Laos

Khao Yai National Park Although the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex – to give the National Park its full name – has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list for nearly 20 years now, we’ve regrettably only just managed to incorporate the fantastic site onto one of our regular Thailand tour itineraries. Until recently, our range of offerings has included…

Tuol Damrei Sor The rarely visited Angkorian temple site of Prasat Kuk Roka forms a regular break on our overland trip from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. It’s a small, albeit intact, sandstone tower – probably dating to the 11th century – and a minnow compares to what awaits at Angkor. However, it does illustrate a lot of features which…

Spirit Shrines As even a brief visit to the region will have revealed, small, wooden or increasingly these days cement, spirit shrines are ubiquitous in houses, gardens, cafes, and even bars, banks and offices throughout the Buddhist nations of Southeast Asia. Every building, home and commerce should have one. They’ll feature eclectic collections of statuettes and figurines – many may…

Cambodia Boat Trip  . What follows is a brief account and selection of photos of a recent Cambodia Boat Trip from Siem Reap to Battambang. I think we first ran this Cambodia boat trip way back in 2000. It was a very different country in those days and the journey across the Tonle Sap and up the Sangkar River to…

The Sangkar River The mouth of western Cambodia’s Sangkar River lies concealed amid a maze of water-hyacinth-clogged waterways, endless reed marshes and clouds of egrets in the far northwestern corner of the vast but shallow Tonle Sap Lake. Anyone with a window seat between Bangkok and Siem Reap may have peered down on these extensive wetlands and unique ecosystems where…

Thailand World Heritage – Cultural Sites Thailand World Heritage Sites are at present limited to 3 cultural and 2 natural sites. A rather meagre result we feel, considering the country’s rich history and magnificent and highly varied flora, fauna and landscapes. Of the 3 cultural sites, we’d also point out that early Bronze Age Ban Chiang, while of undoubted great…

Laos World Heritage Sites The latest addition to UNESCO’s Laos World Heritage List – inscribed in 2019 and to our minds, long overdue – is the Megalithic Jar Sites of Xiengkhuang, commonly known as the Plain of Jars. Usually associated with adjectives such as mysterious or enigmatic the site consists of over 2,000 giant jars, carved out of solid rock…

Lao E-visa A new online, Lao E-Visa system is now in place and valid for entry at the following immigration points: Wattay International Airport, Vientiane, Luang Prabang International Airport, Pakse International Airport and land crossings at the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge Vientiane and the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge II, Savannakhet. (Note it is not available at the Friendship Bridge IV, which connects…

A few images of some of the hard-working women in Phsa Prahok, Battambang’s fish market, taken over the course of several recent visits, To point out that topping and tailing fish all day long, every day, is extremely laborious, dirty and tiring would be rather stating the obvious and certainly a very tough way of earning a living. We can…

Phanom Rung and Muang Tam Surprisingly, some of the most spectacular and best-preserved of all Angkor period temples aren’t even in Cambodia. The magnificent 11th and 12th-century sites of Phanom Rung and Muang Tam – the former spectacularly perched atop an ancient volcano, the latter surrounded by delightful lily ponds – are actually situated in northeastern Thailand’s Buriram Province. (1)…

Favourite Cambodian dishes Although far less well-known than the justifiably reputed cuisines of neighbouring Thailand or Vietnam, we reckon the rich and varied Cambodian, or Khmer, cooking more than holds its own amid Southeast Asian fare and local food is generally a serendipitous and tasty discovery on any of our Cambodian tours. Here then is just a short selection of…

In light of a few recent incidents, we’d like to reiterate some essential passport information for Southeast Asia travel.  (Most are undoubtedly relevant for travel anywhere else these days, but we are, of course, used to immigration procedures in this part of the world.)  They may seem minor and are easily overlooked, but aren’t necessarily so in the eyes of…