After a brief hiatus last week to celebrate the purchase of my RTW trip (whoo hoo), I am returning to my Ten Year Anniversary Top Ten. Today’s country: Laos. I loved Laos, I truly did! And it remains one of my favorite countries that I’ve visited to date. But so much of what I loved was just the feeling of being there, so it was a little challenging to pick out 10 distinct things, but I still managed. Here we go:

1. Sticky Rice – it may seem silly to get this excited about basic glutinous rice, but it was so delicious, I could have eaten it on its own every day….wait…I think I did.

2. Tubing in Vang Viang – grab your bikini and an inner tube and enjoy the ride along the Song River.  Bars along the way offer “refreshments” in the form of cold beer.  Careful, though – if the rapids are strong, and you’ve already made a few bar stops, make sure you have a tight hold on that tire.

3. The relative calm after Vietnam – I liked Vietnam, but after 3 weeks of constant, in your face pressure to buy any and everything at all times of the day and night, Laos seemed so laid back. There were souvenirs to be sold, restaurants to be tried and taxis to be taken, but the locals left it up to you to decide if and when you wanted them. It was a very welcome change!

4. Open Air Markets in Luang Prabang – a great place to wander among the tables of trinkets and textiles. I bought a beautiful red and gold woven fabric which looked great on my wall until Chloe, my cat, decided to pull it down in her effort to redecorate.

5. Seeing laundry hanging out to dry at the Ministry of Finance in Vientiane – you know you’re in a laid back place when the official government buildings hang their laundry out to dry right on the main balcony. 

6. Visiting the Pak Ou caves – Take a boat trip from Luang Prang along the Mekong River to a cave that is filled with thousands of Buddha statues.  Being in the large cave with thousands of tiny statues, really makes you check your perspective on your place in the world.

7. More super cheap massages – like in Thailand, cheap quality massages are plentiful. Don’t expect much luxury, but do expect good work.

8. The “hospital” in Vang Viang – I only liked this hospital because I didn’t have to use it. I just had to laugh at the hospital building – basic brick structure that had windows with no screens or glass and a random turkey or two running in the front yard. Lord!  I spoke to a fellow traveler who had to go to the “hospital” for stitches only to be told the doctor wouldn’t arrive for a few days and was given some sort of whisky to deaden the pain as they sewed him up. Back to basics!

9. Green Papaya Salad – if you can handle the spice, this item is on every Lao menu…and for good reason. 

10. Kuang Si waterfall – just outside of Luang Prabang is a beautiful, multi-tiered waterfall that is well worth a visit. There’s a decent amount of climbing and walking to get around to all angles of the waterfall, but it makes for a beautiful day trip.