The idea of visiting Laos came about from various discussions with people who had traveled all over Southeast Asia. While they loved Cambodia, treasured the southern coast of Thailand, and greatly enjoyed the vibrancy of Vietnam, many of them explained that if you were looking for a truly off-the-beaten-path adventure then Laos was the place to go.

So off I went on a night bus from Chiang Mai, Thailand to the border and then onto another long bus ride through the twisty jungles of northern Laos until eventually I landed in a somewhat soggy Luang Prabang. From there it was just days of exploring temples, the Mekong and a fair number of French-inspired coffee shops.