Exploring Thailand's Neighbors: Traveling To Laos and Cambodia

When I moved to Thailand, I knew that exploring Southeast Asia was high on my list of things to do. There were many places in Thailand I wanted to see, but since moving to SE Asia, I traveled to five other countries, and soon to be six.

In this article, I wanted to start by giving ideas of a few countries you can travel to that surround Thailand: Laos and Cambodia. I include some general tips and recommendations I have for traveling, a brief overview of my itinerary, and a quick description of the cities I went to. Happy traveling! 

Laos

Cities I traveled to

1. Luang Prabang: The cultural hub of Laos. The food is incredible but a bit more expensive than in other cities in Laos. 
2. Nong Khiaw: A village about 4 hours from Luang Prabang known for its slow pace of life and beauty.
3. Vang Vieng: A major city between Luang Prabang and Vientiane. It is known for its nature and adventure activities. 
4. Vientiane: The capital and big city of Laos. 

 Kuang Si Falls - From Luang Prabang as part of Day-Trip

How long my trip lasted 

10 days and 10 nights 

Favorite City and Why

Luang Prabang was by far my favorite city. I did so much cafe hopping and so many crafty activities. The town has a chill vibe, a night market, and is very walkable. I felt I could unwind here and enjoy the city.

Recommendations and Tips

• Ride in a hot air balloon in Vang Vieng. It is the cheapest in the world here. Though I never did it, my friends who traveled together to Laos did and they loved it!
• Nong Khiaw has incredible nature and is perfect for the outdoorsy type. The Pha Daeng Peak hike was incredible in the morning since you can watch the clouds and fog slowly recede and uncover the village below. I arrived at the peak around 9:15 am in December and thought that was perfect timing. 
• Remember Vang Vieng Hotel: The hotel has a pool, kind staff, and is all-around beautiful.
• La Casa de Jardin Hostel in Luang Prabang: An excellent price for a hostel and a kind owner. He made food twice a week for free which led guests to socialize and get to know each other. 
• The Railway system is fast and efficient. Though more expensive, the trains are great. But beware! You have to go through a security checkpoint to enter the train station. I had to wait in line for 20 minutes to get through security, so don't expect to show up five minutes before the train arrives and still make it in time! 
• They unfortunately do not have Grab in Laos. They have a different app called Loca that works in Vientiane and Luang Prabang, but I personally never had success ordering a taxi with it. 

Living Land Rice Experience - Luang Prabang

Not recommended

• Bike ride in Nong Khiaw. Many travel itineraries said I should rent a bicycle and explore the nearby villages. I was huffing and puffing the whole time. I returned the bike much earlier than I expected and didn’t get very far at all. 
• Vientiane. I found nothing interesting in the city to do and would have prefered to return to Luang Prabang for my flight out since I loved that city.  

Day	City	Itinerary
1	Luang Prabang	Arrived on a morning flight and did a short hike to the top of Mt. Phousi (Google Maps) for a good view of the city. Went to the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center to learn about the culture. Ate dinner at the night market (Google Maps).
2	Nong Khiaw	Took a morning bus to Nong Khiaw. Spent the day just walking around the small village and getting tea from cafes.
3	Nong Khiaw	Climb Pha Daeng Peak in the morning (takes about 1.5 hours to reach the top). Did another small hike at Sleepy Lady Viewpoint.
4	Nong Khiaw	I hired a boat with backpackers I met in Nong Khiaw to go visit Muang Ngoi, a small village about a one-hour boat ride upstream to check out smaller villages.
5	Luang Prabang	Morning van back to Luang Prabang and explored the city. In the evening I took a candle-making class at Gai Artisan Candles (Get Your Guide Tour).
6	Luang Prabang	Participated in the Alms Giving Ceremony at dawn in front of the temples. Bought sticky rice from a local woman to give to the monks. Then I went to the morning market for breakfast. Then I did a Bamboo Weaving Course (Get Your Guide Tour) that included a trip to the Kuang Si Falls waterfall.
7	Luang Prabang	Did a rice farm tour (booked through their website) at 9 am to learn and participate in the process of growing rice. After this, I did a silk weaving class at Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Center, though there are many other crafty options for classes such as bamboo weaving and natural dyeing.
8	Vang Vieng	Took a morning train to Vang Vieng and chilled in the town.
9	Vang Vieng	Booked a full-day tour which included zip lining, tubing, visits to 2 caves, lunch, and a visit to one of the popular lagoons.
10	Vientiane	Took a morning train to the city and explored it for the day. Then took a night flight out.

Cambodia

Cities I traveled to

1. Phnom Penh: The capital and most populous city of Cambodia. The most noteworthy thing to do in Phnom Penh is to learn about the history of the Khmer Rouge and the genocide. 
2. Battambang: The city is a quaint and lowkey town between Thailand and Phnom Penh. It’s a great place to unwind and enjoy the vibes of a smaller city in a short trip to Cambodia.
3. Siem Reap: This is the second-largest city in Cambodia and is known for Angkor Wat, the most famous temple in the world.  

Bayon Temple - Siem Reap 

How long my trip lasted

8 days and 8 nights 

Favorite City and Why

Phnom Penh, because I went on a tour to learn about the Cambodian genocide, which was very informative and personal since my tour guide lived through it.

Recommendations

• The Twizt Lifestyle Hostel and Hotel in Siem Reap. This accommodation was beautiful, and it had a pool on the rooftop. 
• Nary Kitchen: Cooking School Battambang. This was a phenomenal deal to do the cooking class and eat a HUGE meal (I could not finish eating all the food we cooked). 
• Marugame Udon. This is seriously one of the best udons I ever tasted. We were only there for two days and ate there two or three times. We could not get enough!
• Tour of the Killing Field: Do a tour, but I especially highly recommend doing the one we did (linked here). Our tour guide was a survivor of the genocide, so he had so many important insights to give us. He spoke English clearly and answered all our questions. 
• Read or watch the film “First They Killed My Father,” which is about a young girl’s experience during the genocide. It was great knowledge to have before touring the killing fields and museum. 
• Do a multi-day tour of Angkor Wat. You can buy a one-day or three-day pass, and everyone I know who did a three-day pass was very impressed with it. They went on guided tours for two days and felt they learned a lot from it.
• Book a guided tour of Angkor Wat in advance. As with most things in SE Asia, you can easily book tours, buses, etc. on the day of or the night before. However, I was not impressed with the tour we got from our accommodation and wish I spent a little bit more money on a more renowned tour company by booking in advance.
• Cambodia is extremely hot. I recommend choosing your accommodations wisely and make sure they have air-conditioning and that it works well. Some places may also limit what times you can run the air-conditioner, so check reviews for that!
• Take Tuk Tuks. In Thailand, tuk tuks can get a bit expensive. However, in Cambodia it is much cheaper. You can even order them on Grab.  
• Circus in Siem Reap. The show is hilarious and incredible with crazy feats of balance, agility, and coordination of the performers. 

Plate of Food from Nary's Kitchen

Not recommended 

• Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. The entrance fee was $10, and we were not impressed. Almost all the buildings were closed, so we only got to walk around the courtyard. It was very underwhelming, and we probably spent only 30 minutes there. 

Day	City	Itinerary
1	Phnom Penh	Arrive in the evening.
2	Phnom Penh	Tour of the Killing Fields and Museum. In the evening we paid $5 for a boat tour (we just found a place when we arrived at the river) and watched the sunset with a beer.
3	Phnom Penh	Royal Palace and walked around the city.
4	Battambang	Took a van to Battambang and chilled throughout the rest of the day.
5	Battambang	Full day tour to the bamboo train, bat cave, and killing cave which we booked throughout accommodations.
6	Battambang	Took a cooking class and then took a bus to Siem Reap.
7	Siem Reap	Early morning guided tour of Angkor Wat and then relaxed in the pool. In the evening we went to the Siem Reap Circus.
8	Siem Reap	Relaxed day at the hotel.
9	Siem Reap	Left in the morning to go back home.