Living in a big city like Bangkok is great, but sometimes you just need to escape and soak up the fresh air. So that’s what I did. I headed north to Laos with my mountain bike to explore this beautiful country. Laos is probably the most underdeveloped country in Asia, but that’s its charm. Roads (dirt tracks) are literally carved out of the side of mountains, because there’s no flat ground to build normal roads. Bamboo is the most common building material, almost everyone lives in a bamboo hut of some description or other. Everywhere you look it’s green, as far as the eye can see. It’s the most green country I have ever visited. You definitely have to love greenery to enjoy Laos. If you’re a city person, who prefers sitting in a coffee shop sipping a Latte, Laos is probably not for you.
The people are so friendly in Laos, I would cycle into a town or village and all the kids would wave and say hello with big smiles on their faces. Kids would run out from their school and join me cycling with their bikes. Or I would get invited to have a drink at a farmer’s bamboo hut. One such chap went by the name of Bullet, he sounds like the kind of guy that would be in the Pathet Lao and have an AK47 leaning against the inside of his hut, but he was a genuinely friendly guy and was telling me about how he wants to start a homestay for travellers. He offered me his homebrew, it was served from an old Smirnoff bottle but definitely wasn’t Russian vodka, not with all the plants and sticks still fermenting inside the bottle.
Laos is a without a doubt a beautiful and friendly country. I would highly recommend anyone to visit there. But not too many of you.
More info: nickburrett.com
A small village on the banks of the Mekong River in Laos
A traditional temple overlooking the Mekong River
A young Laos mother catching a ride to the slow boat from her village
A young Buddhist monk putting his robes on at the temple – Luang Prabang
Nong Khiaw from the bridge over the Ou River
Muddy tracks in Laos
Relaxing at a riverside hut watching the sunset over Nong Khiaw
Rice fields
Rice fields in the valley
Bamboo house in the middle of rice field
A small river crossing
Rice fields
More rice terraces
It’s higher than it looks – overlooking the valley with the Ou River in the distance
Locals coming to inspect my bike
Laos kids playing
Young and old, hard at work
Laos village girl
Turn your back for 5 seconds, and someone tries to steal your bike
Laos village kids
River crossing with a Laos canoe
River crossing with a Laos canoe
Ou River and mountains
