People: The Laotians themselves are rather distant and not so open/interested in us tourists. This probably is connected with the low level of English that most people speak. In principle though, most people were quite nice/polite/helpful. Bargaining situations were an exception though. I do love bargaining, but please do it right. If you have once agreed to a price, it should stay like this – a couple of tuk tuk drivers saw this differently in Laos… The Laotians are also quite relaxed. For me almost too relaxed, because I don’t really appreciate waiting hours and hours for my food… 😉 Tourists: Mainly backpackers, and in Luang Prabang a couple of package tourists on excursion from Thailand.

Food: I was not too fond of the real Lao food. The fried noodles / the fried rice were just not able to compete with the dishes from Thailand. There were few vegetarian alternatives. Exception: The typical noodle soup which is served for lunch from about 1€. Very simple, but very delicious! In addition, there are lots of Indian restaurants in Laos where we often stuffed our stomachs 🙂

Weather: A mix of everything! In the North we often had fog until noon and it was rather cool, then later blue skies and heat. In the North-East it was bitter cold and fog was creeping through the streets. In the South (Pakse, 4000 Islands) it was already warm in the morning and later humid and hot!

Costs: Laos was more expensive than expected. Especially the higher bus costs (compared to Thailand) impacted my budget. If you take less long bus rides, you can definitely save something. Also food was often not that cheap – there are street food stalls, but you have to search more for it than in Thailand. This is why in total my daily costs in Laos amount to 23 Euro.

Accomodation: Again, a mix of everything! We had the best room of my trip so far in Phonsavan, but also a real shithole in Pakbeng, where you really did not wanna get in touch with the sheets 😉 And everything in between… Sometimes it was difficult to find hot water, the quality of mattresses was of varying degree, free Wifi was advertised everywhere, but I’m not going to comment on the quality 😉

Infrastructure: Busses and tuk tuks. And a couple of times minivans. I was actually positively surprised by the busses, as well as the road condition. The roads often consist of a single lane only (and I’m talking the main roads in a region), but in comparison to other countries they were mostly very well maintained. As mentioned though, the costs for busses were a bit high…

Illnesses: Sometimes I had some small stomach issues, but at least my knees are all fine again now (who knows why!) 🙂

Safety: I never felt unsafe. Why should I!? In Laos you definitely don’t get the feeling that anything could happen to you.

Highlight: Rock climbing in Vang Vieng.  And the two motorbike loops!

Lowlight: Xam Neua.

Click here for all my pictures of Laos: