You know those days where everything is just a bit… off? Not bad enough to ruin your trip, but strange enough that you start to wonder if you’re being punked by the backpacker gods?
Laos was that. For a full week, it felt like I was moving through a slightly warped version of Southeast Asia—one bizarre interaction after another, like a fever dream stitched together with tuk tuk fumes.
Here’s everything that went down.
1. The Great Train Booking Fail
It started off with something as simple as trying to book a train. We were in Luang Prabang, planning to head down to Vang Vieng via the new(ish) high-speed rail. Sounds easy enough, right? Wrong.
Turns out, you can’t book tickets on the app unless you have a Visa card—and we only had Mastercards. Cue mini panic. Our options were: book through our hotel or try a local tour agency.
We found this chilled-out agency in town and the guy was like, “Yeah, no problem, my mate works at the station, I’ll get you sorted.” Didn’t even ask for money—just told us to come back at 6:30pm to collect the tickets. Bit sketchy, but we were desperate.
We returned at 6, only for him to say, “Sorry, couldn’t get them.” At this point, the next-day tickets had sold out, and the only ones left were for 7pm, which didn’t work for our itinerary. Long story short, we had to extend our stay in Luang Prabang and push the entire plan back a day.
By sheer luck, we hadn’t yet booked our Vang Vieng accommodation. Honestly, could’ve been worse. But still—cheers, mate.
2. Getting Papped at Kuang Si Waterfall
You’d think visiting a dreamy, aquamarine waterfall would be the relaxing reset we needed. Instead, we ended up in what I can only describe as a paparazzi hotspot for white girls in bikinis.
We arrived at the Kuang Si Waterfalls and headed to the swim spot, only to find a massive group of Chinese tourists—most of them wearing red caps—fully ignoring the scenery and instead taking photos and videos of every white girl in the water.
My friend Erin got in first and was literally pulled by the arm by a woman trying to pose with her. She was saying no, but they didn’t care. It was genuinely uncomfortable. I held off getting in, then snuck in while they were distracted—but not for long. Cameras were pointed at me too.
It honestly felt like being in a fish tank. A very pale, bikini-clad, highly photographed fish tank.
3. Two Days, No Real Hotel Room
Once we finally made it to Vang Vieng, we were hoping for a fresh start. That didn’t happen.
We stopped at a café after arriving, and everything felt off. Lights off. Fans not working. Sweating buckets. Didn’t think much of it… until we got to our hotel to check in and the guy at the front desk was like, “Your room’s not available tonight.”
Excuse me?
Apparently, there had been an electrical issue. We’d have to stay in their “sister hotel”, which we soon found out was above a tour agency and directly next to a restaurant. No reception desk, just stairs and confusion.
The power didn’t even work there either—until, miraculously, it did, about 30 minutes later. Turned out the entire city was having a blackout. Apparently this was a common issue in Vang Vieng? We went back to our actual hotel that evening, thinking surely we could now check in with the power being back.
Nope.
The guy said there had been an electrical fire in our original room, and—get this—he confirmed that the power cut across Vang Vieng may have actually started from our hotel room.
The next morning, we finally got into the right hotel, only to be put in the wrong room, with no safe, despite a sign saying the hotel takes no responsibility for lost items. Usually, we would have shrugged off being put in a different room to one we had booked, however having already spent a night in a completely different and pretty dodgy hotel we thought we’d say something. After pushing back (rightfully), we got the correct room—eventually. Honestly, two full days without a proper base. Travel character-building at its finest.
4. The Café Shouting Incident
Later that day, still on the hunt for a chill spot with a view—and also somewhere to do laundry—we came across a small place that looked promising. Chickens out the front, a sign advertising laundry, and tables in the back.
A homeless-looking British man greeted us and pointed out the view behind. Then this Laotian woman came out, speaking loudly (mostly in another language, but with some English thrown in), and the vibe quickly turned chaotic.
As we walked to the back, she followed, shouting louder and louder, clearly angry we were there. The man yelled back at her, “Shut up! You’re going to make them leave!” She responded, “I don’t care!”
And yes—we left. Quickly. Still hearing the shouting as we walked down the road. Not sure if it was a family fight, a business dispute, or a full mental breakdown, but I do know it was very weird.
5. Stung by Mystery Bug While Off-Roading
By this point, Laos had officially entered ✨ character arc territory ✨. But it wasn’t done yet.
We rented buggies to go off-road adventuring. Mid-ride, I suddenly felt this sharp pain in my shoulder blade. I instinctively touched it, and then my finger started stinging too. I’d apparently squished some black-and-yellow mystery bug between my back and my hand. Cute.
It hurt. A lot. Puffy, red, throbbing kind of hurt. I was silently spiralling—imagining hospital visits, allergic reactions, all the fun stuff—until I finally got into the ice-cold lagoon, and the pain eased.
Am I dramatic? Maybe. Am I still alive? Miraculously, yes.
Final Thoughts: Laos Was Weird, But I’m Glad I Went
Looking back, I wouldn’t change it. As frustrating and confusing as those few days were, they also gave me some of the most memorable stories of my whole Southeast Asia trip.
Because that’s the thing about backpacking: sometimes it’s sunsets and smoothies, and sometimes it’s shouting strangers, power cuts, and mysterious bug stings.
Would I go back to Laos? Honestly, no as I feel like we got the Laos experience. However, would I recommend keeping it in your Southeast Asia backpacking itinerary? Yes I would. If you’re doing the Banana Pancake Trail definitely don’t miss it as it adds something totally unique to your trip. But definitely have access to a Visa card, bug spray, and very low expectations.
Enjoy your Travels!
Em x
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The Newbie Backpacker Guide to The Banana Pancake Trail
Vol. 01 Thailand, Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia You’ve landed here because you’re thinking of backing Southeast Asia. Love that for you. But maybe you’re apprehensive about the trip, maybe lacking in confidence or the unknown is holding you back. I get it, I’ve been there. Plus let’s be real—figuring out the best route, how to […]
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