Vientiane, Laos.
One of the most amazing places I have ever been to is Laos.
This image is from Vientiane, the capitol city. The most busy place in Laos but still this charming city gives you a small town feeling. Vientiane is probably the quietest capitol city in south -east Asia. Laos, as a travelling destination is one of the most peaceful countries I have visited. The first time I went there was on my honeymoon with my wife. We stayed there for a month and traveled from Vientiane to the border of southern China and later also into China from there. We visited many other countries during that excursion but Laos will forever have a special place in my heart.
Laos has a population of 6,6 million so it also makes it one of the greenest places I have visited.
Me and my wife have a thing for handmade silk so we rented a motorcycle and drove up the mountains to buy the silk directly from the ladies in the villages that make them. Luckily for us my wife is great at reading maps! We drove to many villages and every time we saw one of those weaving tables under their wooden huts we stopped and knocked on the door. It was a great way to see the country and also to meet so many locals. Most importantly we wanted the families to get the money from us directly instead of selling the silk cheap to some middleman that would probably underpay them for all their work.
If you are ever interested in going there I really recommend it. Laos is absolutely magical with all the diverse cultures living there and the glory of its rainforests and waterfalls should high up on anybodies bucket list.
If you are interested in going and you want some travelling advice just write me a comment or email me from my website.
antonzoghiphotography.wordpress.com 
I’m curious to know what it might cost to stay in Laos for a few months, if one was happy on a frugal budget…
Hi, Shelly
I think you could get away with 300-400 dollars a month, maybe even less. You could probably find really cheap accommodation for maybe around 5 dollars/night, maybe even less, but it probably depends on how active you want to be during your days. Remember, if you stay at really cheap guest houses the standard will not be so great, but if you are there for the experience I think it might still be worth it.
I hope my answer was helpful and I hope you have a great time if you go 🙂
Three to four hundred a month, that’s like China was in the 80s. Thanks very much for your information, Anton, I appreciate it. 🙂
You are very welcome!
Well, Vientiane is a relatively small and quiet capitol city as I mentioned, but I have been there many times and I have enjoyed it every time. That is what I like about the place. I specially like to be around the Mekong in the afternoons.