Photos from Laos, a country renowned for its beautiful scenery, laid-back lifestyle, and friendly people.
I spent 8 days in Vientiane, the capital, networking around the AIDS NGOs and weaving community, while enjoying some absolutely wonderful California-style cafes. Currently I’m in Vangvieng, enjoying the scenery and boating up and down the Mekong River. At left, sunset over the Mekong, in Vientiane.
For more details of my adventures in Laos, read my Laos travel blog!
Random Photos from Laos. (At left, roasted rats for sale, on the way to Vangvieng.)
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Luang Prabang is a World Heritage Site, and the second-biggest town in Laos--population 30,000. (Vientiane, the capital, has about 300,000 people.) It's full of small boutique-y tourist shops, beautiful temples, and the gorgeous scenery everywhere in Laos.
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While in Vientiane, I went to Carol Cassidy's shop, Lao Textiles. Lao Textiles was founded 14 years ago and was the first foreign business in Laos...it produces museum quality textiles designed by Carol Cassidy, based on traditional Lao patterns and woven by some very skilled weavers. They were kind enough to let me take photos in their workshop...they also introduced me to a natural dyer named Dong, who was kind enough to do a natural dye demo for me.
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While in Vientiane, I went to Carol Cassidy's shop, Lao Textiles. Lao Textiles was founded 14 years ago and was the first foreign business in Laos...it produces museum quality textiles designed by Carol Cassidy, based on traditional Lao patterns and woven by some very skilled weavers. They were kind enough to let me take photos in their workshop.
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On the River--photos from Vangvieng, a small town 4 hours north of Vientiane, known primarily for its adventure trekking. I kayaked down the Mekong (falling in twice), drifted down in an inner tube, and amabout to go whitewater rafting for two days. (Left, me jumping off a cliff into the river.)
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Raft on the Wildside--a two-day whitewater rafting trip with a great outfit called Wildside, that operates eco- and adventure tours in Laos. If you make it to Laos, you have <i>got</i> to go on one of their trips...they are <i>excellent</i>. (They also did the kayaking tour in <i>On the River</i>, above.)
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These are from the two-day whitewater rafting trip I took with Wildside...an ecotourism and adventure trekking tour organizer in Laos. I highly, highly, highly recommend them...this trip was the most fun I've had in Laos.
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<p>Hilltribe Visits--a four-day rafting trip with Wildside, in Luang Namtha.</p><p>This was a four-day whitewater rafting/kayaking trip down the Nam Ha River in Laos...each day, we stayed in a different hilltribe village. The cast of characters was varied and quite hilarious...there were eight of us on the trip, and seven even made it to Thailand. ;-) (The eighth left us after the second day.)</p>
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<p>Hilltribe Visits--a four-day rafting trip with Wildside, in Luang Namtha.</p><p>This was a four-day whitewater rafting/kayaking trip down the Nam Ha River in Laos...each day, we stayed in a different hilltribe village. The cast of characters was varied and quite hilarious...there were eight of us on the trip, and seven even made it to Thailand. ;-) (The eighth left us after the second day.)</p>
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<p>Hilltribe Visits--a four-day rafting trip with Wildside, in Luang Namtha.</p><p>This was a four-day whitewater rafting/kayaking trip down the Nam Ha River in Laos...each day, we stayed in a different hilltribe village. The cast of characters was varied and quite hilarious...there were eight of us on the trip, and seven even made it to Thailand. ;-) (The eighth left us after the second day.)</p>
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