Laos heading south: a waterfall, the mountains of Vang Vieng and dusty Vientiane

There is a separate story about our first days in Laos and the muddy road to Luang Prabang. This one is about what came next.

The waterfall

On August 7 we took a trip from Luang Prabang to a waterfall. It was very beautiful.

Waterfall cascades and turquoise pools in the shade of trees — Waterfall cascades

Alexandra and Pavel smiling in front of the waterfall and turquoise water — At the waterfall

And there are bears living right next to the waterfall.

A black bear walking through a forest enclosure with wooden platforms — The waterfall's neighbors

The mountain road

The next day, August 8, we moved on to Vang Vieng. The road from Luang Prabang ran through the mountains, and the views were breathtaking.

Rice terraces at the foot of a green mountain — Rice terraces by the mountain road

Vang Vieng

The same day we arrived, we went to a big, beautiful cave.

A dark silhouette of a person against the lit entrance of a cave — The cave in Vang Vieng

Cave vaults and a small golden altar among the rocks — The cave in Vang Vieng

There was also a lagoon where you can jump into the water from a rope swing or straight from a tree. It was great fun.

Jumping from a tree into the lagoon

In the evening we went to a local bar that, judging by the ratings, was really cool. And it was: we had a great time there.

Vientiane

On August 9 we reached the capital of Laos. Vientiane turned out to be a dusty, unattractive and uninteresting city, so we did not stay long. In one day we went to a museum, walked around a park and toured the city.

A wide tiled park avenue leading to a monumental arch — Vientiane

We sat on the bank of the Mekong. This river separates Laos and Thailand, and on its other side it is already Thailand.

The wide brown Mekong with grass in the shallows and a strip of trees on the far bank — The Mekong. Thailand is on the other side

And it turns out there is Beeline in Laos too.

Beeline in Laos

344 kilometers

On August 10 we covered 344 kilometers, our longest single-day leg in Laos. We thought about stopping somewhere halfway, but we really wanted a more or less normal town and a normal guesthouse. So we made it all the way to Thakhek and decided that we would not go anywhere the next day either and would just rest.