This is the first of two articles covering my visit to Southeast Asia in 2005. This article offers 104 impressions of Laos, a small landlocked country squeezed between Thailand, China, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), and Vietnam. We sailed its lifeblood -- the Mekong River -- exploring towns and villages along its banks, visiting the fascinating cities of Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Pakse. We also toured the far south of Laos, at one point crossing over into Cambodia in search of the elusive Irrawaddy dolphins.

We found Laos to be ... (more)