A Week in Laos
Laos is certainly not a country for those looking to spend a luxurious vacation trip, but it’s people and mystical landscape will provide plenty for the adventure seeker and those looking to just relax. Given the strong conversion between the Dollar and Euro to the Laotian Kip, it is also an extremely cost friendly destination as well! Continue reading to get a glimpse into this southeast Asian country and learn a little more about why Laos is the way it is today!
The Global Finance magazine currently lists Laos as the 63rd poorest country in the world, with its GDP per capita around 10,000 USD.* In other words, the average Laotian makes 10,000 USD per year, with the key word being average. Roughly 70% of Laos are farmers and probably make significantly less than that amount per year, if they make anything above what they need to simply survive from day to day. As with any country in this situation, it creates an interesting dynamic between the few cities that dot the country and the rest of the nation that is dominated by jungle and rice patties. But Laos’ identity goes further than that, shaped largely by their recent past and the United States’ involvement.
After arriving in Laos, one of the first stops was to the COPE center in Vientiane, the capital city. Here, I learned about the issues that continue to plague Laos almost 60 years since the end of the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, Laos was also relentlessly attacked by the United States during the war, with an estimated 2 million pounds of bombs being dropped on this “neutral” country, mostly along it’s eastern border with Vietnam. Why you may ask? Simply because the Viet Cong used eastern Laos and the Ho Chi Minh trail, as a way to funnel troops and supplies from the north to the south during the war. Or, in many cases, simply because the US bombers who were instructed to bomb targets in Vietnam, and couldn’t find them due to the dense jungle foliage, were told to release their payload wherever they felt like it before returning to base because landing full was deemed too dangerous. Thus, tens of thousands of Laotians died and continue to be killed or maimed today by unexploded ordinances that are buried in their farms, under their homes, and everywhere in-between.
For a nation that relies on farming, it’s easy to understand why this has devastated the people of Laos and severely prohibits them from economic growth. However, today, thanks to the help of COPE and other nonprofit organizations, the task of removing these unexploded ordinances moves forward everyday, providing more and more safe farm land for the people of Laos to utilize. It was a fascinating way to start my trip in Laos and throughout my travels I kept this information close to heart as we rode throughout Laos and stayed in Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang.
The Start: Vientiane
The modern day Laotian capital, Vientiane, sits at the southern most point of the upper bulge of the country on the border with Thailand. Vientiane has largely been seen as the administrative base for many empires in the region, eventually becoming the capital of Laos during French colonization. Serving as a significant stopping point along the Mekong River that connects the Tibetan Plateau in China and the Mekong Delta just south of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the River is an important waterway for China, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. China recognizes this and has supported Laos through the Belt and Road Initiative to build the Vientiane-Boten Railway and the Pan-Asian Highway through Laos. Despite these connections, we embarked on an over 300 kilometer motorbike trip from Vientiane to Luang Prabang, experiencing some of the highs, and lows, of traveling through Laos!
Halfway: Vang Vieng
Located about 130km (80 miles) north of Vientiane, is the “party” city of Vang Vieng.
The Finish: Luang Prabang
Another 185km (115 miles) north of Van Vieng is the city of Luang Prabang.