Laos in Real Life

In search of the real Laos (Vientiane and Luang Prabang cannot qualify for this), I had taken a bus up into the northern mountains, disembarking at Vieng Phouka. The guesthouses in town were all of local construction, very basic. Mine had bamboo walls, a concrete floor, and a bathroom consisting large bucket of water next to a squat toilet. Hey, it was only $3 a night, so you can’t really complain. And when you consider that a lot of people in the village don’t have running water, and wash everything in the river, it seems like pure luxury.

In Vieng Phouka I hired a guide to take me trekking in the jungle – some of the least spoilt in Southeast Asia. We spent the night in an “eco-lodge” in a Lahu village. In this context, eco-lodge means living as the villagers do: just an elevated bamboo hut, with a dirt-filled area for making a cooking fire. No electricity, no water, no toilet. This is the real Laos for much of the population.
I have met some travelers who revel in living like the locals, but I was thankful to get back to Houay Xai (at the border) and my modern guesthouse for one final night before crossing into Thailand.