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.