Just got back from the Lao PDR. And i must gush about it - one of the best places i've ever been in my life, the whole travel experience was just very authentic once you got off "Highway" 13, and even along it it was great, the people so amazing and friendly, and the country just beautiful with the many forests, mountains, lakes and rivers awaiting you to discover, so many serendipitous spots that could enthrall you for days and make you not want to leave, so many secret Edens and paradise-like clearings with sunlight streaming in from the canopy of leaves that make you feel just very blessed to be alive.
Ill try to document my travels as is, that is to just repost what i scribbled down on the road in my now very dog-earred and tattered notebook, to capture the spirit of travel, the moments themselves.
I think this has been the most beautiful journey in my life - it has also reinforced my belief that backpacking can be beneficial to both the backpacker and the place he/she is travelling in, responsible, and ethical. Along the way i tried to give my money to local communities as much as possible, ie buying directly from the producer, staying at family run guesthouses, and also through participating in community-based programs like village homestays and eco-trekking, both which were particularly memorable and beautiful experiences. Buying books from Big Brother Mouse outlets around Laos, a charitable organisation which publishes children's books which are educational and fun to read, to distribute to kids along my travels was another way to help local communities as much as i could while travelling.
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