Close

Vientiane

The Laos – China Railway

The story starts with a harsh economic fact. Laos now has an almost high speed railway, but as a result owes China over 10 billion US dollars in debt, not that far from its 13 billion dollar GDP. Walking around Vientiane almost wherever I see a Lao flag I see a Chinese one not far away. Practically you might have heard that the biggest challenge on the Lao China Railway (LCR) is getting a ticket. Matters have improved since opening, but tickets only go on sale 3 days before travel. There are three solutions. (1) get an agent to buy […]

Read More

The Slow Train to Laos

The new line from Boten on the Chinese border down to Vientiane may be fast, if not full high speed, but for the next few years the line coming up from Bangkok in the south will remain much slower – and that’s got to be a good thing, I love slow travel by train. Time to relax and watch the world go by. My journey to Vientiane starts at Bangkok’s now one year old Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station. If you haven’t tried it yet it’s like an airport terminal but without any lounges or retail therapy whatsoever. The […]

Read More