Who: Shirlaine, Zedi, Arnold, and Senan Castellino of Littleton, Colorado
Where: Pha That Luang temple in Vientiane, Laos
Out and about: Vientiane is a laid-back capital city situated on the Mekong River. The Pha That Luang temple, a short tuk tuk ride from the city center, is the most important national monument in Laos, parts of which date back to the 16th century. From Vientiane, we traveled north three hours by bus to Vang Vieng, a charming town on the Nam Song River. It is a haven for tubing, rafting and exploring caves in the nearby karst formations. Tubing into an underwater cave was one highlight of our trip. At night, small village restaurants provide a relaxing dinner and a movie’.
Travel Tip: Visas for US Passport holders can now be gotten at the borders or at the international airports on arrival for $30. Since direct flights into Laos can be expensive, we first flew from Bangkok to Udon Thani in N. Thailand on Air Asia (one of the emerging discount carriers in Asia) for about $35 roundtrip and then took a minivan directly to the border (45 mins, 100 baht= $2.50 pp). From there, it was another 30 mins into the capital, Vientiane.
