Laos

Often failed to spot, Laos is a small country situated in South-east Asia. Overlooking its small size, people who have made to this place usually have approved Laos to be the best part of South-east Asia. Laos is surrounded by China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Burma. Laos is a mountainous country, especially in the north; the peaks here rise above 2,800 m. The northern and eastern areas are covered by dense forests. Forming the boundary with Burma and Thailand is the Mekong River flowing through the country for 1,500 km of its course. Blessed with lush countryside, dazzling Buddhist temples, indolent village life and gentle people, Laos was traditionally recognized as the empire of a Million Elephants. Buddhism being followed by many as the main religion has played a vital role in the cultural development of Laos. The splendid sight of monks in their distinctive saffron robes is a common sight to see and there are many temples throughout the country that provide visitors with moments of great serenity and beauty. Having been secluded from the wider world have helped out conserve Laos’ serene nature and let a glance into a quieter time. Laos definitely has many attractive places to visit like Luang Prabang that nestles in a profound river valley circled by spectacular green mountains and used to be Laos’ spiritual capital and significant home of the Laotian Kings. Luang Prabang is listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, owing to its exclusively preserved architecture and townscape, traditional wooden structure and European regal mansion form surroundings to the daily custom of saffron-robed monks gathering alms. Vang Vieng - a small village next to the Nam Song River, the village has beautiful limestone karsts and plentiful caves to travel around. At Oudomxai, traditional thatched houses stretch across the periphery of the valley towards the bottom of the splendid mountains. In the region around Phonsavanh, one of the last ambiguities of Asia lie where more than 300 giant stone jars, carved out of solid rock, lie speckled around a plateau. This plateau at present is identified as the Plain of Jars. There have been several assumptions about their derivation as there are jars, but so far the doubt has been left cleared. Laos is more an appealing place with small trade towns, traditional Khmer architecture and washed out French regal buildings. What is even more purely captivating are its layered waterfalls, tropical forests; striking mountains and flourishing natural beauty.