InsideOut Travel—Destination Laos

by Joe Shepter

As borders go, the Laotian side of the river at Huay Xai resembles nothing so much as a sweltering, concrete boat ramp with a pair of modest buildings and a veranda. Its only distinctly Laotian touch is a man in a crisp Maoist uniform, who stands at the edge of the ramp and greets every passenger with a heartfelt, "Saibadee."

Such a personal welcome might seem strange from one of the world's last communist countries. But this is Laos, and though it's been many things, it has always been friendly.

Historically, the country was a kingdom centered around its northern highlands and was much smaller than it is today. Now roughly the size of Utah, it got its present borders in the late-19th century, when the French drew lines on a map to make a buffer zone between Vietnam and British-held Burma.

	DESTINATION: LAOS
	Slow Boat Down the Mekong
	by Joe Shepter As borders go, the Laotian side of the river at Huay Xai resembles nothing so much as a sweltering, concrete boat ramp with a pair of modest buildings and a veranda. Its only distinctly Laotian touch is a man in a crisp Maoist uniform, who stands at the edge of the ramp and greets every passenger with a heartfelt, "Saibadee." Such a personal welcome might seem strange from one of the world's last communist countries. But this is Laos, and though it's been many things, it has always been friendly. Historically, the country was a kingdom centered around its northern highlands and was much smaller than it is today. Now roughly the size of Utah, it got its present borders in the late-19th century, when the French drew lines on a map to make a buffer zone between Vietnam and British-held Burma.				In the 1970s, Laos fell victim to the Vietnam War, which briefly made it the most bombed country in history. Even now, the dying embers of the conflict are still found in a low-level Hmong insurgency, as well as a large amount of unexploded ordinance in the south. On a more pleasant note, Laos has recently liberalized its economy and become an attractive destination for tourists looking for something different. Different is exactly what I wanted. My plan was to take a popular backpacking route through the country—the two-day slow-boat trip down the Mekong from tiny Huay Xai to the ancient capital of Luang Prabang. The stepping-off point is Chiang Khong, a Thai outpost easily reached by bus from any large city in Northern Thailand. "'You can't trust them,' he said, as he ran over to make sure nothing precious—his Thai whiskey, perhaps—got left behind." The route was pioneered years ago by adventure tourists. In the beginning, they crossed the border in skiffs and booked passages in the flat-bottomed cargo boats that ran up and down the river. With the modest increase in backpacker traffic, the boats have been refitted with rough-hewn seats that now hold 30 people and their gear. more >> << home << discuss article >>
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DESTINATION: LAOS

by Joe Shepter