Laos

Responsible Eating in Southeast Asia As we see it, a tour of Laos or Vietnam should include a tour of Lao and Vietnamese food, so here’s a brief rundown on the All Points East meal thinking, or as we’ve titled it, responsible eating in Southeast Asia. Local food and meals are an essential part of any culture; therefore, an essential…

Ta Muan Temple One of Thailand’s remotest and least visited Angkor period temples, yet its very remoteness, jungle setting and total lack of tourist development are exactly what made it a great little temple to visit. It’s missing the grandeur of Phanom Rung, the photogenic lily ponds of Muan Tam and the well-preserved carvings of Sikhoraphum, but Ta Muan is…

The Road to Battambang The road to Battambang; well, strictly speaking, by boat across the Tonle Sap and up the Sangkar River followed by a drive across country to Battambang. We usually do the whole journey from Siem Reap to Battambang by boat but water levels being low at this time of year meant that whilst we left Siem Reap…

The Road to Siem Reap Another excellent and interesting Cambodian overland trip yesterday – the road to Siem Reap in western Cambodia from the capital Phnom Penh. First stop was Skuon for the always popular deep-fried ‘tarantulas’. Popular photo subject that is – not always such a popular snack and this time the fried crickets won out over the spiders…

Hmong handicraft Although the ambulant Akha street vendors of Khao San, Tha Pae Gate and other tourist hot spots are very successful and the Lisus in Pai night market do well in the high season, across Southeast Asia, it’s the enterprising and commercially minded Hmong that dominate the hill-tribe handicraft market. Their bright colours and bold patterns can be and…

Ta Nei Temple We must have visited the ruined Ta Nei Temple or Prasat Ta Nei some 20 times and am yet to see another visitor there! It’s a beautiful little, late 12th century, Jayavarman VII site in a picturesque forest setting with some interesting carvings remaining and certainly, in our opinion, deserves to be seen by far more visitors….

Bakheng Temple “Though the identity of Bakheng Temple (or Phnom Bakheng) is today firmly established, the place hardly gets the respect it deserves…..Late every afternoon, just before sunset, crowds troop up the hill, on foot or by elephant at 20 dollars a ride. Then they climb the temple’s steps to the standing room only, plaza-like upper tier. …….Then they throng…

Sunday Walking Street The famous Chiang Mai Sunday Market – known locally as just Sunday Walking Street – is a vast affair stretching from the tourist hub of Tha Pae Gate as far as the ancient temple of Wat Phra Singh in the Old Town as well as, taking in many of the side streets along the way. (In fact,…

Northern Laos Tour Photos A few Northern Laos tour photos for your perusal with Wi having just crossed the Mekong at Chiang Khong this morning with her group on a Northern Laos and the Golden Triangle tour and now heading north into Laos where their first stop will be Luang Nam Tha. After spending Chinese New Year in Chiang Mai…

Don Khone Nua School Actually 2 pix today – before and after shots of the Don Khone Nua School on Don Khone in the 4,000 Islands region of South Laos’ Champassak Province. The school was largely rebuilt with donations from All Points East customers. As you can see the original wooden building was falling to pieces and lacked any toilet/washroom…

Weird food of Southeast Asia So, weird food of Southeast Asia!? Well, durian, rats, birds’ nests – fair enough, but there are a host of other weird and wonderful food and drink items to be found in Southeast Asia. Some that will have you asking where you can buy a kilo to take home, some that will leave you totally…

Saray Water Hyacinth The excellent Saray Water Hyacinth project is a community project in Prek Toal village, Battambang Province, Cambodia organized and funded by the NGO Osmose and the Australian Government Prek Toal, a large village – or small town – situated at the point where the Sangkar River meets the Tonle Sap Lake is entirely constructed on rafts, floating…