Laos: Why do we choose it?

I wrote this as a Facebook post and people liked it, so I thought I might as well just copy and paste it here.

Friends in the UK often ask us why we choose to spend so much time in this mysterious country called Laos. Sometimes people are vague about exactly where it is and what it's like. So here are a few snippets of information about this beautiful country.

Laos is about the same size as Britain but has a tenth of the population - about 7.8 million people compared with 70 million - and is much less densely populated than neighbouring Vietnam (pop. 101 million) and Thailand (72 million). This is mainly a result of the mountainous terrain and the lack of arable land (only 4%).

Right now it's "green season" and the rains are just starting following the hot season in April. It's mid thirties in the afternoons and there are occasional thunderstorms. We're north of the equator so we still have some changing seasons: extremely dry and cool from November to February, hottest in April, rainiest in August.

Laos a communist country and the people are mostly Buddhist (mixed with Animism). Daily life is traditional. Women get up early in the morning to give alms to the monks then go to the market to get food for the family. There are few supermarkets and almost no multinational fast food outlets. No McDonalds or Burger King! Houses are furnished simply. Meals are generally cooked and eaten outdoors. Foraging is a way of life. Anything that can be eaten, is!

The city of Luang Prabang, where we live, is the ancient capital of northern Laos and has over 30 temples in the central area. Orange-robed monks and novices (aged 10-20 years) live a simple life in the temples, studying, chanting and meditating. The sounds of daily drums and bells provide a gentle reminder of passing time.

The city sits in a wooded valley on a peninsula between the Mekong and Khan Rivers and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its mix of traditional buildings, French colonial architecture and temples. It has a population of 55,000 and welcomed over 2.3 million tourists last year.

Although Luang Prabang is relatively wealthy because of this tourism, Laos as a whole is still currently classed as a "least developed country" and the GDP per capita is less than $2000. Life in the countryside is hard work and many families are poor with lack of access to healthcare and clean water. Subsistence farming provides 80% of the employment.

Dozens of hydropower plants have been built on rivers in Laos in recent years, mostly funded by China, Thailand and Vietnam, but the electricity is mainly for export. The roads are terrible but China's new railway, opened 2 years ago, has had a huge impact on travel between the capital, Vientiane, and Luang Prabang, reducing travel time for us from 2 days to 2 hours!

There are said to be at least 49 different ethnic groups in Laos, all with their own languages and customs. About 55% of the population are Tai Lao; other groups are Hmong, Khmu, Akha, Yao Mien and Katu.

The handicrafts of Laos are fabulous. There's a rich variety of textiles (weaving, silk, embroidery), beads, basketry, silverwork, woodcarving and papermaking.

Food is similar to that in northern Thailand. The staple is sticky rice with the addition of spicy marinated fish or meat (laab), green papaya salad, stir fried meat with basil, barbecued chicken and pork, noodle soups etc. Watch out for the super spicey jeow sauce. Insects, frogs, snake and bats are all on the menu too.

When it comes to drink, the national drink, Beer Lao (about £1.50 a pint), is definitively the best beer in the world. I can vouch for that! Locally grown tea and coffee, and rice wine are also popular.

The cost of living for us is low. Although imported luxuries such as milk, cheese and olives are expensive, home-grown foods such as rice and vegetables are cheap and eating out is very affordable. We might pay about 30,000 kip (£1) for a delicious fried rice or noodle soup and perhaps 100,000 for a curry or chicken and basil dish with rice. Our electricity bill has doubled recently but is still less than £3 a month.

I'd definitely recommend Laos as a holiday destination for anyone looking for a chilled, relaxing stay in beautiful surroundings. All styles of accommodation from 5 star hotels and luxury resorts to basic hostels and homestays are available. There's plenty to see and if you want to be adventurous you can go trekking, kayaking, ballooning or ziplining!

Above all, the people of Laos are wonderful - friendly, welcoming and warm-hearted.

This shows typical housing in our village. The thatched hut in front has since been demolished and will be replaced by a concrete block structure more like the one behind.

This old house in the centre of the town is gradually falling into disrepair. Some of them have been restored. I suspect this one will be too far gone.

Elderly lady crossing the river in Muang Ngoi.

Muang Ngoi

Hills of Northern Laos

Sunset on the Mekong

One of the many temples

The Nam Khan in central Luang Prabang

Back to peace and quiet - with the occasional angle grinder

Tuesday 13th May

Big News! We sold the campervan at the last minute. Having been let down by two buyers, just days before we were leaving Poole, we thought it would be sitting by the side of the road all summer. But then our friends Andy and Clare, who have been thinking about getting a van for ages, decided to take the plunge and buy our dear 27-year-old Duetto. Lovely neighbour Harvey handled all the paperwork in our absence, money was transferred and they drove it off to Oakdale yesterday. Big relief all round.

It's sad too, of course, we've really enjoyed having that van for 10 years and our travels to Wales, Ireland, the Lakes, France, Spain, Devon and Cornwall, as well as numerous festivals. But it just doesn't fit in our lives right now.

Meanwhile we got back to Naxangveuy safely last Thursday. England seems a distant memory after a few days here. Our six weeks were filled with busyness, to-do lists and expensive repairs (the new boiler should be going in today). But I did achieve a bit of decluttering, a useful tip-run and a couple of sales.

It was lovely to see Holly, Ben and Ellie and catch up with various family and friends as well.

From one building site to another. Our neighbours in Poole decided now was the time to add an extension to the side of their house - next to our garden room. Cue diggers, angle grinders, dust and mayhem. Heigh ho!

We took a trip up north to Scunthorpe to see Chris and Jill, then Wakefield via a lovely, unexpectedly sunny afternoon at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, to see Holly, Dawn and Al, plus Harvey and Helen, then back via Newark to see Jen and John.

Yorkshire fish & chips with Holly and BB.

Tea in Dawn's garden with Harvey and Helen, who popped down from the Lakes.

Dawn and Al are busy putting their house on the market this year

I sold this pretty little sconce to a woman who is restoring a lovely old house in the Scottish borders. She was delighted with it.

We finally got to add labels to the trees in the community orchard.

And I had fun clearing compost from the old freezers at Tatnam Organic Patch.

A little more space in the loft when I got rid of these ancient speakers. Good to find things like that a new home.

And I gave the old blanket chest a new lease of life with a coat of oil. It's still in the shed but I'm loathe to let it go.

I spent a couple of days photographing Mum's studio pottery collection, recording the names I knew.

Holly came down to Poole for a friend's wedding and wore a nice Georgian paste necklace I handed over to her a few years ago. She also wore her great grandmother's engagement ring. Nice to see things being used and enjoyed.

My good friend Millie, who happens to be the Leader of BCP Council currently, is a regular volunteer at Turner's. Here she is getting stuck in, clearing the pond with Tanya. I'm so pleased that the team at Turner's are able and willing to keep it looking cared for.

We enjoyed a full roast lamb Sunday dinner for the Bank Holiday. Rare to see both children together these days.

And then on the Tuesday we were off again!

Taking our tea bags with us.

It was a long, uncomfortable flight and we felt thoroughly exhausted for a couple of days.

The garden is lush

The weather is hot - although we have had rain and thunderstorms as well this week.

Farewell little van. It's been a great adventure.