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 in Luang Prabang that Pimai is the most animated and colorful.

Being a Buddhist religious festival, it is similar to the Thai New Year that we celebrated in Bangkok last year. It is the Water .. Read More »

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 it its enchanting aura. It is encircled by peaks and rivers, covered by lush foliage and towering palms, brightened by splashes of color from fuschia, orange, red, and yellow flowers, and .. Read More »

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, and yet we were a bit sorry to be back on a diet of intestine-filled noodle soup.

The road heading north out of Vientiane was more polluted and populated than in the s.. Read More »

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 to Vientiane on
the Thai side of the border, we followed it on the Laotian side.

It was good to be back on the bikes once again. We had gone 4 1/2 months without cycling! Our first hurdle ba.. Read More »

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 slowly because the population still believed strongly in spirits (phii) and followed the cult of the spirits of the earth. It wasn’t until the middle of the 17th.. Read More »

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 over 2 feet of snow and land 17 hours later in Bangkok, in 92-degree weather. We had flown over Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Russia, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India… Read More »