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    <location name="Laos" avg_rating="5" content_source="1" created="2007-07-11 21:53:17" creator="71" hidden="0" id="560" inherited="0" latitude="18.20521" longitude="103.895038" ltp_level="0" merged_to="" modified="2007-07-11 21:53:17" modifier="2" style="1" type="4" votes="7" zoom="5" />
    <trips id="20832" created="2009-11-13 22:32:58" creator_id="72" creator_name="cristina" creator_status="100" default_for_user_id="" description="Laos' most famous river may be the Mekong, but the entire country is criss-crossed by a staggering network of rivers.  Life is thus shaped by the whims of the water, and this itinerary offers a unique look at the culture that has arisen out of this dependency.  You'll have to take a bus or two, but otherwise you can do much of the entire trip by boat.  What other country can boast that?

Since you're probably flying into Bangkok, head north and cross the border into Huay Xai.  There's not much to see, but book a 2 day boat ride to Luang Nam Tha.  After you've done some hill trekking, take a bus to Nong Khiaw, a small town dramatically situated right on the river in the midst of hills and gorges.  From Nong Khiaw, take a short boat ride to Muang Ngoi Neua, an even tinier village on the river with nary a road in sight.

After Muang Ngoi Neua, you can take a boat to Luang Prabang, a journey that can take as long as 7-8 hours in the dry season.  However, it's a gorgeously idyllic to travel.  Once you've finished exploring LP's French colonial remnants, hop on a short bus to Vang Vieng.  Vang Vieng is notorious for the rowdy riverside bars frequented by backpackers; from here, you can actually kayak down to Vientiane with one of the hiking outfits in town.  

Vientiane is one of Asia's most relaxed capital cities, but you probably won't want to stay long.  From here it makes sense to take buses to towns further south on the Mekong River - Tha Khaek, Savannakhet or Pakse are great jumping points for exploring little towns both along the river and to the east.  But the hands-down stunner of southern Laos is Si Phan Don and its 4,000 islands smack in the middle of the Mekong.  This is a great place to catch a glimpse of the rare irawaddy dolphin, freshwater dolphins that don't exactly do flips in the air like their ocean cousins.

Traveling by river is exhilarating, but be sure to exercise caution - when the river swells during the high season, accidents are common so make sure that your long-haul boats (i.e. Huay Xai to Luang Nam Tha) are outfitted with safety equipment.  If you think your boat is overcrowded, don't take any chances - boat operators often cram boats with too many people in order to maximize profit.  In the low season, be wary of speedboats that may speed into rocks.  And of course, when kayaking, ask about whirlpools and make sure that you have a life vest on.  If all else fails, hop on a bus - you'll still experience Laos' unique river culture in every town that you go to.

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    <trips id="21144" created="2009-11-15 14:40:46" creator_id="96440" creator_name="anon190043b0e9eb2478cec0789cb1f63ba6e13bf" creator_status="0" default_for_user_id="" description="" marked_deleted="0" modified="2009-11-15 14:41:38.131478" modifier_id="96440" privacy="1" static_map_url="http://maps.google.com/staticmap?hl=en&amp;maptype=roadmap&amp;format=png&amp;markers=17.966600,102.600000,reda%7C19.887504,102.134618,redb&amp;key=ABCDABCD&amp;size=123123123x123123123&amp;path=rgb:0x0000ff,weight:5|17.966600,102.600000|19.887504,102.134618" status="0" sum_locations="2" sum_votes="0" title="laos" triplocation_id="560" />
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