For us independent travelers, information is the key to traveling in Asia, and unfortunately, getting it can be a challenge. Sources can be unreliable, conflicting, or non existent. Sometimes, it's just plain dumb luck that you meet someone who has the right info that you need, a recommendation, or a warning. The best you can do is minimize the risks by going to as many sources as possible and talking to people while on the road-- lots of people. The internet has also been a godsend in increasing our odds of getting the needed info.
 
This definitely was the case in describing how we got to Laos . Getting out of Bali was a snap, flying to Bangkok via Jakarta. With a quick overnighter at a Bangkok airport hotel, we were faced with several possible ways of getting to Vientiane, Lao's capital. All options were less than straightforward, and there were conflicting reports about the wisdom of choosing one over the other. Considerations were reliability, convenience, and comfort. We chose what seemed like the best of the bad, which involved a flight to a city close to the border, then an hour-long minibus to the border, another bus to cross the bridge, an involved and expensive border-crossing visa procedure, ending with a 45-minute tuktuk ride into the heart of the city. Was it worth it? Decidedly, yes! Progressing from one step to the next was part of the fun, and we celebrated each time we sucessfully did so.

We enjoyed our 2 days in Vientiane, as it has a very relaxed ambiance. Compared with frenetic Bangkok, Vientiane is almost comatose. There is relatively little to see while there, other than its riverfront area and a few notable historic Buddhist temples (called wats).

But the highlight, as far as we were concerned, was Buddha Park, which contained dozens of larger-than-life sculptures depicting important Buddhist figures and stories. These works are simply mind-boggling in their detail and size. We had the place to ourselves, possibly because getting there involved an hour drive, much of it on an unpaved muddy and rocky road . 

Our main intent was to use Vientiane as a waystation for our visit to Luang Prabang in central Laos. LP is a UN World Heritage City, and has the reputation as one of the nicest places to visit in all of SE Asia, so of course, we were anxious to go.

Once again, getting there presented problems, in that flights are prohibitively expensive, and the only alternatives were an overnight sleeper bus or an all-day minibus ride. Neither sound that bad, until you learn that the mountainous road is reputed to be dangerous, in poor condition, full of dizzying twists and turns, and only 2 lanes wide. We were warned (by one of those sketchy sources I referred to earlier) that car sickness is common. We also read that the 8-9 hour trip can take 12 or more hours, depending on weather, rockslides, breakdowns, etc. However, it is also spectacularly scenic. Danger aside, we chose the minibus so we could see it all. 

At 7 am, we took a tuktuk to the local bus station, and soon were in a van on our way with about a dozen other hearty souls. The drive did indeed deliver on all counts, although we never felt any sense of concern (other than when having to use the minimalist roadside outhouses--always a hole in the floor). In fact, our driver appeared to exercise caution on turns and poorly maintained stretches of the road, and it was smooth sailing all the way . So we got into LP as scheduled. The mountainous scenery was truly amazing, and included an intensely burning forest fire producing a thick haze over a wide area of the mountain range we crossed. 

Once in LP, we settled into our hotel, took a short nap (essential to us older travellers roughing it), and then went exploring. We visited the night market and had a Lao dinner at a cooking school restaurant, both of which we enjoyed. The next two days were on foot going to several outstanding wats, walking along the Mekong River, and window-shopping (amazing woven textiles produced here-- Bonnie could hardly contain herself, and a few will be coming home with us!). 

One morning, we rose at sunrise and took part in a daily ritual in which the many monks in the city, old and young (appearing to be as young as 7-8 years old) silently walk through the streets, receiving alms from kneeling residents and tourists. This might consist of anything from useful items to the more common rice, foodstuffs, fruit, etc . Bonnie, handing out sticky rice (a staple here) and crackers, found the experience interesting, I was put off by it. It seemed so humiliating for the monks, having to beg for their substinance. It also felt carnival-like, since lots of tourists were taking pictures and treated it like a sideshow. It was like trick-or-treating where everyone is wearing the same costume, an orange robe. 

We truly enjoyed the small town feel of LP, and got into the slower pace. But one of our favourite things about LP was the moderate weather-- it was a welcome break from the weeks of blistering tropical heat and humidity we had been getting. Even our copious consumption of bottled water decreased (tourists can't drink tap water in almost all of Asia). Like all good things, our time in Laos and LP came to an end, and we would we returning to Bangkok yet again, as we begin our trek home.