Vientiane, Laos

A bird's eye view of Vientiane, the Laotian capital.

Laotians haggling at roadside stalls.

Laos is rarely on the radar of most people's travel destinations which is a pity. Currently the country attracts few tourists which was fine with me it meant I had more elbow room.

The capital, Vientiane, hasn't much to offer in terms of great tourist sights. Two places most backpackers gravitate to are Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, the latter travel guru Lonely Planet describes as one of the most beautiful cities in the region (debatable in my view)

With improved roads and transport system, Laos is easy to travel around. Costs are pretty low. And if you like rivers and mountains, Laos has them in abundance.

And with Laos hosting the SEA Games from 9 to 18 Dec 2009, it's an opportune time to bring you my travel tales from the country.