For many tourists, Muang Ngoi Neua is the centre for treks to 'tribal villages.' There were signs everywhere advertising guided tours to all the usual tourist must-sees: caves, waterfalls and 'tribal villages.' Although we had thought, when we came to Southeast Asia, that we might do a trek or...

We got up early, and packed our gear by candle-light. Muang Khua, where we'd spent the night, has electricity only from around 6 pm until 9:30 or so, depending on when someone gets around to firing up the generator. The bus that would take us over the mountains, and through the border into...

          I had been living in Chiang Mai, Thailand for almost a year. Unfortunately, planning ahead is not my forte, so I didn’t think of getting a year-long visa from my home country before I went. So that meant my only option (aside from miraculously...

            My first impression of Laos was, well, quite bad. I had travelled there from Thailand for a visa run by the cheapest available option: overnight bus. After twelve hours in a tiny...

Thought of as the most enigmatic of the three French Indochina states, Laos is definitely the sleepiest. At least for the moment. After years of isolation, Laos is now slowly opening its doors to the world - mainly a result of the Friendship Bridge over the Mekong River linking Vientiane with...

Considered by many seasoned travellers to be the untapped gem of Southeast Asia, the diverse landlocked country of Laos is full of surprises. From the mountainous northern highlands to the 4,000 Islands of the Mekong,...

After nearly a week in Pai, I had to say goodbye to my favorite destination in Thailand and return to the city of Chiang Mai. Being back in the smog and traffic was shocking at first. Unfortunately, so many of Thailand's
cities suffer from the same problems and my impression of the country
has been...

There's
a lot of places out there that I've had the desire to travel to and
see. For many of them there were specific reasons that they interested
me or drew me in. Other places intrigued me because they only existed
in a fantasy to me, and pages of National Geographic.

it's been a typical few days. i've been drenched to the bone, covered in flour, charcoal and lipstick, and i got macked by a tranny wearing a sadaam hussein mask.

it's Pee Mai Lao.

that's new years laos style. no stupid dick clark. no dropping balls. no awkward midnight kiss. instead, it's a...