Two days on the Mekong

Another entry in the list of must-dos during my Southeast Asia trip (besides Angkor and Luang Prabang) was a boat trip on the Mekong. So, I spent my last two days in Laos doing exactly that: I went on a cruise from Luang Prabang to the Thai border. Continue reading Two days on the Mekong

The karst hills of Nong Khiaw

In order to see a bit of rural Laos, I tried to find a small town somewhere in the northern Laotian mountains with certain properties: First, it should not be too far from Luang Prabang (because the Laotian buses are not particularly comfortable). Secondly, it should offer a few short hikes and maybe a nice day trip (because I do not feel like going on big hikes just yet after recovering from my short illness). In the end, I settled for Nong Khiaw – and this proved to be exactly the right choice. Continue reading The karst hills of Nong Khiaw

The temples of Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang! Ever since I read the descriptions by Peter Moore in his book “The Wrong Way Home” about this city, it was the epitome of Southeast Asia for me. Even though the city undoubtedly has some beautiful parts, reality could not quite keep up with my (very high) expectations – but this may also be due to a rather unfortunate start. Continue reading The temples of Luang Prabang

Gray Greymouth

Actually, the title above is probably a bit unfair to Greymouth. After all, I decided to spend the two sunny days somewhere else (namely around Hokitikia and in Punakaiki). So, it is not the fault of Greymouth that only the rainy day was left. However, I still think that the true West Coast treasures can rather be found elsewhere. Continue reading Gray Greymouth