Laos Climate

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68 Official Ethnic Groups in Laos

Laos is landlocked and lies between Thailand, Myanmar, China, Vietnam and Cambodia. The Mekong River forms the countries western border and the Anna Mite Mountains form its eastern border with Vietnam.

The total land area is approximately 237,000 sq km. An area similar to that of the United Kingdom. The main features of the country are its mountains and the Mekong River valley.

Laos has a monsoon climate of a dry and a wet season. The dry season lasts from November to May with the cooler period in December and January. At its coldest, the temperatures can fall to as low as 15. The cold periods tend to be at night and early morning with colder temperatures at higher altitudes. During the hot period of the dry season, between March and May, temperatures can reach the high 30s. The rainy season is a lot cooler, and rainfall varies according to altitude. Generally speaking, the monsoon season produces severe rain that lasts for short periods of time. The wet months vary according to location, in Vientiane, they are from May to September, in Luang Prabang, and August is far wetter than any other month.

Parts of the Anna mite chain are covered with tropical evergreen forest, where rainfall is highest and in the south, tropical pine forests can be found.

Laos, the land of a million elephants and one of the last places to see old Indochina. The pace of Laos is slow and its people relaxed and friendly.

There are 68 official ethnic groups in Laos, belonging to three main groups.

For much of its history, Laos has been under the thumb of its neighbours at various times the Cambodians, Burmese, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Siamese. The result is that Laos has experienced great difficulty in establishing a national identity.

Laos folk music uses the Khen a set of pipes. Lam Wong is a popular folk dance where couples dance in circles to Lam Vong music.

It has a large number of animal species, including as many as 500 different birds. Reptiles include many snakes, including king cobras. There are a large number of lizards. Mammals include wild cats, bears, leopards and tigers. There are up to 500 wild elephants, although more than twice those numbers are in captivity. There are a number of rare species which include rhinos and wild cattle.

The Lao language is a member of the Tai language group, sometimes known as Tai Kadai or Kadai.

About the Author

Douglas Scott works for The Rental Car Hire Specialist. and is a free lance writer for The Laos Rental Site

Climate Change affects people living in the Mekong River Basin (Laos)


laos climate
laos climate
laos climate

Laos Climate

laos climate="laos climate"

Welcome To Taiwan - Everything White And Fluffy

I have a thing for clouds, especially when they are gorgeously white and fluffy. Everytime I look up at the bright blue sky, I want to reach up to one of those clouds, climb on top of it, and fall asleep basking in the warm sun.

Random, lucky shot taken at the sheep farm on Qing Jing Mountain

In Taichung, I came real close to living this dream. We were on a mountain named Qing Jing, which means "peace". What an apt name; you almost want to whisper it into a mini gourd bottle, cap it forever, and keep it close to your heart. On Qing Jing mountain, we kinda stumbled upon a cosy little homestay resort named Guan Xing Yuan - a place for star gazing. Nothing fancy, but the heartfelt little efforts put in by the owners in sprucing up the place for their guests were what made us fall in love with this treasure find.

The viewing platform at Guan Xing Yuan

Guan Xing Yuan was a three-storey homestay hotel owned by an elderly couple, whom we affectionately called Lao Ban (boss) and Lao Ban Niang (lady boss). The hotel was surrounded by a vast garden, adorned with delicate plants and dainty pots of purple and white flowers which only bloomed in winter. In front of the hotel building, was a platform that extended out beyond the mountains into the open air.

We were hoping to see the yun hai at Guan Xing Yuan. Translated as "sea of clouds", yun hai is a natural phenomenon that depended on the right climate and humidity. It doesn't happen all the time and when it does, you literally get a sea of white, fluffy clouds floating below you, much like what you think you might see when you die and go up to heaven.

Our cosy little room at Guan Xing Yuan

Waking up in the morning at Guan Xing Yuan was surreal. Despite the heated mattress I felt extremely cold and absolutely refused to get out of bed for fear that my persistent cough would act up again. That is, until Jason the tour guide phoned in to our room. Little piggies, time to wake up! He urged. Come downstairs and take a look at this. Hurry!

And then I heard my friend Jezz yell, Oh my god guys, you have to see this!

Gazing far and beyond the yun hai

We tossed away the heavy blankets and scrambled to the window, and collectively gasped. We are definitely on heaven, I thought. I'm so glad I worked on my karma. Suddenly, it didn't feel so cold anymore. We threw on our coats and made a beeline for the door. By the time we got to the viewing platform, we couldn't stop squealing in delight at what was before our eyes. It wasn't a sea of white, fluffy clouds - it was a whole universe of them. And they were all so crowded together and tightly-knit, it looked like a sheer, humongous trampoline made out of billions of bales of cotton wool. You could have thousands of fat Angels wearing heavy Dr. Martens jump on them and they would never give way.

Having Lao Ban's homemade breakfast on a sea of clouds

My legs went wobbly, and I had to lean over the platform railings for support. How lucky am I to be able to witness this? I thought. I gazed far and beyond what was in front of me, tears welling up in my eyes. I felt small, tiny, puny, standing in the middle of this spectacle. I closed my eyes and prayed: Whoever created this magnificent, breath-taking work of art, please... take me away.

Upon request, Lao Ban specially brewed coffee for us

Lao Ban and Lao Ban Niang were nice, homely people who loved making new friends from other countries. We asked Lao Ban if he accepted little helpers, for we would be most happy to come back again and help out at Guan Xing Yuan for free. Maybe give the rooms a fresh coat of paint, or help out with the gardening and cooking. Come back in the summer, he smiled, both eyes crinkling in delight. The weather will be nice, around 15-18 degrees, and you can see even more flowers blooming in the season.


Mesmerizing fireworks at night, at Guan Xing Yuan

Is it right, that I secretly wished for this enchanting little place to be my personal hideout?

About the Author

I realize that in my writing there exists two instincts, in English and in Mandarin. I'm not sure which I am more comfortable with; sometimes they take on different and dual roles in my expressives. So I want this to be the USP of my work. I will try not to give my writing a split personality, in case my readers turn schizo.

SAVE OUR PLANET - Germany funds climate change project in Vietnam and Laos


laos climate