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Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, the China-Laos railway. Honest takes on what is changing fast in Southeast Asia.
I rode the China-Laos railway twice in May, in both first class and second class, to settle one question for myself: is the upgrade actually worth it? Here is the honest answer, plus how I booked, what it cost, and the in-transit fiasco nobody warned me about.
I arrived in Vang Vieng in the rain at a railway station ten minutes outside of town with no idea what to do next. Four newborn puppies, one cracked camera screen, a zombie-apocalypse night market, and a lot of karst mountains later, here is my honest take on this mysterious, beautiful party town.
Everyone in Laos told me Kuang Si Falls was an absolute must. So I rode a scooter alone through a tropical storm to find out. Here is my honest take on the falls, the crowds, the bear rescue, and why the ride back to Luang Prabang ended up being the best part of the whole day.
I came to Luang Prabang for a Thailand visa run, not a discovery trip. Four days, one scooter, several rainstorms, and way too many Chinese tour buses later, here's my take on solo travel in Laos.
200+ monks. 13 temples. One stubborn American woman in the rain at 5 a.m., walking 45 minutes in the wrong direction. Here's the practical guide I wish someone had handed me before my first morning in Luang Prabang.