Tour Laos

Even though the recession has hampered exotic travel, there are still those intrepid explorers going all out. All this week, our Cambodian embed Claire will share experiences from her trip to Laos.

Gentle, quiet Laos exceeds all expectations, from its limestone mountains to meandering rivers and ethnic minority villagers whose outfits are so intricate and lovely they could pass as a winter collection at Fashion Week in Bryant Park. And Laos’ appeal comes without the drawbacks of traveling through its neighbor countries—Vietnam has too many tourists, double goes for Thailand, and the charm of Cambodia’s underdevelopment and unpaved roads wears thin after a 12-hour minibus ride with 18 butts to 10 seats.

Recently I traveled the length of the country, flying to Luang Prabang, then lacing south by bus toward Cambodia, stopping in Vang Vieng, Vientiane, Champasak, and Si Phan Don. This week, I will share tips on how to best explore Indochina's least-visited and loveliest country.

Though Laos remains the region's poorest and least populous country, it manages its tourism industry rather flawlessly. Outside the main tourist track, which extends from Luang Prabang in the north to Si Phan Don in the south, infrastructure deteriorates, but we noticed that national roads are a dream. Long-distance bus rides travel over smooth, paved roads, cost little, and sometimes come with fully horizontal, sleeper beds.

A one-way flight to Luang Prabang from Siem Reap, home to Angkor Wat, costed $150. There are also reasonably priced direct flights to both Luang Prabang, Vientiante, and Sovannakhet in Southern Laos from Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Kuala Lumpur’s AirAsia often has bargains to most Southeast Asia destinations, including $37 one-way flights to Vientiane, we discovered by searching for flights in September. We mean, how could we not?

Stay tuned tomorrow as Claire discovers the surprising Euro mood of Luang Prabang.

http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/16/15644/1944/travel/Heading+To+Laos+To+Discover+The+Best+Of+Indochina

Labels: amazing, Best of Indochina, cambodia, charm, hot tourist, Laos luang prabang, thailand myanmar, top, vientiane Attapeu, vietnam culture, vote ranking

(KPL) Luang Prabang, a UNESCO-listed world heritage town in northern Laos, has been ranked as a top-ten of the world?s best city, according to the latest survey of Travel+Leisure magazine.

The American magazine pointed out that Udaipur (a city in India?s Rajasthan state) was rated the first by the survey, and was followed by Cape Town in South Africa, Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Chiang Mai, Florence, Luang Prabang, New York, Rome and San Francisco.

According to the 14th annual World?s Best Awards given by the magazine www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2009/, Luang Prabang, the ancient royal capital of Laos and the jewel of tourism of Laos and the region, is ranked the seventh.
In rating the cities, the survey, conducted during the first quarter of this year, took into consideration factors such as sights, culture/arts, restaurants/food, people, shopping and value.

Udaipur also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of, the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is the historic capital of the former kingdom of Mewar in Rajputana Agency.

Top Cities Overall
Rank '08 Name Score
1 - Udaipur, India 87.94
2 3 Cape Town 87.69
3 1 Bangkok 86.80
4 2 Buenos Aires 86.22
5 - Chiang Mai , Thailand 86.18
6 5 Florence 85.61
7 - Luang Prabang , Laos 85.45
8 8 New York 84.65
9 7 Rome 84.63
10 10 San Francisco 84.53
11 4 Sydney 84.27
12 - Jaipur 84.14
13 - Oaxaca 84.01
14 9 Istanbul 83.90
15 - Fez 83.82
16 6 Cuzco 83.40
17 - Jerusalem 83.23
18 - Siem Reap 83.17
19 - Quebec City 83.05
20 - Kyoto 83.01

* "-" means that the property was not among the top-ranked in this category last year

Labels: American magazine, bangkok, Laos, Laos luang prabang, Travel+Leisure magazine, world best cities 2009

Photo: Monks observe the scenery during sunset at Vat Phou Ngoy temple in Champassak province.

In Champassak province there are lots of attractive tourist sites including Vat Phou, Khon Phapheng, Tad Fan and Pha Suam waterfalls; apart from these places there are also other mysterious sites that are less well known such as Vat Phou Ngoy.

Only local people know about this temple, which has a relaxing atmosphere and views of the Mekong River and islands.

The temple is included in some package tours, which suggest visitors “spend the night at Vat Phou Ngoy and enjoy the wonderful panoramic views of the sunset over the Mekong.” These tours help promote the temple which sits in the shadow of more popular tourists sites in the province...more

Vat Phou Ngoy is located on Malong hill in the area of Pakhor village, Champassak district. Monk Bounmak Thitipannyo, the temple's first abbot, founded it in the 1930s.

An official at the Champassak Tourism Information Centre, Mr Phonesavanh Chanthalangsy said, “There are lots of attractive sites at this temple. Visitors can walk to the south of the temple where they can enjoy the wonderful panorama of the islands located in the Mekong River. Local people call it the second Si Phan Don (4,000 Islands). It is a place where visitors can relax, especially at sunset during the dry season.”

This viewing point is particularly popular with visitors who love photography because they can capture the natural scenes of the river and the lifestyle of people fishing and working along the bank of the river, which reflects the importance of the Mekong in the way of life of people in the area.

“Walking to the south-west of the temple, visitors can find three mysterious large holes in the ground that are similar to wells,” said Mr Phonesavanh. “They are different sizes, the biggest one has a radius of 40cm and is 85cm deep, the second one is 30cm across and 70cm deep while the smallest one has a radius of 20cm and is 60cm deep.”

Mr Phonesavanh said the elders in the village tell of the temple's very long history and a local legend which says, that before the temple was built, on every full moon a magical light flowed through the air and disappeared into the three holes. The mysterious incident has not happened since the temple was built.

Every full moon in February there is an annual festival at Vat Phou Ngoy and people from around the country flock to the temple to celebrate and give offerings.

Another special element of the temple is its seven cloisters that are made from wood instead of the usual concrete.

For visitors who come during the rainy season, the views of the Mekong are not as spectacular as in the dry season, but they have the chance to see other attractions and a wonderful waterfall located to the west of the temple.

Originally, the path to the temple was made of natural stones collected nearby, but renovations in 2004 saw the stones replaced with concrete and there are now 834 steps climbing the 90m to the top.

With construction underway on a new road that will make it easier for tourist to access the temple, the Champassak Tourism Office, together with provincial and district authorities, is preparing to develop the temple into a natural and cultural tourism site to cater for an increase in visitors which will come once the road has been completed.

Vientianetimes

Labels: buses, Champasak, Champasak province, information visa, Laos, laotian, new tourist site, passport, South, The Asian Trails Travel Company, Tourist Information Centre in Vientiane

(KPL) Laos would be hosting the 2009 World Ecotourism and Exhibition Conference, to be held at Donchan Palace Hotel in Vientiane Capital from 14 to 18 July.

Deputy President of National Tourism Organisation, Mr. Soukasene Phothisane said that during this conference it would also be exhibiting local handicraft products.
Speaking at a press conference on 11 May, Mr Soukasueam also said that this conference is being organised in cooperation with Associations of Hotels, Guesthouse and Restaurants of Laos and added that the conference sponsor is Discovery MICE of Malaysia.

The aims of this conference, he told the journalists, are to share views on ecotourism development and conservation of the environment by means of sustainable participation of local people.

The other topics on the discussion agenda are climate change, natural deterioration of the environment and the impact of tourism, said Mr Soukasueam.
He stressed that Laos can benefit as the host of the conference as it is well placed to advertise its tourist sites to the conference participants and another related implication is that it would enhance the reputation of Laos vis-a-vis the international community.

Local businesses and tourist companies would be setting up 100 booths in this hotel when the conference is in session.

For more information about the conference, visit:
http://www.discoverymice.com/WECO2009LAOS/sponsorship.htm

Labels: 2009 World Ecotourism and Exhibition Conference, Laos, Vientiane

For those who plan to visit Laos via boat, or want to explore the beauty of Laos along the main rivers, you can check out this video clip. Laos is very laid-back and green country. No matter where you go, you will never disappointed.

Labels: boat, information visa, Luang prabang, ship, The Asian Trails Travel Company, Tour Laos, tourism video, Tourist Information Centre in Vientiane