My Dream Vacation: Laos
As you read through my blog please note that on the bottom right and left hand corner of each page you are able to see older and newer posts! (18 posts)

I hope you enjoy my dream vacation as much as I did!

                          http://www.tourismlaos.org/web/show_content.php?contID=417

Background:

My name is Karen, my parents immigrated to Canada 23 years ago to provide their children (my brother and I) a better future and success. With that being said, I was brought up in Lao culture, but also in Canadian culture because my parents wanted us to ‘fit in’. As a child I spoke Lao fluently, however as I grew up and began to attend school this slowly diminished. I found that as I became older I gradually lost my Lao culture and became adapted to the Canadian lifestyle.

My family and I travelled to Laos about 11 years ago (I was 11). It was a very different experience. Actually it was a complete culture shock! I found it very difficult to communicate with relatives and locals because yes I could understand Laos pretty well, however my ability to verbally express myself was lacking. Since our visit, my parents travel back to Laos periodically. They’ve recently begun to build a new house in Laos because after I graduate and have a career (I am the youngest of their children) they want to live both in Laos and in Canada, travelling back and forth.

Debrief of Trip Details:

Who: My parents and I

What: My dream and long awaiting vacation to Laos!

Where: Laos (Vientiane, Pakse)

When: January 30– February 24 2013

How: plane, car, rickshaw, walking, motorbike, motorboat

Why/ Motivation: Exploring my heritage, appreciation for where my parents are from and discover who I am!

Price:  $2300 round trip; spending money ~$1,300 *prices are by per person

Duration: 25 days

Accommodations: Relatives’ homes/ guesthouses

                                            http://mapsof.net/map/laos-flag-map

Currency:

1 Canadian Dollar (CAD) = 7, 974.08 Lao or Laotian Kip (LAK)

            or

1 Lao or Laotian Kip (LAK) = 0.000125406 Canadian Dollar (CAD)

However the best currency to use when exchanging money in Laos is US, Thai Bhat and the Euro.

                                http://www.tourismlaos.org/web/show_content.php?contID=6

Who:

            I am going to travel with my parents to Laos because they will show me everything there is to know about Laos. They will basically be my personal tour guides! I want to experience this with my parents also because they will be my connection to my relatives. They will also be my translators, since my ability to verbally express myself is limited they will help me communicate and learn Laos throughout the vacation.

My parents and I

When:

            I am going to travel to Laos January 30 to February 24, 2014. This will allow 2 days of travel to get to and back from Laos. I’m going to travel to Laos during this time because it has two seasons (dry and wet). The dry season runs from November to April and I will be going in its dry season. Also the temperature in Laos from November to February is generally cooler rather than blistering hot! Seeing as I am use to the cool temperatures of Canadian weather, it is best that I travel there during these durations for my health and safety. Wouldn’t want to get heat exhaustion on my dream vacation trip!

                                                                            

                            http://www.examiner.com/article/hot-weather-food-care

            I am also travelling during these times because I have the time and not many obligations that are holding me back! It’s the perfect time for development and growth. When else am I going to travel with my parents to Laos without a care in the world, well maybe I should care about my future, but that’s why I’m going!

Where:

Laos (located in center of southeast Asia)! We will visit Vientiane and Pakse specifically because my mom is from Vientiane and my dad is from Pakse.

http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/asia/lao/map-lao/index.htm

Motivation/Why:

I want to travel to Laos for several reasons. Firstly, I want to discover and explore more about my heritage and culture. It’s important to me to learn more about where I came from and how I came to be. Secondly, I want to develop as a person and have a better sense of what I want to do with my life. I think that this vacation will help me grow as an individual. It will also allow me to have better insight on why my parents chose to immigrate in the first place. 

http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/planning/articles/howToSaveForYourChildEducation.html

             This leads me into my third reason. I want to travel to Laos because I want to thank my parents for all they have done for me. I’ve been very fortunate to have such amazing parents who are willing to give up theirs lives and work non-stop to provide their children everything that they could. I am going to thank them by helping out with the trip financially as much as I can, but also by being there and experiencing this with them! Fourthly, this is the best time to travel! I won’t have many obligations and I won’t be in any debt (my parents have helped me with funding my education). Fifthly, my grandmother passed away last year in Laos and I would love to go visit her grave and show my respect to the only grandparent I got to meet! 

My grandmother was the one on the bottom right

Lastly, I want to travel to Laos because I feel that my previous visit to Laos was not experienced to its fullest. I was in Laos but didn’t take advantage of it as much as I would now. With all these reasons in mind, my dream vacation is to go to Laos and discover myself!

How:

            My parents will pay for my flight (thanks mom and dad) as a grad present (woo) and since I am travelling with them I will have their financial aid throughout the vacation (BONUS!).  I also plan to fund this vacation by working a lot throughout the summer as well as the year! I want to try to be as independent as I can, which will be difficult on minimum wage income!

My older brother (Kevin) will drive us to the Toronto Pearson airport. Unfortunately he will not be joining us because of work and other obligations. We will then take an approximately 26 hour journey flight from Toronto to Paris, France (our first layover), then to Hanoi, Vietnam (our second layover) and then finally to Vientiane, Laos (our final destination)!

Coming back will be even longer! We will venture on a 29 hour journey from Vientiane, Laos to Bangkok, Thailand (our first layover), then to London, United Kingdom (our second layover) and then finally back to Toronto, Ontario! My brother will await us at the airport and drive us back home to Cambridge.

Train Station in Laos

Lao Airlines

Boating on the Mekong river

Motorbiking is a common method of transport

                    http://www.tourismlaos.org/web/show_content.php?contID=14

Preparations:

Culture: Reading over other travelers’ blogs and guides before travelling to Laos will be a useful tool. Learning more from my parents will be imperative as well!

Safety: Travelling with my parents and staying with relatives will help keep me safe throughout this trip.

Protection: Travel insurance, extra money on reserve in case of emergency, vaccinations and dietary pills prescribed by a doctor will be important for my health and as a safety net for any unplanned occurrences.

Payments: As I mentioned previously my parents will supply me with the ticket cost (yay grad present), but I will be setting aside a portion from each paycheck in preparation for this trip!

 http://www.karen-cockburn.ca/2012/07/23/time-to-pack/luggage-full-and-ready-to-travel/ 

What’s the Weather like?:

Most of the year Laos is hot and humid with a tropical climate with two distinct seasons (rainy and dry). The rainy season is from May to end of September and the dry season is from October to April. Laos average temperature is about 28 degrees celsius, rising to a maximum of 38 degrees celsius during April and May. I will be travelling during the dry and milder season!

                                      http://focus-asia.travel/laos-travel/laos-weather

What to pack:

Since I am travelling in the dry and milder season I should pack the following:

·       Light Jacket and some jeans (for the cooler mornings)

·      Umbrella (for rain and for shade)

·      Shorts and t-shirts (for the warm temperature)

·      Sandals (for ease of taking them off/on for entering temples and people’s houses)

·      Shirts with sleeves (to be respectful when entering temples)

·      Running shoes (for hikes around Laos- it’s very mountainous)

                http://www.theweddingwizards.com/honeymoons/packing-tips-for-your-honeymoon/

Being a Visitor (culture):

The culture is very different in Laos than Canada and I need to be respectful and cautious of my actions throughout my trip! People in Laos are open and friendly with a strong sense of courtesy and respect. I must always make sure I display all these qualities to receive a warm welcome.
            The generally accepted form of greeting among Lao people is the Nop. You place your palms together in a position of praying at chest level, but not touching the body. The higher you place the hands, the greater the sign of respect and the hands should not be held above nose level. The nop is accompanied by a slight bow to show respect to people of higher status and age. It is also used as an expression of thanks, regret or saying good-bye, but with wester people it is acceptable to shake hands.

Example of the nop

                                                    http://www.retire-asia.com

Do’s and Don’ts in Laos:

                           http://www.tourismlaos.org/web/show_content.php?contID=16

Tourist Attractions and Activities I want to do:

Pha That Luang “Great Stupa in Laos”:

            This is one of Laos’ most important monuments located in Vientiane. We didn’t get to visit it the last time we went to Laos and I would really love to experience it for myself! In my family home, we have these little models of Pha That Luang and I’ve always admired the gold temple and was curious what’s inside!

Pha That Luang 

                                      http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-laos/

Wat Phou:

            This is a ruined Khmper temple near Champasak in Southern Laos. I had the pleasure of exploring this place our last visit, but I didn’t realize its vastness! It extends over some 10km of shrines and waterworks. It will be awesome to go back and experience the whole thing again and really take it all in and appreciate the wonders of Wat Phou.

A couple of marvellous ruins in Wat Phou

                                 http://www.concierge.com/travelguide/laos/seeanddo/15990

My mom and I striking a pose at Wat Phou

Mekong River:

            This river is the blood vein of Laos, used to transportation, food, drinking washing and more! In my last visit I had the opportunity to ride in a boat with my uncle and brother, however this time I want to steer and maybe even try and some fishing in Laos! I think it will be really awesome to see what it’s like live like local and do something Lao people do everyday!

The multi use of the Mekong River

                                      http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-laos/

My brother and I lounging on a speed boat ready for our cruise

Ride an elephant:

            Laos was known as the Land of a million Elephants (Lane Xang). My last visit we went to a zoo and saw an assortment of animals. We had the opportunity to ride an elephant, which my brother did, but I didn’t. I remember exactly why I chose to not to at the time. I told my parents to save the money to buy deep fried bananas for me to eat! I loved those things! 

Scrumptious fried bananas, mouth-watering.

Especially since they were so fresh and delectable! Ah, I remember the smell and how it just enveloped my mouth with deliciousness, but looking back on the trip I felt that I missed out on that experience.

Riding Elephants with pure enjoyment

                                                http://www.elephantvillage-laos.com

Visit my relatives, parents’ land and leave my mark:

I want to connect with relatives that I have never met before and also reconnect with the ones I have, but haven’t seen for 11 years! I want to furthermore visit where my parents plan on living and in some fashion help in making it or leave my mark some how! This is important to me because I always want my parents to know that I am thankful for them and their decision on providing their children with everything they could. It’s not much, but I think they will appreciate it.

Leaving my mark!

                                        http://salemluth.blogspot.ca/2011/11/i-was-here.html

Phathornorkham cliff

Phathornorkham cliff is located in Nagnang village MeungFeung district Vientiane province. It is a cliff that people believe that has gold shoot, so the people call the cliff is Phathornorkham. You can see the gold shoot well at around 3:00 - 5:00, so I would love to witness this and explore more of Laos’ vast nature and beauty!

The mystery of Phathornorkham Cliff

                             http://www.tourismlaos.org/userfiles/image/Vientiane/Phathor.jpg

Festivals I want to attend:

Wat Phou Festival in the Champasack Province:

Wat Phou festival is annually held in the full moon of the 3rd month of lunar calendar, on the grounds of the enchanting pre-Angkorian Wat Phou remains in Champasack. This event falls on February 7 and festivities include elephants racing, buffaloes fighting, cocks fighting and performances of Lao traditional music and dance. It will be really astonishing to see this festival in Laos especially since it’s nothing like anything I have experienced before in my life!

The popularity of the Wat Phou Festival

   http://cartes-postales.delcampe.net/page/item/id,184910520,var,laos-wat-phou-festival,language,F.html

The Elephant Festival and Trade Fair:

The Elephant Festival and Trade Fairs in the Sayabouly Province is on February

17. The event features about 60 brightly adorned elephants competing for "Elephant of the Year", along with elephant processions and bathing, mahout demonstrations, traditional Buddhist blessings, fun fairs, night markets, and live performances. As mentioned previously, Laos was known as the land of a million elephants, and since it has so much history with Laos it will be awesome to embrace something that made Laos what it is today!

                          The neat elephant dressings                                 

               Go to this link to check it out! -->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhXtpNOJB0Y

Lao Food:

            Lao cuisine is not well known outside the country, however it is considered one of the healthiest due to the fresh vegetables and herbs, which are in almost every Lao meal!

            When you walk around the markets of Vientiane and Luang Prabang and other markets, you’ll be immersed by fragrances like galangal, lime, lemongrass, basil, coriander, garlic, ginger, mint and dill. Lao cuisine has many regional variations due to the local fresh foods in each region. Authentic Lao meals will generally include “Khao niew” (sticky rice) which is a staple in Laotian food. It is always served with a hot sauce or a spicy fish or shrimp based sauce.

            A traditional dish is called “Laap” and it’s made from chopped chicken, duck or any meat. The minced meat is mixed with citronella, onions, and spices with fish sauce and roasted rice. Laap means “happiness and luck” and is eaten with a plate of raw vegetables and sticky rice. Laap is one of my dad’s specialties and he makes it a lot and everyone enjoys it thoroughly! So much so my dad makes it at least once a week if not more!

The delicious Laap

                         http://www.tourismlaos.org/web/show_content.php?contID=6

            Laotian food has a very unique flavour and some dishes can be spicy to the unaccustomed foreigner. I personally can’t handle too much heat and find a lot of Lao food spicy so my dad always has to make a milder version for me! A necessary part of enjoying Lao food is “Beer Lao” and is described as the Dom Perignon of Asian beers and it can be found throughout the country. I didn’t get to try any Beer Lao my last visit when I was 11, but this vacation I will have to engage my taste buds.

Beer Lao (Dom Perignon of Asian Beers)...Mouth watering

http://forum.philboxing.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=121750&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=90