How to travel in Laos

A number of western tourists in Laos carry tripods. They set them up on riverbanks, overlooking postcard-worthy banana tree and monk-graced temple scenes, or on forest paths, looking to catch waterfalls or ethnic minority women in woven farmer hats. And for those looking for the exotic and traditional, Laos is an ideal place. In a world of urbanization, 85 percent of Laos’ population remains farmers. It’s still standard practice for families to have their teenage boys enter a monastery for a handful of years.

As a tourist, it surprises me how easy it is to get off ‘the beaten path.’ You can split Laos into three parts: northern, southern and central. Within central Laos are the tourist haven of Luang Prabang, debauched backpacker town Vang Vieng and the sleepy capital of Vientiane, the closest thing Laos gets to metropolitan. All three are by this point firmly part of the Southeast Asian backpacker circuit, along that well-worn path that winds through Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and elsewhere. But step outside of these three areas, and the number of backpacks and Westerners drops off dramatically. The further away from the Big Three that you travel, the more “Laotian” and real the experience becomes.

We got as far as Luang Prabang, which is a charming little town, whose central strip stands a world apart from the rest of the town. There, every shop is a travel agency or Western restaurant flogging omelettes and spaghetti and almost everybody in town is foreign. Like in the rest of the country, agencies peddle treks of varying lengths into the jungle, where you have the opportunity to stay in local villages and learn all about Lao customs. Fair enough, though at 30-40 US dollars per day—in a country where most locals survive on a fraction of that, why not just meet the locals who are living next to your cushy satellite TV-equipped guesthouse?

Backpacking was originally, and still is, about exploring new cultures and getting away from the normal. Drugs, back in the day, were certainly a part of that. But sadly, in Vang Vieng it seems to have devolved into a pot/mushroom/opiate festival of sitting around in bars, watching endless re-runs of ‘Friends’ or tubing down the river in a drunken stupor. The original soul of the town, it is said, disappears, replaced by a tourist economy and all the boozy partying that ensues.

A large part of what makes Laos so great to visit is what it is not. It’s not trying to modernize overnight, and is thus refreshingly free of this deep-rooted inferiority complex China has with the West. Laotians are famously friendly and laid-back, and while ambition and competitiveness are certainly not bad things, it’s wonderful to be in a place where a slower pace, relaxed mindsets and smiling strangers are not diminishing commodities, but rather the way that society has always consisted of and still remains.

But, as many other Westerners visiting the country have asked, will it choose, or even be able to stay this way? We may be seeing the last vestiges of a traditional Southeast Asian society, before the onslaught of television and media images sends its youth heading for the big lights, chasing dreams made up of new, shiny Japanese cars and high-rise condominiums. This is surely still many years from taking shape, but if and when it does, who could hold it against them for wanting what so much of the rest of the world has been chasing?

As the country’s exposure grows amidst the Western backpacker circuit, I hope more people will try to invest in the “sustainable tourism” ideals promoted by organizations such as “Stay Another Day”, which encourage travelers to support organizations that benefit local communities and to respect traditional customs (for example: not sticking camera lenses into the face of monks as they collect morning alms). Also, I hope more travelers will not simply stay in the established tourist main strip, but explore further, spreading their currency into many hands as they go.

There are still a number of deep economic, social and environmental problems that Westerners can lend a hand with, such as enforcing conservation laws and sustainable logging practices. With a little bit of intelligent investment, from the top down to each backpack-lugging, Lonely Planet-wielding traveler, Laos could maintain all the tradition and culture that makes us want to visit it in the first place, while improving its internal infrastructure and services to its citizens.

And, as to whether or not the country becomes the next Thailand or not…that’s a decision that Laos (it’s government, still dictatorially in charge and all) will make itself. The point is for us to demonstrate that it has options, and becoming the next Thailand or China is but only one way to progress in this new century.

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More pictures from the trip: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2372579&id=5707426&ref=nf*