Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west. Laos traces its history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang or Land of a Million Elephants, which existed from the 13th to the 18th century.

After a period as a French protectorate, it gained independence in 1949. A long civil war ended officially when the Communist Pathet Lao movement came to power in 1975, but the protesting between factions continued for several years. 44% of the population live below the international poverty line of the equivalent of US$1.25 a day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos

In the north, a rugged terrain of emerald mountains and dramatic limestone peaks, crisscrossed with rivers, makes travel impossibly slow. Flat as a pancake and sprinkled with palm trees, the languid south is the quasi market garden of Laos; separated from the economic powerhouse of Thailand by the massive Mekong River.

After 30 years of communist inertia, Laos is hurrying to play catch-up with its neighbours. And while economic reforms have spawned a new urban elite, for the rest of the country subsistence village life remains virtually unchanged since the French sidled in more than a hundred years ago.

People of Laos

Population

The government has been at pains to encourage national pride and a ‘Lao’ identity, despite the fact that more than 30% of the country is made up of non-Lao-speaking non-Buddhist hill tribes with little connection to traditional Lao culture. Government education also ensured that knowledge of the outside world was very limited, though Thai TV and the growing accessibility of the internet are changing that.

Religion
Most lowland Lao are Theravada Buddhists and many Lao males choose to be ordained temporarily as monks, typically spending anywhere from a month to three years at a wat.

Currency
The only legal currency is the Lao kip, but three currencies are in everyday use: the kip, US dollar and Thai baht. Prices in this chapter are quoted in kip or US dollars, but pretty much anywhere in Laos will accept any of kip, US dollars or Thai baht, or combinations of all three, as payment. Kip come in denominations of 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000 and new 20,000 kip notes.

Black Market
The days of favourable black market moneychanging are over and the best exchange rates are usually available in banks, though most guesthouses and many travel agents will change dollars and baht cash at bank rates.

Credit Cards
Visa cards are becoming more widely accepted these days and many travel agents, upmarket guesthouses, restaurants and shops in tourist areas accept them. MasterCard and Amex are much less common. Cash advances on Visa cards are available in some regional centres but not all so plan ahead.

Art
Lao art and architecture can be unique and expressive, and mostly religious in nature. Distinctively Lao is the Calling for Rain Buddha, a standing image with a rocket-like shape. Wats in Luang Prabang feature sim (chapels), with steep, low roofs.

Traditional Lao art has a more limited range than its Southeast Asian neighbours, partly because Laos has a more modest history as a nation-state and partly because successive colonists from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and France have run off with it.

Aside from government offices, banks and post offices, many Lao businesses do not trouble themselves with weekends and public holidays. Most Chinese- and Vietnamese-run businesses close for three days during Vietnamese Tet and Chinese New Year in February.

Import regulations:

Free import from countries not bordering Laos of:
- 500 cigarettes or 100 cigars or 500 grammes of tobacco;
- 2 bottles of wine;
- 1 bottle of other alcoholic beverages;
- personal jewelry up to 500 grammes.

Ref: http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/LA-Laos-customs-currency-airport-tax-regulations-details.htm

Weather Information for Vientiane

Ref: http://www.worldweather.org
Remark: Climatological information is based on monthly averages for the 30-year period 1961-1990.

Laos has two distinct seasons: May to October is wet and November to April is dry. The coolest time of year is November to January and the hottest is March to May, when Southern Laos becomes almost too hot for the locals. The lowlands of the Mekong River valley are the hottest, peaking at around 38°C in March and

April and dropping to a minimum of around 15°C in the cool season. Up in the mountains of Xieng Khuang and Sam Neua, cool season night-time temperatures can drop to freezing and even in the hot season it can be pleasant.

Getting there

Air
There are currently no intercontinental flights to Laos. You can enter or exit Laos by air at Vientiane (from or to Cambodia, China, Thailand and Vietnam), Luang Prabang (Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam) or Pakse (Cambodia).

Lao Airlines flies regularly from Vientiane to Siem Reap (US$150) and Phnom Penh (US$150). Tourist visas are available on arrival at airports in Cambodia for US$20 (plus one passport photo) for most nationalities.


Getting around
Bicycle
The light and relatively slow traffic in most Lao towns makes for favourable cycling conditions and you’ll see many hardy cyclists scaling mountains. Bicycles are available for rent in major tourist destinations, costing around 10,000 kip per day for a cheap Thai or Chinese model.

Boat
With the main highway upgrading process almost complete in Laos, the days of mass river transport are as good as over. Sadly, most boat services today are geared towards tourists, pushing prices up.


Bus & Sawngthaew
Long-distance public transport in Laos is either by bus or sawngthaew (literally ‘two rows’; converted pick-ups or trucks with two wooden benches down either side).

Car & Motorcycle
Chinese- and Japanese-made 100cc step-through scooters can be rented for 64,000 kip to 80,000 kip per day in Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Savannakhet, Pakse and Luang Nam Tha. A driving licence is increasingly required in larger places like Vientiane where it’s also possible to rent dirt bikes for around US$20 per day. You’ll be expected to leave your passport as a deposit, but it’s unlikely you’ll be covered by the rental company’s insurance in the event of an accident.