Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of channels - as do a few coffee shops and bakeries in Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vi-
entiane.
Lao radio thrives, helped along by the fact that newspapers and TV stations are not available
to many people in the countryside. The main radio station,
Lao National Radio
, can be
picked up in the vicinity of Vientiane or on shortwave in roughly seventy percent of the coun-
try. LNR gets its international news from a number of sources, including CNN, BBC, Xinhua
and KPL, and broadcasts news in English twice a day. Tuning into LNR will also give you a
chance to hear traditional
Lao music
, which you otherwise may only get to hear at festivals.
Social media
Until recently, access to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter was uncontrolled.
But at the end of 2013, officials - having studied censorship models in Vietnam and China -
announced plans to start punishing users for “inappropriate” posts.
SPORTS AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Laosisoneofthebetteroutdoor-adventuredestinationsinSoutheastAsia:thereareex-
cellent trekking opportunities, vast cave systems to be explored and crashing whitewa-
terriverstoberafted.Withtheemergenceofanumberofspecializedtravelcompanies
offering inexpensive, organized, adventure tours in previously remote reaches, it's now
easier than ever to experience the wild side of Laos.
Over seventy percent of the country comprises high terrain, with chains of
mountains
reach-
ing heights of over 2800m running its entire length. Covering many of these ranges are ex-
panses of virgin
rainforest
. And from these highlands run steep, narrow valleys through
which
rivers
rush down from the mountain heights to join the “Mother of Waters”, the
Mekong river, which flows the entire length of Laos.
