I'm not the kind of person that works well with travelling schedules. But I thought I should at least have a rough list of things i want to see. I'm a romantic anthropologist, so for me the overcrowded tourist route is probably going to be a little frustrating. I'd rather immerse myself more in the local culture and take the road less traveled. My focus on archaeology, primatology and ethnography will direct my choices. So as Laos is the first place I'm going to explore. I did a little research and this is what i came up with....
1# Plains of jars - ancient funerary urns remnant of lost civilizations.
2#Luang Prabang/That Luang/Wat Phou - museums, temples and palaces
3#Pak Ou Caves - overlooking the mekong River, full of miniature Buddha sculptures.
4# Waterfalls of the Bolaven Plateau
#5 Nam Ha Protected Area - trekking to observe Gibbons.
#6 Si Phan Don - fishing village by Mekong islands.
#7 Phongsali - tea plantations with some of the oldest tea trees in the world. Quiet town.
This is just a small list, I'm sure it'll change. So, bring on the trekking, excavating and observing. I want to approach this as a critical expedition into the postcolonial Laos culture. With the tools I've learnt as a anthropologist I'm sure my open minded knowledge of lost civilizations and human evolution will allow me to make correlations and distinctions about the reality of life in Laos now. It's all good to read a book about it. But to accurately make a critical review i'm going to just immerse myself and then share my findings and experiences with you. I'm going to take a experiential approach.
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