Travel to Laos: Here you will find Asia's most beautiful city is written by Camilla Kornerup.
Why travel to Laos?
Laos is its own country, and that's what makes a trip to Laos unique. The country in Asia differs from the rest in several ways. countries in Southeast Asia. It was the pace that initially made me think that something was decidedly different here compared to the neighboring countries.
In Laos, they live more in slow motion. Nobody is in a hurry. Things are as they should be, and the word stress is hardly part of the Lao language.
The slow lifestyle is reflected in many areas. For example, when you sit and wait – and wait a little more – at a restaurant to be allowed to order and then pay. If you don't make your presence known, a very long time can pass without anything happening.
I just had to get used to that after I came from Thailand og Cambodia – countries where service is paramount. Another good example is the work culture. The Thais and especially the Vietnamese are known for their highly efficient agriculture. Their tireless work in the rice fields all year round allows them to harvest up to three times a year.
The Lao, on the other hand, only harvest rice once a year. They say out here that the Vietnamese plant, harvest, and immediately plant again, while the Lao plant and then sit down and listen to the rice grow.
Recycling is the way forward
The lifestyle is also characterized by a focus on what exists. This – together with the calm pace – creates a very special people in the Asian country. A people who basically get up and do the same thing they did the day before. They seem to think that as long as the world exists, everything is fine.
In a way, there's something incredibly healthy about it – and it was quite thought-provoking to be a part of. Still, it was hard to understand why they don't repair something that needs it. For example, a dilapidated bridge or some clothes hanging in the laundry.
It doesn't seem to make sense for the Lao to improve or even develop things as long as they can be used. The bridge is patched together with a few boards that do not match the style and size of the others at all. But it is possible, and you can get over the bridge - albeit with difficulty.
And the clothes – well, they might hang a little strangely on the body. There's a big hole in the side and a good portion of the stitches are torn, but they're still usable, so why throw them away? I've had many experiences like that with things that were dilapidated.
It triggered thoughts about our 'use-and-throw-away culture' and demands for the material part of our existence.
Slowboat on the Mekong
A good way to immerse yourself in the relaxed lifestyle of the Lao people is by taking a slow boat down the Mekong River. It's an experience you should definitely have on a trip to Laos. Set aside a few days for it and let the green, mountainous landscape slide into your retina.
The Mekong is just one of many rivers in Laos. The country invites you to travel by river, as the roads are often in poor condition. At the same time, you get to see a large part of the country's fantastic landscape, which the rivers meander through. Especially in the northern part of the country there is dense jungle and forested mountains.
In several places, the most beautiful limestone cliffs rise vertically from the rice fields, just as you see in other Asian countries, including Vietnam and the south China.
I traveled along the Mekong from Luang Prabang in the north and up to the border with Thailand. The boats are passenger boats, and along the way they dock in many small remote villages. That way you also get an insight into life in 'Udkants-Laos'. There were probably 15-20 of us on board, and there was plenty of room to enjoy the view.
Along the way, you will encounter cargo boats and fishermen and see how the locals clear and cultivate the land right down to the riverbank with corn, sugarcane and vegetables. Many of the country's ethnic minorities live on these shores. They live a life partially isolated from the rest of Lao society in the cities.
There are divided opinions about how many different minorities exist in the country, but the number is probably around 50. Some have always lived in Laos, while others have immigrated in recent centuries due to war and political persecution in their original homelands in China og Tibet.
These people live in small villages, speak their own languages and exchange goods with others through barter.
A patchwork of a population
On a trip to Laos, you will get to know the country's many different ethnic groups. Some live in the lowlands, and others in the highlands, depending on their culture.
The largest group is the lowland Lao Lum, who are the most commonly encountered. They make up over half of the population and are typically the majority in the cities, where more modern life is lived.
Some of the smaller, more populous groups, such as the Akha people, live very isolated in the mountains. They grow rice on the slopes and keep buffalo, chickens and pigs.
Here, the women still wear their traditional, dark cotton dresses. The dresses are decorated with fine embroidery, and the Akha wear a beautiful headdress with a long row of silver coins attached to it.
The coins swing when you walk, and they are supposed to keep evil spirits away from your face. At the entrance to the Akha villages, you pass through a 'breath gate', which you must not touch under any circumstances.
The gate symbolizes the transition between the world of spirits and humans. It also indicates that the Akha people, like other ethnic minorities, are animists, practice ancestor worship, and expel evil spirits through the town's shaman.
In a village I visited, a shaman sat under a house with a cloth over her head on poles and rocked back and forth while chanting some words that were supposed to drive away illness that had arisen in the family in the house.
A life closer to civilization
Over the past 20 years, the government has done a great deal to encourage ethnic minorities to move down from the mountains and settle in the lowlands. The goal is for them to live closer to educational opportunities for their children and the health system, and to take an active part in building a modern Laos.
Many people, such as the Hmong, Khmu and Yao, see the benefits of their new life closer to civilization. They have gained much better housing, jobs in the cities and an improved economy.
When you cycle through their villages, you see that they wear Western clothes and have TVs, clean water and motorbikes. More and more people are also building houses in stone and concrete.
The government provides free drinking water to their villages when they move down to the lowlands, as well as electricity at a tenth of the price Laotians pay in the cities.
These people preserve parts of their original culture by holding celebrations and practicing rituals around birth, weddings and funerals. At the same time, they adopt a more modern life in line with the rest of the world and globalization. In most cases, this has a positive effect.
Many of them are incredibly skilled craftsmen and sit in the markets in the larger cities and sell their wares. They have learned what tourists from the West fall for.
They have realized that if they are going to sell, they have to produce beautiful scarves, fun shoes, printed t-shirts, loose cotton pants and beautiful jewelry that suit our tastes. In this way, they develop their range and continue their lives as craftsmen.
Luang Prabang – Asia's most beautiful city
Luang Prabang is the most beautiful and cozy city I have yet visited in Asia. The old town in particular is incredibly inviting and fortunately protected by UNESCO due to a number of historic houses, temples and monasteries.
The city is well-maintained. Many of the buildings have been renovated and the streets are clean, as the renovations seem impeccable. Much is built on two floors in a fusion of French colonial style and Laotian architecture with curved brick roofs.
In the center, teak monasteries, painted in deep red and black shades and decorated with fine patterns in gold, are surrounded by gilded pagodas. The district is located as the outermost part of a peninsula, surrounded by two rivers, the Mekong and the Nam Khan, which meet here.
Several of the old houses are now tastefully decorated as hotels and restaurants, kept in the old style. The king used to live here until the monarchy was deposed, and you can visit the royal family's residence, which now functions as an excellent museum.
A trip to Laos inspires a simple life
Many Laotian families send their male children to Buddhist monasteries for a period of time. Here they receive an education as well as board and lodging. A large number choose to go to Luang Prabang in Asia because the city has a certain size and a wide range of monasteries to choose from with rich traditions that stretch far back in history.
The monks live on alms, as in the rest of Southeast Asia, and are not allowed to own anything. Even before sunrise, the streets in the center are illuminated by the monks' characteristic orange robes as they stroll through the city in long, straight rows with their food bowls outstretched.
The locals kneel along the sidewalks and put rice and other food items in the food bowls, thus maintaining the close connection between lay people and representatives of Buddhism, which is so eternally important in these countries in Asia.
Luang Prabang is a wonderful place to just be. I strolled around the city's many cafes and eateries and enjoyed croissants and good coffee at the French cafes, while also being able to eat amazing local food like buffalo, sticky rice, and seaweed from the rivers.
You can spend hours by the rivers, just watching the fishermen and the calm flow of the brown water, or you can take a bike ride outside the city to villages. Here you can visit artisans who work with silk weaving and making lamps from the most beautiful paper. They make the paper from bamboo, mulberry leaves and various flowers, which they dry and press into the structure of the paper.
The city's many markets attract people both day and night. Here you will meet the many artisans selling their goods, while the streets are transformed into open kitchens, where people sit together on long benches and eat noodle soup, green papaya salad, roast duck or spicy pork sausages. You wash down with the national pride Beer Lao - a classic in Asia.
Buddhism and communism under one roof
Before I crossed the border from Cambodia all the way to the south and began my journey up through the country, I had set out to learn more about how a nation in Asia could be both Buddhist and communist at the same time. At first glance, it seems a bit contradictory.
I asked the question to Andrew, a Laotian married Australian whom I met in the first few days and who has lived and worked in the country for 10 years.
Andrew said that the Laotians are very little communist. For that, they are far too happy with money. If there is a conflict of interest between the government and the leading monks, in most cases the monks get the last word, and religion is thus above politics.
According to Andrew, there are only three rules of life that you must adhere to in order to live without problems in Laos:
First, you must never criticize the government or damage government property – that is, in public or in any other way show dissatisfaction with the government. Doing so can have serious consequences. Andrew said that a man he knew had insulted the police and was shot dead in the street.
Secondly, you must not show anger. You must make sure to smile and even bribe the police if they stop you. Corruption is thus alive and well in this part of Asia.
The third and final rule is that you are not allowed to kiss or hug in public. However, that rule is more in keeping with Buddhism, which considers it offensive.
The changed country – a journey to the new Laos
When you travel to Laos, you often forget that you are in a communist country. Just 10 years ago, there were a lot of military personnel walking around the streets. The government, which wants to attract tourists to this part of Asia, has realized that this is not conducive. Therefore, weapons and military are hidden away today.
Laos is part of ASEAN, Southeast Asia's answer to the EU, and is actively involved in developing cooperation in this region of Asia. Just as I was traveling, Laos was hosting a major ASEAN conference. It took place in the small capital of Vientiane, with a population of just 300.000.
The countries discussed the guidelines for a new trade agreement, similar to the EU's economic union. The agreement is intended to make it easier to trade across borders and open up more foreign investment between the countries.
China is currently the country's largest trading partner. With the new agreement, the Chinese influence will not decrease. The Chinese have already invested heavily in the northern part of the country. They have been allowed to lease large areas of land for 25 years.
They clear vast areas of forest and establish enormous rubber and banana plantations. They employ Laotians in the plantations for low wages and at the same time set the price of the raw materials.
I visited some of these areas. The local rubber plantation workers said that the price per kilo of rubber had fallen by a quarter this year. This is because production is now so high after the establishment of many new plantations.
Regardless, Laos is a lovely and overlooked travel country in Southeast Asia.
Have a good trip to Laos!
You must see this on your trip to Laos
- Take a slowboat down the Mekong River
- Visit Luang Prabang, Asia's most beautiful city
- Experience the Kuang Si waterfall and bathe in the natural pools
- Visit one of the many markets
- Explore the beautiful rice fields and the lush nature of Laos
Did you know: Here are the top 7 best nature destinations in Asia according to Booking.com's millions of users
7: Pai in northern Thailand
6: Kota Kinabalu on Borneo in Malaysia
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