Pimai, the Lao New Year The largest and most important festival in Laos is Pimai (Lao New Year), which is celebrated every year on April 13-16. Although it officially lasts for only four days, in reality it lasts much longer in Luang Prabang because of its special status as a former royal city. It is […]

Luang Prabang, Jewel of the Mekong Luang Prabang is without a doubt one of the most beautiful, charming, and serene towns that I have seen. It captured my heart. Nestled among the northern mountains of Laos, it is like a treasured jewel, unique among the villages and towns of Asia. Its setting is what gives […]

Roller Coaster Mountains of Northern Laos: After recuperating our Chinese visas, we left Vientiane and our daily feasts of chocolate croissants, banana bread, and French food. It was with mixed emotions that we left the capital: we were excited to be on our way and looking forward to what was supposed to be fabulous scenery, […]

Towards Vientiane: Biking along the Mekong Since last time we wrote, there was a slight change in plans. We had a bit of a problem with our new credit card, which extended our stay in Bangkok even longer. Because of this, our Thai visa was close to expiring, so instead of following the Mekong north […]

Religion in Laos Buddhism: About 6 out of 10 people in Laos follow Theravada Buddhism (the Southern School). It was introduced into Laos between the end of the 13th century and the beginning of the 14th century, but the country had already had influence from the school of Mahayana Buddhism many centuries before. Buddhism developed […]

Back in Thailand We flew back to Bangkok in mid-February, leaving the house early Monday morning after the winter’s biggest snowstorm and catching our Thai Airways flight out of JFK airport in NYC. It was New York’s biggest snowfall ever on record (26.9”), and it was a bit strange to leave in freezing weather in […]