Travelfish newsletter Issue 349 : Ducks in a row + Where to stay another day in Laos
Hi all,
This week’s newsletter is actually on time! We’ve got a revised 3-week northern Laos itinerary online and down below a soapbox about why you need to leave some gaps in that row of ducks along with some tips on where to stay another day in Laos.
Oh so pretty. Photo: Cindy Fan
Good travels,
Stuart, Sam and the Travelfish crew
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Soapbox
Leave some gaps in that row of ducks
This week we’re featuring a revised three week itinerary for travelling around northern Laos by Cindy, if you haven’t already read it, you can do so here. You’re back? Ok, great.
When a first time visitor is planning a trip to a new country, it can be tempting to make a list of all the destinations they want to see and then plonking them in a row one by one. Allot days, book hotels and good to go. Right? Wrong.
Travelling in Southeast Asia, especially somewhere like Laos, it pays to keep a decent serving of rubber time in mind. Yes, buses will leave, when full and if not, eventually. Maybe. All that mountainous scenery is oh so pretty, but also prone to landslides, as one of our writers discovered a few years ago when she ended up spending a night asleep on the side of the road as a landslide was cleared away through the night. Boats sink/run out of gas/get cancelled or just, well, take three times as long as you thought they would.
And that’s just some of the bad stuff!
Then there are the destinations that you arrive at, planning just a night in, only to discover that you underestimated just how much you love it and think a week is now the bare minimum—Laos is awash in destinations like this.
Nowadays you can book just about everything online, be it hotels and guesthouses (please support Travelfish by using Agoda or Booking), flights, buses, tours and even meals. Yes, for the avid planner you can have almost all your ducks in a row and paid for before you even leave home, sounds great right?
Well, maybe. We’d caution to allow some gaps between those ducks. Hold off booking all of your hotels, as in many destinations in Laos it simply isn’t necessary unless you are really set on a specific property and must not miss out. Leave some wiggle room in there, allow a bit more time for transportation, take schedules as advisory rather than gospel and more generally just consider that sometimes it is nice to just have a holiday from a holiday, to do something totally unplanned—even if it is nothing more than laying in a hammock with an icy BeerLao or coconut.
These unplanned activities and lost days, can often turn out to be some of the most memorable moments of a trip. They’re nothing to do with keeping up with the Joneses or what Jennifer5643 on Facebook said you absolutely must do in Laos. Instead they’re just things you came up with yourself, which really does make the memory totally your own—and what better souvenir is there than that?
Happy planning.
Stuart
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Talking Travel
We don’t have an interview this week ... because I forgot to send the questions to the interviewee. Ops. So instead off the back of this week’s soapbox, we’re writing about some of our favourite places in Laos that we think are worth an extra day, dare we say, this piece could be considered a listicle of itinerary busters!
Listen to the rice grow. Photo: Cindy Fan
Don Khong
Set midway between Champasak and Si Phan Don in far far southern Laos, Don Khong (Khong Island) is far larger than any of the far more popular 4,000 islands further to the south by the Cambodian frontier, but it has this laid back village feel without the same “banana pancake trail” you may pick up on further south. Stay another day and hire a bicycle or scooter and explore the island—it is circumnavigated by a decent route and the rural village scenery, especially when the rice is almost ready to harvest, is simply spectacular. While away yet another day by the riverside with a good book and a few cold drinks.
The Bolaven Loop
Sticking with the far south we’d suggest you aim for staying an extra four days to take the Bolaven Loop in at a relaxed pace. While the Tha Khaek loop in the mid-south is far more popular, this is a good alternative (or addition) for your planning. Starting at Pakse run through Tad Lo, Salavan, Sekong and Attapeu. While we’d be generous in saying these towns are somewhat lacking in top shelf attractions, these is a low key backwater appeal to them (all have acceptable accommodation and eating options) and the scenery along the way is just lovely.
Oh so pretty Tad Yuang. Photo: Cindy Fan
Vientiane
While people rave about capitals like Hanoi and Bangkok, few and far between are the Vientiane-evangelists. Despite it not being on the Instagrammers hit list (perhaps because it does have a bit of a Thai provincial capital at least feel to it), the Lao capital does deliver with a stunning riverside setting, some excellent restaurants and bars and no shortage of solid places to stay. Yes there are a few museums (don’t miss COPE Visitor Centre) and plenty of temples to visit, but stay another day and make a half day trip east out to Buddha Park under your own steam (scooter is ideal). When you’re done there, continue along the northern bank of the Mekong, losing the rest of the day, and ride back to town with the setting sun on your left. Pack sunscreen.
Muang Ngoi and Nong Kiaow
If there were ever an itinerary buster in Laos, it would be one of the two village cum towns of Muang Ngoi and Nong Kiaow on the stunning Nam Ou River. Yes, there are things to do—a viewpoint climb here, a cooking class there, but the real attraction in these two towns is just sitting by the river and watching life slide by. Pack a book or three and stay another day to fit a few more chapters and a few more cold drinks in.
What a setting. Photo: Cindy Fan
Luang Prabang
It might seem like an obvious pick, as Luang Prabang is the epicentre of Laos’ tourism scene, but it is an easy one to not actually allow enough time for. The Heritage Zone can have a bit of a Disneylandesque feel to it, but it is undeniably beautiful and walking along any of the riverbanks (the town is at the confluence of two rivers) awash in the late afternoon light can be so memorable, you’ll want to do it more than once. Over the years outlying sights have become far more approachable and while a boat trip up to Pak Ou remains a highlight for many, we’re a big wrap on heading in the opposite direction, to Pha Tad Ke Botanical Garden—better still, stay another day and do both. We’d say anything short of three days here is selling yourself short, so adjust that leave form today!
Nam Nern Night Safari
You’ll be wanting to stay another three days to really take this one in (unless you’re already in the area) but the now quite long running Nam Nern Night Safari offers the opportunity to give something back to the country by supporting an organisation working in a sustainable fashion with native wildlife in their natural setting. Drifting down the river in a sampan at night, with your guide carefully spotting wildlife is the flipside to Luang Prabang’s boutique cafes and you’re supporting local people in supporting an organisation like this. Another option, should Nam Nern to simply too far out of the way, is the Gibbon Experience midway between Huay Xai and Luang Nam Tha—again you’ll be needing to stay a few more days to take it in.
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Slow down. Climb a hill. Take it all in. Photo: Cindy Fan
Till next time
That’s it from us for now. As usual, enjoy the site’s new additions and drop us a line if there’s something in particular you’d like us to cover in Southeast Asia.
Travel light!
Stuart, Sam & the Travelfish team
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