We took a bus to Luang Prabang and experienced our first taste of really wicked-twisty roads. The once capital city and royal city of Laos is only a small city of around 26 000 but has 31 temples in it. Because of the abundance of old royal charm and old temples, the whole city is UNSCO funded and protected.
In this city we became obsessed with socialist Laos' answer to Starbucks, a small artsy chain of cafe's called Joma (more on that later). While drinking some of the best coffee that we've ever tried (damn, Laos makes good coffee) we pondered the question "What makes Laos so damn good?" We ran into so many people who claimed that Laos is the best place to travel.
Sure Laos has great beer. Beer Lao has won acclaim and awards worldwide. Now that's just the obvious!
It also has quite possibly the best coffee in the world. Planted by the French in the mid-to-early 1900s, it was once called "the Champagne of Coffee". But, not all people we ran into were coffee connoisseurs.
Laos' raw, untouched nature makes it extraordinarily attractive. It has more uninhabited, uncultivated land than any Southeast Asian country. It doesn't matter where you go in Laos, vast swaths of nature comes with it. This is definitely one of its charms.
Laos definitely has good food, although most is heavily influenced by it's neighbours. To quote one beefy Canadian man we meet on our travels "Man, the only reason I came to Laos was to pig out on BBQ... Like, why did you guys come to Laos?" Alissa, a bit caught off guard, replied, "Ummm... I think Matt likes hiking, and I guess I like bug spray." Do we even need to elaborate further- the food is great, the bugs are bad.
Laos' people are truly a kind-hearted bunch. Not once have we been scammed while traveling Laos (Ok in the South someone was trying to sell us inflated bus tickets but they only jacked the price a few dollars). We seem to still be on our guard from Vietnam. There's really no reason to be on defence though, the Laos people are calm, helpful, patient, and accommodating. They have good, kind souls. People love Laos people, this much is true.
But, sipping on black Laos Arabic Roast, we came to an understanding, an understanding that most travelers don't reach...
When travelling in Laos you willingly or unwillingly help the country and the people in it. Everything you buy, every tour you take, every village you visit, every coffee you drink, usually a large portion of the proceeds go to helping communities directly or indirectly supporting organizations that do so. There is no way you can travel Laos without making a positive contribution.
No matter how you look at it, "Charity Case Laos" or "Feel Good Laos", you walk away making a difference, and that feels good.
Laos' raw, untouched nature makes it extraordinarily attractive. It has more uninhabited, uncultivated land than any Southeast Asian country. It doesn't matter where you go in Laos, vast swaths of nature comes with it. This is definitely one of its charms.
Laos definitely has good food, although most is heavily influenced by it's neighbours. To quote one beefy Canadian man we meet on our travels "Man, the only reason I came to Laos was to pig out on BBQ... Like, why did you guys come to Laos?" Alissa, a bit caught off guard, replied, "Ummm... I think Matt likes hiking, and I guess I like bug spray." Do we even need to elaborate further- the food is great, the bugs are bad.
Laos' people are truly a kind-hearted bunch. Not once have we been scammed while traveling Laos (Ok in the South someone was trying to sell us inflated bus tickets but they only jacked the price a few dollars). We seem to still be on our guard from Vietnam. There's really no reason to be on defence though, the Laos people are calm, helpful, patient, and accommodating. They have good, kind souls. People love Laos people, this much is true.
But, sipping on black Laos Arabic Roast, we came to an understanding, an understanding that most travelers don't reach...
When travelling in Laos you willingly or unwillingly help the country and the people in it. Everything you buy, every tour you take, every village you visit, every coffee you drink, usually a large portion of the proceeds go to helping communities directly or indirectly supporting organizations that do so. There is no way you can travel Laos without making a positive contribution.
No matter how you look at it, "Charity Case Laos" or "Feel Good Laos", you walk away making a difference, and that feels good.
1 comment:
Aw that's amazing... and I love the quote from Alissa, it's just raw and something she would say, RIGHT ON! You just can't script that. I hope you remember all the tastes you've experienced. Did you guys have some of your motion sickness stuff for the windy roads? *queeeezzzzyyyyy* ha ha
Can't wait to see pics of India!
Cheers
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