I recently had an interesting assignment from Nikkei Asia – to join a 10-day cruise from Vientiane in Laos to Chiang Khong in Thailand and write a story about the experience. Coming at the end of the rain season and beginning of the cool season, it was a real treat to spend the days in the company of a small group of international travellers and our affable guide Vieng.
We visited several riverside villages, as well as homes of bears, water buffalo and elephants, and learned how to grow sticky rice, prepare Lao food and make Lao whisky – a whole new skill set! Yet my favourite activity was lounging on a recliner at the bow watching the lush Lao landscape go sliding slowly by.
The resulting story will appear sometime in the next few months, but in the meantime, here are a few sample images to give you a taste of one of the least-visited countries in Southeast Asia.
