Temporarily Lost

Perched on a peninsula created by the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers lies the city of Luang Prabang, a another long-time favorite of travelers to Southeast Asia.  Interestingly enough, however, whereas many travelers actively avoid any destination that largely caters to foreign visitors, they seem to overcome their biases and flock here in droves; where many would […]

In the last few years, no single destination in all of Southeast Asia has been the recipient of harsher criticism, has had more vocal objectors, or has been a stronger lightning rod for controversy than that of Vang Vieng, Laos.  What was once a small, riverside town popular with traveling vagabonds and new-age hippies has now blossomed into a full-fledged amusement park for the backpacker sub-culture.  […]

You’ll likely read about it in guidebooks ahead of time, hear it spoken from fellow travelers, and see it printed out on brochures and travel ads before embarking, but as soon as you touch down in Laos, you’ll realize that the idea behind what seems like the National motto — “LPDR: Lao, Please Don’t Rush” — will […]