Laos
Laidback and landlocked, Laos is covered in mountains and cloaked in forests, with cultural riches that range from the gilded monasteries to mind-boggling megaliths. But this Communist country is not without its hiccups, and meeting basic needs is a daily struggle for many. Following the Mekong River as it flows from north to south, crack open a Beer Lao and gaze at the paddy fields in Vang Vieng before continuing to the French mansions of Vientiane. Travel downstream to the Cambodian border and go kayaking, biking and dolphin spotting around the four thousand islets of Si Phan Don.
