sleepy Laos, it was a pleasure to spend a week in Phnom Penh. The capital of Cambodia is very busy, a bit dirty and under construction but it’s also full of trendy restaurants and bars, has a nice riverfront and interesting things to do. You won’t get bored t... read more »

Visited: May 2013 Posted: 09/05/2013 Cambodia

First stop in Cambodia after four weeks in Laos. Even if crossing the border is seamless, you can feel that you’re in a different country. I stopped for two nights in Kratie in Northern Cambodia which is a small town with not much to offer apart from dolphin watching. The Mekong host a rare species of Dolphin called the Irrawaddy Dolphin. Kratie is one of the best place to spot it in Southeast... read more »

Visited: April 2013 Posted: 07/05/2013 Cambodia

Traveling can be tiring! When you travel for a very long time, giving yourself some relaxing time is important. A kind of weekend inside the holiday! The Si Phan Don (meaning 4000 islands) region in Southern Laos was a very good place for such time. Most people stay on one of the two most well known islands, Don Det and Don Khon. I opted for the latter. No worries though as they are linked v... read more »

Visited: April 2013 Posted: 05/05/2013 Laos

The Bolaven Plateau is a coffee growing region in the south of Laos also famous for all of its beautiful waterfalls. A popular way of discovering it is renting a motorbike from Pakse and doing “The Loop”, a circular road around the plateau. While you can explore the plateau through many other roads, the loop is the easiest option. There are two variants: the “small loop” which takes two days a... read more »

Visited: April 2013 Posted: 03/05/2013 Laos

One night stop in Vientiane between two night buses to reach the south of Laos. Travelers who had already visited the capital were not very enthusiastic about it and didn’t recommend spending more than a day there. It’s true that there’s not much to do. A few temples to visit and the “unmissable” national monument of Laos, Pha That Luang. None of them are very interesting. The city center ... read more »

Visited: April 2013 Posted: 29/04/2013 Laos

Tubing in Vang Vieng is like the rite of passage of every backpackers in Laos. It’s the crazy thing to do, the thing everybody will ask you if you’ve done it and you’d better not miss it. Unfortunately, tubing is far from what is used to be. Because of all the accidents and the exhaustion of the locals, the party is living its final moments. Tubing means renting big tubes and going down the Na... read more »

Visited: April 2013 Posted: 20/04/2013 Laos

First stop in Laos after two days on the slow boat from Thailand: Luang Prabang. This UNESCO World Heritage town is extremely charming with it’s colonial style buildings, great food and slow pace of life. The city has a lot of temples in a different architecture than Thailand so it’s worth visiting the main ones. Do not miss Wat Xien Thong as it is the most beautiful. The Royal Palace Museum m... read more »

Visited: April 2013 Posted: 18/04/2013 Laos

If you want to feel like a real traveler, the 3 days journey between Chiang Mai in Thailand to Luang Prabang in Laos is a must do. You’ll need some patience but the trip is worth doing the slow way to enjoy the beautiful landscapes along the Mighty Mekong. The first day is spent on the bus to Chiang Khong, a town on the border with Laos, the main crossing in the northern provinces. If you use ... read more »

Visited: April 2013 Posted: 08/04/2013 Laos