LAOS

Vientiane, the capital of Laos, is located on the banks of the Mekong River.  Across a narrow stretch of water is northern Thailand, a country with similar traditions and ethnic minorities; only a few hundred yards of water separate these two countries, but almost 50 years of isolation has left Laos a very different country from its neighbor. Vientiane is a composite of many cultural influences; wide tree-lined boulevards and timeless villas are the legacy of the French, whose influence stretched across Indochina from the late 1890s until the Geneva Accord of 1954.  In Vientiane you will find the glittering stupa of That Luang, the largest stupa in Laos, constructed in 1566 by King Setthathirat.  Vientiane, like its neighbor Phnom Penh, has the Patoutsay Victory Gate; both are reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Luang Prabang is the ancient capital of the Lane Zang (million elephants) Kingdom, dating back to the middle of the 12^th Century.  It sits at the intersection of the Mekong and Khan Rivers and is surrounded by green hills. In the glare of the mid-day sun, the city glows from the rays of its many golden temples. A climb to the top of Phousi Hill offers astonishing views over the vast and mostly uninhabited territories of northern Thailand and Laos; to experience sunset at Phousi Hill touches the soul. Luang Prabang is also home to the Palace of King Sisavang Vong, the last ruling king (1904-1909), and the Palace Museum houses some magnificent artifacts from his reign.  Life in Luang Prabang is slow and gentle, and as you walk down the main boulevard, you don’t have to worry about cars, but rather, be sure to watch out for water buffalo and bicycles!

Xieng Khouang province offers the beauty of high green mountains and rugged karst formations.  This ancient province was severely damaged during the Vietnam War, but amazingly, the pre-historic Plain of Jars -- estimated to be 2500-3000 years old -- survived in some degree, and today travelers will find several thousand of these “jars” carved out of solid rock scattered all over the plateau. Theories as to the meaning of the Jars vary, from storage vessels for wine to sarcophagi;  today their exact use remains a mystery.

Pakse is in Champassack province in southeastern Laos.  At the junction of the mighty Mekong and Sedon Rivers, these lush, fertile lands provide most of the rice for the country.  Other crops include coffee, cardamom and bananas. These fertile lands are also home to some of the world’s most beautiful waterfalls and to the pre-Angkor temple of Wat Phou, which is one of the most important temples in Laos.

Vang Vieng has been called the ‘Small Lao Guilin’ due to its limestone cliffs peppered with caves and caverns.

Saravane is situated on the Bolavens Plateau and offers beautiful scenery. The more than 13 ethnic minorities that live in this area are quite distinct from those in the northern region of the country. They include the Katang, Alak, Suay, Laven, Pako and Taoy.  Treks to Alak villages can be made on foot or by elephant.  Wildlife is in abundance in this region of Laos which offers primary forests with rare species like the Saola, a type of wild cow, first discovered in 1992 across the border in Vietnam.

Done Khong is an island at the most southwestern tip of Laos, with 55,000 inhabitants it is a rustic peaceful area to be explored by foot or bicycle. Along the Cambodian border, the Mekong river reaches its maximum breadth of 9 miles.  In the dry season as the water level drops, thousands of small islands appear giving the area the name of Si Phan Done (4000 islands).

Angkor Wat complex constitutes one of humankind’s most magnificent architectural achievements.  From Angkor the kings of the mighty Khmer Empire ruled over a territory that extended from the tip of what is now southern Vietnam northwards to Yunnan in China and westward to the Bay of Bengal.  Angkor’s hundred or so temples constitute the sacred skeleton of a spectacular administrative and religious center which once covered an area the size of Manhattan.  The building of Angkor was started by Jayavarman II in the 9th century and the complex grew over the next 400 years. Much has been devoured by the ever- encroaching jungle, and much has been destroyed by decades of war, but what we see today are the remains of the lost civilization of Angkor and may very well be the most spectacular architectural ruins found on earth.
(Angkor Wat is located outside the town of Siem Reap)

Phnom Penh founded in the 14^th-Century, is a sprawling city which lies in the arms of the Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers. During the French colonial period (1863-1954) it was a city of magnificent architecture and wide tree-lined boulevards, much of which is still in evidence today.  The sumptuous Silver Pagoda in the Royal Palace, built by Prince Sihanouk in 1962, contains over 5,000 silver floor tiles and houses one of the most spectacular collections of Buddha statues in the world. One golden Buddha is lavishly decorated with 9,584 diamonds.  On April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge troops led by Pol Pot captured Phnom Penh, overthrowing King Norodom’s government, and a four-year reign of terror known as “Year Zero” followed. Today the evidence of this horrific time can be found at the TUOL SLENG MUSEUM an eternal reminder of the horror of Pol Pot’s era.  This converted school was used as a detainment and torture center during the purges of the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s.  A journey of approximately seven miles through the gentle farming communities outside of Phnom Penh will bring you to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, now a memorial attesting to the genocide crimes where over 20,000 Cambodian civilians and some foreigners were executed.

Oudong, built on a hill 25 miles north of Phnom Penh, was the capital of Cambodia before Phnom Penh.  While little remains of the canals, terraces, bridges and more than 100 pagodas created by king Ang Duong, Oudong is still frequented by Khmers who go to pay homage to the remains of former kings.  It is a pleasant half-day trip into the scenic countryside outside Phnom Penh.

Sihanoukville located about 130 miles south of Phnom Penh where miles of dazzling white sand beaches are lapped by the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand.  The area is a haven where the water is teeming with iridescent fish and phosphorescent coral reefs to the delight of snorkelers.  Local agriculture specializes in pepper plantations and durian farms.

 Rattanakiri Province and Banlung in the northeastern corner of Cambodia; its remote and hilly terrain is populated mostly by hill tribes such as the Kreung, Tompuon and Khmer Loeu.  Jungle, waterfalls, local villages, elephant rides are the attractions of Rattanakiri.  Accommodation is provided in local guesthouses with very basic conditions in the provincial capital of Ban Lung.