Luang Prabang really was a lovely little town. It was very easy to get around, on foot or rental bicycle, there was plenty of interesting food about the place, much of it with a very French influence, the views of the two rivers (the Mekong and Nam Khan) were lovely, and there was a cool night market on the main street every evening. We caught a tuk-tuk out to a waterfall one day with some friends and were delighted to find not only a wonderful series of falls and swimming holes, but also an Asian Black Bear sanctuary where you could see the bears lounging in hammocks (!) or play fighting. Very cool.
We caught a 9 hour bus from Luang Prabang to the capital, Vientiane, and while it was not a terrible trip, the first half was really windy and mountainous. The capital does not seem to have much on offer, possibly backed up by the fact that the first thing on the guidebook's list of 'activities' is the bowling alley. It is, from brief impressions, a fairly messy and grubby town lacking the charm that redeems similar cities such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai. We were dropped at a guesthouse which was not the one we asked for, but settled for what we were presented with, and took a room in what turned out to be Lonely Planet's 'pick' of the accommodation in Vientiane, Syri 1 Guest House. There is nothing particularly appealing about the place, and when we were shown to our room the lady assisting us went and used our toilet on her way out! Pretty random really.
So final thoughts on Laos. I have heard from a number of sources that Laos is where Thailand was 20 or 30 years ago. While I can see what these people mean, I think that the tourist experience that Laos is going through is happening a lot quicker than it did for Thailand, and so the changes and impacts are manifesting themselves a whole lot quicker, and there is less time for adaptation. The touts operating in this country are amazing and do not let up. Even when our boat broke down in the middle of the Mekong River and few guys boarded us with pictures of the accommodation they were trying to sell, all while the boat drifted towards the rocks. Kids would also get on the boat when it docked and ferret around looking for dropped money/valuables, or offering to carry your bags to your guesthouse. Goodness knows how bad they'll be in 10 years time!
In Laos' favour, I started drinking beer in this country. This happened basically because a) it was so cheap; and b) it is absolutely EVERYWHERE. The Beer Lao logo is plastered the country over, and you can't walk 10 metres without being reminded of the country's brew of choice. It's a bit sad really, but I guess that's the way things are.
Our last experience of Laos was the first part of a 25 hour bus trip from Vientiane to Hanoi. It sounds miserable, but we coped, and with sleep it was actually quite bearable.
Finally for Laos: check out a video of me ziplining on the Laos Gibbon Experience
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