You simply can't meet more pleasant people anywhere in the world than in SE Asia. Laos in particular was full of smiling faces and welcoming individuals. Two interactions stand out among the rest.
The first was a Baci ceremony on our last night in Luang Prabang. We walked with our guide into an area with more houses and arrived at a community center. It was a simple wood plank building and was filled with five women and one man, elders in the community, and three young boys playing instruments. There was a beautiful flower arrangement in the center of the room and a few snacks that we were offered. The Baci ceremony is traditionally performed as a wish of safe travels. I asked our guide if this was still practiced today or just put on for our benefit, and he confirmed that when he left home for university the community came together for his Baci ceremony.
Baci Ceremony (Jessica Liles)
The women sang and each tied a white string around our wrists. It was a really special moment, and we felt incredibly lucky to have this bit of history and culture shared with us.
The second interaction was going to two of the villages in the hills where two small ethnic groups still live today. The Hmong and Lao villages were very simple, and we spent the morning sort of being a fly on the wall in their world. Both groups speak their own native tongue, which luckily our guide spoke as well. As we would walk past a group of women chatting or cleaning or what have you, our guide would stop and introduce us and explain who we were. Many asked us to sit and talk with them or brought us into their homes to show us more of how they live. The only way it can be described is "intimate" and completely unscripted, as we were the only people not from the village that we saw all day. It felt very special to be welcomed into the homes and lives of these people.
Visiting local communities in Laos (Jessica Liles)
The kids had way too much fun having their pictures taken - we happened to be there after a particularly rainy night, so school had been cancelled - and we sat and spoke with one woman at length who was hoping to visit the U.S. to see her brother who lives here. She had saved enough money to make the trip, but her visa had been denied because the U.S. requires an extra amount saved in a bank account to visit. So she continues to save.
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.