I view tipping with a sense of distaste and see it as a sad legacy of a class system that should have died out decades ago. In a nutshell I don’t see why service staff aren’t paid a decent sa...
https://www.501places.com/2010/03/tipping-one-place-that-gets-it-right/
Among my hundreds of photos from a trip I seem to have relatively few of people. I still can’t get over that discomfort of asking someone for a photo, even when they seem happy about it, and of...
https://www.501places.com/2010/01/the-smiling-faces-of-laos/
For many visitors to a country their interactions with local people form the highlight of their stay, and create their most vivid memories. And of these encounters the ones with children inevitab...
https://www.501places.com/2010/01/why-you-should-never-leave-home-without-an-inflatable-globe/
In a recent Lonely Planet article, Tony Wheeler described his visit to northern Laos to hike the 100 waterfalls trek. It had only been discovered (for non-locals of course) in 2008, and a local e...
https://www.501places.com/2010/01/100-waterfalls-trek-nong-khiaw-laos/
While the tourist paths of northern Laos are becoming increasingly well trodden, the number of visitors to the south of the country are still relatively small. Those who do make the trip to the a...
I have crossed several borders overland in recent years, and even now there is a strange sense of excitement and apprehension as I approach the border guards. They have it in their power to make ...
https://www.501places.com/2010/01/daylight-robbery-at-laoscambodian-border-not-worth-the-fighting/
I heard much about Vientiane being a very laid back capital where there is little to do for the visitor. After spending over a week in Laos it was hard to imagine anything other than a chilled ci...
https://www.501places.com/2009/12/vientiane-laos-a-capital-city-that-forgot-to-behave-like-one/
In the West we are familiar with the Vietnam War, where millions of American soldiers went to fight the communist forces of the north during the 1960s and early 1970s. Few are aware however that ...
https://www.501places.com/2009/12/americas-secret-war-and-the-plain-of-jars/
If you visit Laos you will almost certainly spend at least some of your time in Luang Prabang. While Vientiane is the adminstrative capital there is little doubt that Luang Prabang is the cultura...
https://www.501places.com/2009/12/luang-prabang-worthy-of-the-hype/
There are several ways to travel between the Thai-Lao border and the ancient city of Luang Prabang. The bus journey takes around 10 hours on roads that leave a lot to be desired. Most people choo...
https://www.501places.com/2009/12/2-days-of-luxury-on-the-mekong-luangsay-boat-to-luang-prabang/