OverlandSphere
Overland Travel, Expedition & Adventure Information for 4x4, motorcycle and truck overlanders
I arrived in Laos and Laos didn’t even know it. In fact, I was in Laos for about an hour, had lunch and a beer before I decided I should get a visa. I hopped in the car and started asking around: Where do I get my passport stamped? I had entered Laos by barge. Mekong and me. Most people…
Since we liked the north of Laos very much, we also wanted to explore the south of the country. In the north we had especially liked the mountain landscape – in the south it was more the huge caves in the limestone hills, and the many islands in the wide Mekong River that we found very memorable. First, we spent…
We took a little bit more than two weeks to travel the north of Laos. It’s a beautiful area that seems like it is made solely for motorcycling. The twisty roads that run through the fantastic mountain landscape are generally in a relatively good condition. Traffic is almost non-existent, and for those that love to go off-road, there are many…
We always appreciate local, environmentally aware companies when we travel and, unfortunately, such companies are not the norm so were more than thrilled to find Green Discovery Tours in Laos. We had been hanging out for over a week in the delightful capital, Vientiane, when we found our Indian visas would not be ready for at least five more days.…
The customs officer looked out of the window and wiped his brow. It was hot. Outside the lush jungle clicked and buzzed with tropical insects. On the desk in front of him was Magda’s paperwork. He looked back at me with a pained expression: “What colour is your car?” he asked. I looked out at where Magda sat patiently in…
After the day of tubing, we decided let’s move on! We had to meet my parents in Bangkok in a few days, lets try to get out of Laos. We basically just spent an evening in Vientaine, took pictures and bounced. We rode around and took pics of the Lao version of the arc d triumphe and other temples and…
Before heading off to the international frat house that is Vang Vieng, we thought we’d make a night halt in Phonsavan and then see the UNESCO site, Plain of Jars. On the way we had to retrace our steps back a bit to get back on route. We passed village after village, avoiding the chickens and goats. Again kids waved…
Luang Prabang is one of the major cities of Laos (not too many) and the entire city also happens to be a UNESCO site. We ended up staying 3 nights just to catch up on the website and get regrounded. Tom decided to go south, so after 2 nights he left. It was a great experience traveling with other riders. …
The next morning while Nick and Tom were getting ready I went to go get some dollars exchanged to kip. We had stayed in a really tiny farming town (which is the case with most of Laos) and as I walked to the market everyone stared. Some people figured out I was Indian others were still trying to make a…
To be honest, I still do not remember the border crossing’s name because really…it was never mentioned in my Lonely Planet ‘Traveling on a Shoestring Budget’ or on the internet. Phillip had suggested us the route from Nan to the border, there were some really nice views along the way. We had a sorta mini photoshoot on a nice curvy…
Vanuit Tha Thaek zijn we over de hoofdweg doorgereden naar Pakse. De weg is saai, maar gaat wel ontzettend snel. We zijn dus in een paar uurtjes in het zuiden van Laos. Omdat we mooi op tijd zijn besluiten we vast de loop te gaan rijden (of in ieder geval een deel ervan), zodat e de volgende dag gewoon door…
Eindelijk zijn we dan in zuidoost azië ! China was een beleving maar vermoeiend en koud, dus we vinden het helemaal niet erg om in Laos te zijn. Na binnenkomst leek al meteen het verschil met China : het originele landschap is vergelijkbaar, alleen in Laos staan de originele bossen nog overal en zijn er alleen kleine boertjes met kleine…
By Paul Archer Don’t forget, you can subscribe to get this blog straight into your inbox by putting your email address into the ‘Join It’s on the Meter’ box at the right hand side of our website. You can pretend you’re checking important work mails and actually read about Hannah’s adventures! It’s sods law. If you fill all the fuel…
LAOS 22nd March We wake in Laos, a country which is said to be one of the 20th poorest in the world, a stark contrast to Thailand just a few hundred metres across the river. Despite this, trade in recent years with China, and the influx of tourism, which accounts for a large proportion of revenue, is bringing change and…
What up peeps! (I’m going ‘gangster’ in order to appeal to the younger readers, I want to top 50,000 hits you see, it’s all about the numbers these days.) Right off the bat I’d like to make a thousand apologies for the delay in the blog, I know a lot of you have come to rely on our blogs as…
I’m upset people, upset and embarrassed, so much so I’m going all preachy in a bid to feel better about myself. A couple of days ago we visited a place called the Cope centre. There we learnt all about the massive unexploded mine issue that effects Laos. During the Vietnam War America waged a Secret War in Laos and in…
So we have updated a couple of things; There is now information on the ‘useful information’ page! Megan has done the Malaysia expenses and the total over view. We have also updated the itinerary on the ‘where are we now’ page The Spot is not really working very well but I update our location on Google maps every day, just…
Laos: I’ll be honest, I didn’t really know this country existed before I started planning the trip. Embarrassing yes, but isn’t finding out about new places what this trip is all about? Admittedly finding out about an entire new country might be verging on ignorant, but at least I know now. Did you know there was a country called Bhutan…