[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="172" caption="Lao Scarf III (Photo credit: Pleroma)"]
[/caption]Sabai dee khrup!
I love to travel to places which hasn't been included yet by many tourists in their lists of must-see, must-go destinations. Every time I travel, I make sure that I get to satisfy the cravings of my taste buds for a country's national or provincial cuisine, to experience the grandeur of its atmosphere and to take advantage of its picturesque surroundings for souvenir photos. Year 2008, My sister and I went to Laos People's Democratic Republic. Its a place of great people, rich culture and well preserved historical heritage. As you read along, I will take you to an informative journey to a place I called haven.
Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a communist single-party socialist republic. A small land lock in the Southeast Asia, the country is bordered by Burma and the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west. Laos is divided into 18 provinces and the Capital is the City of Vientiane.
The official language is Lao which is similar to Thai. Majority of the people are Buddhist with a significant proportion of indigenous religion. The county is a member of international organizations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), East Asia Summit and La Francophonie - an international organization of governments with French as the mother or customary language, that makes some proportion of the people are Francophones (French speakers) or where there is a notable affiliation with the French language or culture. Laos' first, French-written and monarchical constitution was promulgated on May 11, 1947 that declared the place to be an independent state within the French Union.
The Lao economy is heavily dependent on investment and trade with its neighbors, Thailand, Vietnam, and, especially in the north, China. It has also experienced growth based on cross-border trade with Thailand and Vietnam, and the tourism sector has grown rapidly from 14,400 tourists visiting Laos in 1990, to 1.1 million in 2005. Annual tourism sector revenues are expected to grow from $250 to $300 million by 2020.
Swiss, Japanese and Russian nationals are free to enter Laos at anytime, while all other tourists need a visa (for one or possibly two months) issued by the Lao embassy or consulate. A visa on arrival is also available to most people entering at the airports in Vientiane and Luang Prabang, as well as in the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge between Nong Khai in Thailand and Vientiane.
Laos offers no fancy bars or nightlife venues and other luxurious amenities. However, the country boasts the friendliness of its people and warm hospitality, the distinctive warmth of their countryside, breathtaking nature destinations, deliciously superb variety of cuisines and a unique culture that has been enriched by its history and the modern contemporary time.
There's a wide array of choices to eat in the place, though I don't remember now what the names of those foods we ate there, but I tell you, you would surely forget your name for a while once you tasted any of those.
When in Laos, its a "must" (and I really mean that the trip would never be complete if not experienced), to take the 2-day Eco-tourism trekking on Ban Nalan Trail in the north of Laos, Angkor style Khmers Temples which is considered as World Heritage site. Nong Khiaw offers slow boat ride between beautiful Karst cliffs where you can discover amazing natures structures and hill tribes. The other part of Laos has this Iron Age cemetery, limestone caves and tubing on the Nam Song river and a cave with 200 Buddha statues of all sizes that are also meant to be unmissed.
Laos has no railways, except a short link that connect Vientiane with Thailand over the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge and Vietnam Airport. To be able to Enter the Country of Laos, you need to be from Vietnam or Thailand.
Travelling to Laos gives the best value for you money. For 2 days we spent over 10,000 Thai baht, if you convert it to Kip, its around almost 1 million Kip for the hotel accommodation, food, the adventures, and fares from Thailand and back.
My sister and I left the small but beautiful country of Laos with a heart filled with joy and satisfaction.
Rhadem
[http://mypieceofplot.blogspot.com/2010/11/lao-peoples-democratic-republic-growing.html]
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"Nong Khiaw" Doireann_brian's photos around Nong Khiaw, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
nong khiaw laos
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