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By DAVID ATKINSON
MAY
22, 2000 VOL. 155 NO. 20
Laos
Unplugged: Living Life in the Slow Lane
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 Illustration for TIME by Annie Lee. |
Last year's "Visit Laos" promotion was the socialist government's first attempt to attract foreign tourists and investors. With a per-capita income of only $300--making it the poorest Asian nation--the country desperately needs money. Now tourists can receive visas on arrival for $30 at Vientiane's Wattay International airport and at the Mittaphab Friendship Bridge, which crosses the Mekong in northeastern Thailand. Infrastructure has improved dramatically. The bus from the capital of Vientiane to the temple-strewn town of Luang Prabang used to be a two-day, butt-busting ordeal on bandit-infested roads. Today the journey can be made in eight hours of air-conditioned splendor.
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TRAVEL
WATCH In the southern Sisattanak district is Wat Sok Pa Luang, a woodland temple famous less for its spiritual significance than for its superbly rustic herbal sauna. A small donation gains access to the sweaty inferno, usually followed by tea and a vigorous Thai-style massage. The monks advise you not to shower for 12 hours afterward in order to let the herbs do their work. The herbal treatment is said to purify body and soul.
A few days of temple-hopping and evening strolls along the banks of the Mekong usually exhausts Vientiane's humble offerings, so many visitors move on to explore the capital's environs. For a more rural experience, head to Lao Pako, an eco-resort on the banks of the Nam Ngum river that has been run since 1995 by an Austrian owner. The lodge was constructed completely from local materials and uses solar power to provide electricity to the bamboo huts. A variety of nature trails and river-rafting trips provide an outlet for those who feel the need to do something. But most visitors fall into step with Laos' rhythm and are satisfied to sit on the large veranda watching the sunset. Lao Pako is located 50 km from Vientiane. You can take one of three daily buses for 20¢, but your best bet is to catch a taxi ($4) to Som Sa Mai village, then hop on a motor launch ($4) for the languid 25-minute trip upriver to the resort. Visit the country now. Laos may not be Indochina's reclusive cousin for much longer.
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