Lao food – Travel + Lifestyle + Architecture Blog

The country of Laos, officially referred as Lao People’s Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Vietnam to the east, Burma and China to the northwest, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west, as divided by the Mekong River. As a landlocked nation, Laos greatly depends commerce and trade with its neighbouring giants.

Laos is among the few nations today that run on communist rule, to which has only opened its doors to global trade and tourism during the 1990’s . As compared to its neighbours, Laos is less dynamic and is still on the process of coping with the demands of modernity ; we at least for the moment.

SAM_1038 — Pra That Luang Shrine, the most respected Religious Symbol of Laos

SAM_1025 — Vientiance City, the capital and the biggest city in Laos

SAM_1021 — Patuxay Monument, symbol of Lao independence from French rule.

Vientiane is the capital city of Laos . Though the nation’s the biggest, this city is less modernized, with no railways and no malls , less noise and traffic , with a lot of patches of green. The central market is still the city’s source of almost everything.

I arrived to this laid back city on a Sunday afternoon, and I was eased to see that locals enjoying the parks and open spaces, and playing a sepak takraw like game. A number of tourists freely enjoy roaming the streets on bike . Vientiane was definitely a breathe of relaxing atmosphere.

SAM_1009 — Residences in downtown Vientiane

SAM_1006 — Residences in downtown Vientiane

Laos is not much visited by Filipinos as compared to other ASEAN nations. In my five days stay, I have not heard of a single Tagalog phrase , I was a few times asked if I were Thai or Chinese. I definitely felt the foreign atmosphere in this Country.

SAM_1129 — night market at the riverfront promenade

SAM_1042 — The biggest Buddhist Temple in Vientiane

SAM_1124 — Local juice along the streets. Similar to Thai .

I Explored the nearby night market for local food. They do a lot of grilling and sun drying . This red meat on a ring is like dehydrated seasoned pork , covered with sesame seeds.

I personally think that Lao food is influenced by Chinese , less the flair and artful preparation, since Laos is farther up the mountainous side of Indochina Peninsula.

Chinese food and lifestyle definitely made an influence neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia. But with the route I travelled, I have observed that the farther the country is from China, the simpler the food becomes.

SAM_1119 — My First Lao food dinner at a local night market. Air dried seasoned pork , and banana leaf wrapped fish egg, which I first thought was rice.

SAM_1117 — Air dried – seasoned pork up close. yummy ! This is their version of Chinese Asado.

SAM_1116 — grilled frog. More than just a delicacy, frog is considered a staple food in Laos. Probably because the country is landlocked and seafood supplies are imported from Thailand and Vietnam.

SAM_1073 — Egg crepe ,which can be found everywhere in Laos.

One fine morning in Vientiane , I woke up at 5:30 am to check out the nearby Talao Sat Public Market , which is the city’s center for trade .

It is always a priority of mine to visit public markets whenever I go places, because it is where one finds cheaper souvenirs, and authentic cooking. But more to that, public markets are less trendy and more on the local atmosphere, which gives visitors an interesting vibe on how the foreign community starts up its day.

SAM_1133 — First time to see this much Boiled Whole Chicken. This is done to prevent meat spoilage. I have also noticed that sellers here don’t use ice .

SAM_1134 — French Baguette. Strong french influence since Laos has been under France for quite a while.

SAM_1135 — Steamed rice prepared on a basket. very different from the way Filipinos do it.

SAM_1137 — From a local eatery. Bamboo Soup + grilled pork and rice

SAM_1138 — Bamboo soup ( Kong No Mai Sai Yanang ) Delicious ! similar to our pinoy Lau-uy due to its texture

SAM_1139 — Familiar Sight. Icy Gems are still popular in Laos .

Visiting Laos was not originally part of my Indochina backpacking trip . I have not known much about it before, as compared to the touristy Vietnam, and the Heritage Sites in Cambodia. But I came across http://mylovelylife88.wordpress.com ‘s visit to the small town of Vang Vieng in Central Laos, and my thoughts immediately got caught by the town’s Karst limestone hills standing tall by the soft flowing river. Laos was once under strict communist rule, and it was only during the mid 90’s that Laos has fully opened its doors to tourism.

Thus decided to allot a few days to see Laos, and it was a good thing that getting there is just an overnight train away from Bangkok.

Below is my detailed travel from Bangkok, Thailand to Vientiane, capital of Laos.

From Hualamphong Train Station , Bangkok , I booked a second class , aircon sleeper train for 688 baht ( around 22 USD ) to Nong Khai ( Thai border point to Laos ) . Cheaper non-aircon train seats (No bed) are also available for around half the price. Hualamphong Station is pretty organized and the officers converse in English. Train left Bangkok around 8pm, and arrived at Nongkhai train station around 9 am the next day. The train made very few quick stops on towns, but Nongkhai is the last stop, so it would be impossible to miss this.

Further information about the trip can be read at http://www.seat61.com/Laos.htm#.UltK69Jcy0c

From Hualamphong Train Station , Bangkok , I booked a 688 baht ( around 22 USD ) overnight train to Nong Khai ( Thai border point to Laos ) — From Hualamphong Train Station , Bangkok , I booked a second class , aircon sleeper train for 688 baht ( around 22 USD ) to Nong Khai ( Thai border point to Laos )

SAM_0973 — These seats turn into beds with curtain partition. It was surprisingly comfortable, i had a good uninterrupted sleep .

SAM_0975 — morning coffee at the train. around 6:30 am.

SAM_0986 — Nong Khai Train Station, Thailand .

Nongkhai station also has an immigration office of Thailand. After clearing with Thai immigration, I transferred to another train headed to Thanaleng Station,Laos for 20 baht. It was a 20 minute train travel that crosses Mekong River.Another option to cross borders is by bus, since train schedules to Laos are very limited as of this year(2013). Upon arriving at Thanaleng Station, you will immediately see the Lao immigration counters.

The transfer train from Nong Khai , Thailand, to Thanaleng , Laos. only 20 Baht . around 20 minutes ride.

SAM_0988 — The 20 minute train ride across the Mekong River to Laos

SAM_0995 — The Friendship Bridge between two countries divided by the Mekong River

Thanaleng Station is located 15 kms to Vientiane capital of Laos , around 30 minutes travel time. There are a number taxis/vans to the capital that can be shared with fellow travellers. We got ours for 400 baht , at 100 baht per person, since there were 4 of us who shared. I shared with 3 Thai nationals.

SAM_0997 — View of downtown Vientiane . Quite a Laid back city. Relax . not much traffic .

SAM_1008 — Some charming residential area in Downtown Vientiane

And there I was in the capital city of Vientiane, Laos ; laid back, less noisy , not much traffic, ,no big shopping malls. The country embodies a relaxed atmosphere and a perfect view of sunset by the Mekong.