Adventures in Laos
I traveled to Laos one summer in my 20s. Such an unforgettable trip! Too bad I didn't take more pictures of my time there, or keep a travel journal. Here are some of the few shots that I did take.
Floating Down the Mekong:
Our entire adventure in Laos was spent traveling down the Mekong River on a simple river barge. The Mekong is really the heart of the country, so it was the best and in many cases only way to travel! Here's the group on the barge, and some scenes from along the river:
One night we had a VERY authentic cultural experience when we STAYED THE NIGHT in the village shown below right. We'd gone a full day's travel and it was the largest village anywhere in sight. Goodness...that was a very long night! Fun and awful at the same time. :)
Luang Prabang:
Our first big stop in our travels in Laos was visiting the ancient capital of Luang Prabang. Inhabited for thousands of years, it was the royal capital of the country until 1975 and it's full of Buddhist temples as well as evidence of the country's French colonial past. Here are some pictures:
Floating Down the Mekong:
Our entire adventure in Laos was spent traveling down the Mekong River on a simple river barge. The Mekong is really the heart of the country, so it was the best and in many cases only way to travel! Here's the group on the barge, and some scenes from along the river:
One night we had a VERY authentic cultural experience when we STAYED THE NIGHT in the village shown below right. We'd gone a full day's travel and it was the largest village anywhere in sight. Goodness...that was a very long night! Fun and awful at the same time. :)
At one point along our ride down the Mekong, we spotted some work going on by the side of river...with work elephants! We stopped to check out the scene and they even let me climb aboard. That was crazy! I couldn't stop laughing:
Luang Prabang:
Our first big stop in our travels in Laos was visiting the ancient capital of Luang Prabang. Inhabited for thousands of years, it was the royal capital of the country until 1975 and it's full of Buddhist temples as well as evidence of the country's French colonial past. Here are some pictures:
Vientiane:
Our next stop after sleepy Luang Prabang was Vientiane--the capital and largest city of Laos. 
And here are some random shots from my time in Laos. Wish I would have taken more pictures. :(
At some point along the river we ran across this century's old cave full of Buddist art. Amazing:
