Arrived in Champasak, just about an hour south of Pakse. There is not much to see except for a nearby temple - they claim it's the most impressive Khmer temple outside Cambodia. So somehow I imagined something HUGE. But the area is really quite small. Still, it's a rather beautiful temple to look at as you'll see as soon as I find the time to upload the pictures. More »
After a night in Savannahket I arrived in Pakse which so far makes a nice impression. It certainly ain't as dead as Savannahket. I mean if cities can die then Savannakhet is the equivalent of a skeleton that has been dead for 150 years! More »
I just had the weirdest experience in a toilet in a bar in Vientiane. I had heard about this happening before, but this is the first time it actually happened to me: Just as I was starting to wash my hand, I felt something warm and wet in my neck. More »
I was a bit sad to leave Vang Viang behind, but my extended visa will run out at the second of March and I still have all the south of Laos to visit. So I left Van Viang for the capital of Laos, Vientiane yesterday. The trip took a bit longer since the brakes our bus broke down and had to be exchanged at some point, but eventually we got there. More »
After having been quite, ehem, active the day before (I mean, I bravely went down a river with nothing more then a bit of rubber under my ass) I decided to take it easy on day two. I had seen them from the river the day before and so I decided to go there and take a look. Besides most people I know around here decided to go tubing that day and I figured I could meet them and maybe take some photos of them as they came down the river. More »
Vang Viang is everything people were saying: It’s a small, bustling backpacker town with tons of things to do – and plenty of bars and hammocks that will keep you from doing anything at all. In short: It’s a pretty cool place for a holiday! More »
Arrived in Vang Viang today - a small place that is quickly becoming one of the top backpacker-destinations in Laos. And for good reasons: There is tons to do (caving, trekking, tubing, cycling), the landscape is absolutely breathtaking and you can eat, drink, watch movies and do drugs in abundance. Even the guesthouses are great and cheap! I'll probably stay here for a four or five days. I'll write more soon. More »
I had finally given up going to Luang Prabang by boat and took the bus instead. Luang Prabang is really pretty even though it looks a bit out of place. Almost all the architecture is typically French colonial style so that most o the time you feel more like in the in the Mediterranean then in Asia. More »
For the first time since I left Myanmar I added some photos to the blog. I still have quite a lot of catching up to do, but unfortunately in Luang Prabang internet is slow and expensive. Today I finally managed to put the story of the the two guys who stole a gun down. More »
I don’t know: either I’m very bad at bribing people or it’s simply very difficult to bribe people here! Unfortunately my attempts to solve my visa-troubles with a hefty bribe have not succeeded so far. More »
After suffering through the long trip from Luang Namtha to Nong Kiaw I didn't feel like doing anything for a day or two. I figured I have my own bungalow for 15,000 kip, I have a veranda and a book - what else do I need? So, I didn't go up to Mong Njoy as almost everyone else I was travelling with did, but stayed in Nong Kiaw instead. More »
It might seem obvious: It’s generally a bad idea to steal someones gun. And it would seem that this is something that most people are aware of. In Nong Kiaw however I met two Englishmen who had done just that and got briefly arrested for it. More »
Another long day on the bad roads of Laos; From Luang Namtha I went to Oudom Xai. And from there to Nong Kiaw. The first part of the trip wasn’t too bad. More »
In the end I decided to stay an extra day in Luang Namtha and do a one day trek despite the weather. Afterwards I found out, that that really was a pretty good idea since I wouldn’t have been able to catch a bus to Oudom Xai anyhow. There weren’t enough people, so the bus didn’t go – and this is between two regional capitals! More »
After eight hours of travel along the worst road of my life I arrived in Luang Namtha, a small town in the north of Laos, just 20 miles south of the Chinese border. More »
Just arrived in Chiang Kong, an unappealing, small town at the Mekong river. I made the trip in a small minibus - probably the most comfortable ride I'll have in a long time. Unfortunately the guy sitting next to me was the Canadian version of Grampa Simpson. More »
Today I finally bought my ticket for the trip to Luang Nahmtha in Laos. It was really funny - the last few days I frequently thought: "You have to move on, you have to move on". And then yesterday I sortof realized it doesn't matter the least bit! Even if I wanted to stay here for another month, I could do so. I'm free! More »
I'm still in Chiang Mai. But for a change I had something useful to do: My old company asked me to do a small piece about the birldflu - so I earned some money today. And in 20 minutes I'll have a date. More »
I'm probably not being fair to the city since so far I've basically only seen my guest house, some internet cafes and a restaurant. But even so - after Myanmar Chiang Mai is a bit of a culture shock. More »