Somehow I personally had a bit of a rough time in Laos, but that does not change the fact that it is still a beautiful country and worth the visit if you are up for an adventure!

First stop for me was Luang Prabang after a two day Slow Boat Trip across the Thai Border and down the Mekong River on Lao side (read my article Crossing the Border into Laos if you are interested in this - I can only recommend doing it, I loved this way of travelling!). Luang Prabang, a beautiful old city, with French Colonial architecture (a lovely area to stroll trough and enjoy the views over the river) and a hill in the middle of town, Phou Si Mountain. It is worth the small entrance fee and the walk up to the top - an absolutely spectacular view over the city, the Mekong river and the surrounding area! The Night Market on the main road every evening is also worth checking out. A nice market where all the backpackers come together for cheap food and the many gifts, clothes, and hand made goods they sell - so many beautiful things! I wouldn't recommend eating there though, I got food poisoning from the food there and was feeling horrible for four days straight. I was also not the only one, a friend of mine and everyone else I spoke to afterwards had the same problem.... So stay away from the food there, as tempting as it is!

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Even though Laos is right next to Thailand, and I must say I somehow expected them to be very similar, there are definitely also a lot of differences.

The first thing I noticed is that the people and the country are a lot poorer! Thailand seems to be quite well off with all the tourists and the boom it had in the last few years, but Laos isn't quite like that. There aren't that many tourists here yet (which on the one hand is also very nice and makes it a lot easier to get in touch with locals and actually be part of the community and their way of life! But also means it can get quite lonely at times) and the country is still very poor. Saying that though, I also never had the feeling that they tried to rip me off, be it in local markets buying food and fruit or for bus rides - you pay what the locals pay.

Life is slightly more expensive in Laos than in Thailand. Thailand is super cheap, but expect to pay about double the price here in Laos (which is still cheap compared to other countries like Europe or the US) for food, drinks, and transport. A meal is roughly between 25,000-40,000 Kip, water has a set price of 5,000 Kip, and transport depends on where you go and how far you travel.