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Laos, formally known as the Lao
People's Democratic Republic (Lao
PDR), is one of the poorest nations
in South-East Asia. A mountainous
and landlocked country, Laos shares
borders with Vietnam to the east,
Cambodia to the south, Thailand to
the west, and Myanmar and China to
the north.
[edit] Regions
[edit] Cities
Vientiane - the still sleepy capital
on the banks of the Mekong River
Huay Xai - in the north, on the
Mekong and the border with Thailand
Luang Prabang - a UNESCO World
Heritage City known for its numerous
temples, colonial era architecture,
and vibrant night market.
Vang Vieng - Las Vegas of Laos.
Enjoy repeated episodes of The
Simpsons and Friends.
Luang Namtha - capital of the north,
known for its trekking.
Muang Xay - also known as Oudomxay,
the capital of the multiethnic
province of Oudomxay.
Pakbeng - halfway point on the
overnight slow boat between Huay Xai
& Luang Prabang
Pakse - gateway to the Wat Phu ruins
and the "four thousand islands" (Si
Phan Don)
Savannakhet - in the south, on the
Mekong, connected by bridge to
Mukdahan, Thailand
Tha Khaek - south of Vientiane on
the banks of the Mekong, Tha Khaek
is a popular base for exploring the
Phou Hin Boun National Park
including the famous Konglor Cave
[edit] Other destinations
Ban Nalan trail - a 2 days
ecotourism trekking in the north of
Laos.
Champasak - Angkor-style Khmer
temples, a World Heritage Site
Nong Khiaw- North of Luang Prabang
by 4 hour bus ride or 7 hour slow
boat ride, this area is between
beautiful Karst cliffs where you can
discover hilltribe villages, kayak,
bike ride, or just hang out in a
relaxing town.
Plain of Jars - just what the name
says, but nobody knows what they are
or why they are there
Si Phan Don - the "four thousand
islands" are nestled within the
Mekong near the Cambodian border
Vang Vieng - backpacker hangout for
spelunking in limestone caves and
tubing on the Nam Song river
Vieng Xai - Remote cultural oasis
and symbolic cradle of Marxism. See
the caves where the Pathet Lao
Leaders ran their opperations in
defiance of the West.
Tham Nong Pafa Cave - a cave
discovered in Khammouan Province in
2004; as many as 200 Buddha statues
of all sizes have been found inside
Map of Laos[edit] Understand
Thailand promotes itself as amazing,
Vietnam can well be described as
bustling, Cambodia's Khmer temples
are awe-inspiring, Myanmar's junta
is barbaric... but the adjective
most often applied to Laos is
forgotten. Although there are a few
grand (but relatively unheard of)
attractions, those visitors who are
drawn by the laid-back lifestyle and
the opportunity to knock back a few
cold Beerlao while watching the
sunsets on the Mekong will simply
explain the attraction by revealing
that the true meaning of "Lao PDR"
is Lao - Please Don't Rush.
[edit] History
Laos is squeezed between vastly
larger neighbours. First created as
an entity in 1353, when warlord Fa
Ngum declared himself the king of
Lane Xang ("Million Elephants"), the
kingdom was initially a Khmer vassal
state. After a succession dispute,
the kingdom split in three in 1694
and was eventually devoured piece by
piece by the Siamese, the last
fragments agreeing to Siamese
protection in 1885.
The area east of the Mekong,
however, was soon wrenched back from
Siam by the French, who wanted a
buffer state to protect Vietnam, and
set up Laos as a unified territory
in 1907. Briefly occupied by Japan
in 1945, a three-decade-long
conflict was triggered when France
wanted to retake its colony. Granted
full independence in 1953, the war
continued between a bewildering
variety of factions, with the
Communist and North Vietnam-allied
Pathet Lao struggling to overthrow
the French-leaning monarchy. During
the Vietnam War (1964-1973), this
alliance led the United States to
dump 1.9 million metric tons of
bombs on Laos, mostly in the
northeast stronghold of the Pathet
Lao (for purposes of comparison, 2.2
million tons of bombs were dropped
on Europe by all sides in World War
II and unexploded ordinance still
kills at least 1 person and 4 cows a
day up there).
In 1975, after the fall of Saigon,
the Communist Pathet Lao took
control of Vientiane and ended a
six-century-old monarchy. Initial
closer ties to Vietnam and
socialization were replaced with a
gradual return to private
enterprise, an easing of foreign
investment laws, and admission into
ASEAN in 1997.
Despite being just one hour by air
from the hustle and bustle of
Bangkok, life in Laos has continued
in much the same way it has for
hundreds of years, although things
are now slowly beginning to change.
In the mid-90s the government
reversed its stance on tourism, and
then declared 1998 "Visit Laos Year"
- but despite their efforts and all
Laos has to offer, monks still
outnumbered tourists throughout the
country. This is now rapidly
changing, with tourist numbers
rising every year. Indeed, Vientiane
is a laid-back, yet charmingly
cosmopolitan village.
[edit] Culture
Pha That Luang, Vientiane - the
national symbol of LaosDespite its
small population, Laos has no less
than 68 ethnic groups. About half of
the population are Lao Loum,
"lowland Lao" who live in the river
plains. Officially, this group
includes the Lao Tai, who are
subdivided into numerous subgroups.
The Lao Theung (20-30%), or "upland
Lao", live on mid-altitude slopes
(officially defined as 300-900m),
and are by far the poorest group,
formerly used as slave labor by the
Lao Loum. The label Lao Sung
(10-20%) covers mostly Hmong peoples
who live higher up. There are also
an estimated 2-5% Chinese and
Vietnamese, concentrated in the
cities. (The three group system
described above is disrespectful and
in no longer in official use. Laos
now recognizes 49 official ethnic
groups.)
Laos is officially Buddhist, and the
national symbol, the gilded stupa of
Pha That Luang, has replaced the
hammer and sickle even on the state
seal. Still, there is a good deal of
animism mixed in, particularly in
the baci (also baasi) ceremony
conducted to bind the 32 guardian
spirits to the participant's body
before a long journey, after serious
illness, the birth of a baby or
other significant events.
Lao custom dictates that women must
wear the distinctive phaa sin, a
long sarong available in many
regional patterns, however many
ethnic minorities have their own
clothing styles. The conical
Vietnamese-style hat is also a
common sight. These days men dress
Western style and only don the phaa
biang sash on ceremonial occasions.
Nowadays women often wear
western-style clothing, though the "phaa
sin" is still the mandatory attire
in government offices (not only for
those who work there, but also for
Lao women just visiting).
[edit] Climate
Laos has three distinct seasons. The
hot season is from March to May,
when temperatures can soar as high
as 40°C. The slightly cooler wet
season is from May to October, when
temperatures are around 30°C,
tropical downpours are frequent
(especially July-August), and some
years the Mekong floods.
The dry season from November to
March, which has low rainfall and
temperatures as low as 15°C (or even
to zero in the mountains at night),
is "high season" (when the most
tourists are in the country).
However, towards the end of the dry
season, the northern parts of Laos —
basically everything north of Luang
Prabang — can become very hazy due
to farmers burning fields and fires
in the forests.
[edit] Get in
Lao or Laos?
The people call themselves Lao and
the language is Lao, so where did
that "s" come from? The answer seems
to be a mistranslation from French:
somebody read royaume des Laos
("kingdom of the Lao people") as
royaume de Laos ("kingdom of Laos"),
and the name stuck. The politically
correct form of the name, however,
is Lao PDR and, should you have any
incoming mail, using it will
increase the odds of it passing the
censors.
Most ASEAN nationalities as well as
a few others like Russians can enter
Laos "visa free" [1]; all other
tourists need a visa in the form of
a tourist visa (for one or possibly
two months) issued by a Lao embassy
or consulate, or a visa on arrival
now available at all ports of entry
with the exception of overland
crossings from Cambodia. Virtually
all nationalities are issued a 30
day entry permit stamp. When
applying for a tourist visa or to
obtain a visa on arrival, one
passport photo is required.
Prices range from US$30 to US$42
depending on nationality -
Australians pay $30, Canadians
US$42, Chileans US$30, Belgians
US$30, British, Dutch US$35, Swedes
US$31.
Visas can be obtained in advance
from Lao embassies/consulates. The
fee varies by nationality/embassy;
US$20 is common. Processing times
also vary; 2-3 days is typical,
though you may be able to pay an
extra small amount to receive the
visa in as little as one hour. In
Phnom Penh the travel agencies can
arrange the visa the same day (but
may charge as much as US$58) while
getting it from the embassy takes a
few days. Getting a visa from the
embassy in Bangkok costs around
1400B for most nationalities, plus
200B more for "same day" processing.
It's cheaper and quicker to get one
at the border.
There are Visa-on-Arrival facilities
at the international airports in
Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Pakse,
and at all border crossings with the
exception when entering overland
from Cambodia. The cost varies
between US$30 and $42 (if paid with
US$ notes; paying with Thai baht
will cost considerably more and
border officials will not accept Lao
kip at all). A US$1 "out of office
hours" surcharge, and a small
(possibly 10 baht) entry stamp fee,
might also be charged.
Entry permit extensions (sometimes
referred to as "visa extensions")
are available from the Immigration
Department in Vientiane (US$2 per
day) and via agencies elsewhere in
Laos (who will courier your passport
to Vientiane and back again, around
US$3 per day minimum of 7 days).
[edit] By plane
The international airports at
Vientiane and Luang Prabang are
served by national carrier Lao
Airlines [2] and a few others,
including Thai Airways [3], Bangkok
Airways [4] (Luang Prabang only) and
Vietnam Airlines [5]. Some seats on
flights of Vietnam Airlines are
reserved for Lao Airlines
(codesharing / better price). Pakse
is the third international airport,
with flights to/from Siem Reap
(Vientiane - Pakse - Siem Reap by
Lao Airlines).
Laos used to be off-limits to
low-cost carriers, however Air Asia
now flies to Vientiane from Kuala
Lumpur three times a week. Another
cheap option for getting to
Vientiane is to fly to Udon Thani in
Thailand with discount airlines Nok
Air or Air Asia and connect to Nong
Khai and the Friendship Bridge via
shuttle service directly from the
airport (40 minutes); from here
Vientiane is just 17 km away.
[edit] By train
The long-awaited first link across
the Mekong from the Thai town of
Nong Khai to Tha Naleng near
Vientiane finally opened in 2009.
There are two shuttle services per
direction per day, with one timed to
connect to the night trains to/from
Bangkok. Visa on arrival is
available when crossing the border
by train.
[edit] By land
Most border crossings open for
foreigners, with an indication where
visas on arrival can be issued, are
listed on the web site of the
National Tourism Administration [6].
This list is unfortunately
incomplete.
Cambodia:
Visa on arrival for Laos is
currently not available when
entering from Cambodia overland,
however it is possible to get a
Cambodian VOA when travelling in the
opposite direction. The nearest
Cambodian town is Stung Treng, and
the border is a 90-minute speedboat
ride away. Note that the border is
lightly used and both Customs
officers and transport providers
have a reputation of gouging
foreigners.
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