the globe says
Laos
Fly or take the new railway to Luang Prabang, then three hours by minivan up the Nam Ou river.
A river bungalow, then boat upstream to roadless Muang Ngoi for the real thing.
Karst towers over a slow river, villages reachable only by boat, cave systems that sheltered a nation during the bombing years, and evenings measured in sunsets.
Climb the Pha Daeng viewpoint for sunset, then take the morning boat to Muang Ngoi and just stay a while.
November to February
Khop chai — thank you, in Lao.
Another Quiet American by Brett Dakin — Laos from the inside of its strange bureaucracy.
Muang Ngoi, one hour upstream by boat, then the villages beyond the caves on foot.
Unexploded ordnance is still real in rural Laos — stay on paths, full stop.