March 1st, 2014

We crossed the Thai boarder into Laos on the 24th of January, 2014. Before crossing we naturally looked on the internet for visa requirements and general information about how to traverse into Laos, leaving from Chiang Mai in Thailand. All of the blogs and articles we consulted suggested that the crossing would be by ferry over the Mekong. Much to our surprise we did not make a ferry crossing into a new country. Instead the bus dropped us off at the edge of a new bridge, the Fourth Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge, which opened in December 2013… We therefore made a very unromantic boarder transition into the 6th country on our Asian tour, via bridge.

This bridge came to symbolize an aspect of Laos that we encountered again and again: Laos is a rapidly developing country with much new infrastructure, both positive and negative, and often in ways that one would not expect.

February 12th, 2014

Here is a short video of some of the locals we met while visiting the Elephant Conservation Centre near Xayaboury, Laos.

February 14, 2014

The full moon in February is one of the most important days for celebrations in Laos Buddhism. We celebrated this event, not with fire hoops and booze, but with a pillgramage to Wat Phou in southern Laos, one of the country's oldest and most important temples. Over 1000 years old, this was a great place to spend the evening partying with the locals.

February 15th, 2014

A Tad Lo, au sud de Laos, nous observons les éléphants prennent leur bain quotidien !

February 2nd, 2014

A Muang Khua nous avons trouvé un pont "pieton". Définitivement, c'est le pont le plus terrifiant que nous avons traversé au Laos !

February 2nd, 2014

We kicked-off our journey from Hatsa down the Nam Ou river to Muang Khua with a good vibe, some Bob Marley and a breakdown.

February 27th through 29th, 2014

The pot-holed and serpentine road from Lang Nam Tha to Muong Sing is well worth the effort. We made a two day jungle trip in the Luang Nam Tha protected area. One night in the jungle and one night in an Akha village.

February 27, 2014

Ever wonder how to build a shelter out of banana leaves? We learned a lot about this... basically, you don't. But we sure had fun collecting all of these leaves.