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Christina and I wake to the buzz of our alarm and push through the flap of our tent at Hintok River Camp into the already steamy pre-dawn air.

It’s too early for the birds, but too late for the night noises. Everything is silent and still.

Before long, we’re clambering down flights of steel steps by torchlight to the floor of a deep gully known as Konyu Cutting — better named Hellfire Pass.

We’re in western Thailand in Kanchanaburi Province, which pushes against the border of Myanmar.

Known for its thick verdant rainforests, sprawling thunderous waterfalls and broad, wild rivers, Kanchanaburi is also famous for the Thai-Burma Railway (better known as the Death Railway) and its deadly role in World War II.

Anzac Day at Hellfire Pass, Thailand

Today is 25th April — Anzac Day — and Hellfire Pass is one of the most venerable sites in the world for the Anzac Day Dawn Service. It commemorates all who have been lost to military endeavour, but in particular those who fell here as prisoners of war in the 1940s.

Hellfire Pass got its name from the appalling conditions the POWs had to endure, but also from how it looked from the top of the cutting.

In the 1940s, paraffin lamps lit the way for POWs forced to toil throughout the night. From above, the flames in the ravine looked like the very mouth of hell itself.

This morning, the path is lit with similar lamps, giving the cutting an eerie air. Shadows move and jump across the rock walls, and silent figures in full military dress march next to us and before us.

Looking back, we see the high, narrow walls of Hellfire Pass pinching in above our heads, the sky beyond still full of the night’s dying darkness.

The path is wide (it had to be wide enough to fit a train down) and brings us to the end of the cutting, where it opens out into a broad shallow bowl. On one side is grandstand seating, on the other, giant rock steps act as more tiered seating, and both are filling up fast.

More and more people pour in from the pass until there is almost nowhere to stand, but only a low murmur of voices comes from this great gathering.

In the centre of it all is the cenotaph, the black angular marble memorial to those that war has taken.

Dawn Service in Kanchanaburi

Soon, the first crisp navy shadows of dawn show through the blackness in the sky and the service begins.

The Catafalque Party — a ceremonial guard of four armed service personnel — marches down the steps of the cutting and stand watch at the compass points of the cenotaph, their heads bowed, their weapons inverted. The soldiers maintain such incredible stillness, which adds to the solemnity of the moment.

From the opening prayers to the haunting Last Post and the two minutes’ silence, and the final dismount and retire of the four soldiers in the Catafalque Party, the service is one of those things that stay inside you.

An indelible memory.

After the Dawn Service

The walk back through Hellfire Pass is no less significant or symbolic, but there seems to be less tension in the already hot morning air.

Groups of military stop along the cutting to get photos together, and the chatter of the crowd is lighter and louder than before. But messages and motifs lodged in the rock of loved ones and comrades lost to the war effort cast a grim light darker than the shadows from the looming walls.

At the top of the cutting and in front of the excellent Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre, we find breakfast is in full flow.

Stalls are turning out sausage sizzles, meat pies and Anzac biscuits, but also some outstanding local fair. We tuck into a pot of rich spicy green curry as the crowd relaxes and the happier side of this important day takes form.

Soon, Two-Up rings form and the British Club Bangkok Pipe Band – a marching band of pipers in full kilt regalia full the air with music.

As we finish up breakfast, we’re aware that back home, Australia’s Anzac Day celebrations would be in full flow and lunch would just be about to begin.

We travelled to Kanchanaburi as media guests of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Dawn Service of Hellfire Pass – Anzac Day in Thailand appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Imagine Sydney Harbour, but instead of water lapping at its stony shores, picture it full of rice. Right up to the high tide mark. Over it in fact. That’s what 540 million tonnes of rice looks like. That’s how much rice we humans grow and consume every year.

But where does it come from? How is it grown?

While we were in Laos recently, Christina and I had a crash course in working a real life rice paddy. We went through each of the stages of the process, from seeding to consumption (yes, there were snacks at the end), and we were surprised at how complex and laborious rice farming is.

But it wasn’t just a lesson in agriculture.

We got a glimpse of the cultural connection that Laos has with rice — especially sticky rice — the role paddy fields play in Laos and in Asia more broadly.

Check out our other stories on Laos here, including where to stay in Luang Prabang.

Click here for other exciting and cultural activities in beautiful Luang Prabang.

And for more great deals of hotels in Luang Prabang, click here.

Rice Farming with Living Land Experience, Luang Prabang

Not far outside the ancient city of Luang Prabang, we find ourselves at Living Land Farm, an organic rice farm that still uses traditional and ancient agricultural methods to grow rice.

They offer visitors a hands-on experience that goes through the 13 stages of traditional, organic rice farming.

Our young guide, Mr Johnny, is a rice farmer of many generations, but who is also excellent at taking us through the various stages, his dry wit and affable manner making the experience even more enjoyable.

13 Stages of Rice Farming

I won’t go through each of the stages — I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.

The farm is split into the various stages of the rice harvest with paddies at all the significant steps of the crop.

The tour begins with planting the rice seeds saved from last year’s harvest. We learn how to separate the good grains from the empty ‘ghost’ grains using saline water.

Then we clamber into the mud of the paddy fields, sowing the grain, harvesting new seeds and tilling the earth.

These days, farmers use tractors (or as locals call them ‘Chinese buffalo’), but for our demonstration, we get to drive a hand plough behind a real water buffalo. It’s not an easy task; the sucking mud is thick and sticky, and the buffalo is determined and brutally strong.

We learn about the growth stages of rice, how long it takes for the crop to develop and the clever irrigation systems of the paddy fields. At its different growth stages, rice needs more or less water.

Once the plant has reached the panicle stage, when the grains have developed at the top of the stalk, the farmer drains all of the water out of the paddy by cutting into the surrounding bank. This allows the rice to mature ready for harvesting.

We have a go harvesting with a sickle that’s so sharp it cuts through the tough rice stalks like butter.

This experience was part of our trip to Laos with InsideAsia Tours, a travel company that does all the hard work for you and lets you enjoy the experiences that the destination offers. 

We were really impressed with this company. They thought of everything, but at the same time weren’t intrusive on our own plans or time. And their itineraries find you things to do and places to go that you’d probably miss if you were doing it all yourself. 

Highly recommended.

Back at The Homestead

After the harvest (and when we’ve washed the mud off our legs and feet), we move back to the homestead for the rest of the tour.

Here, we learn about how the farmers thresh the rice grains, remove all the chaff, polish the grains and cook the rice.

We also see what other things the community get up to after the growing season has finished.

There’s a forge and smithy for making tools, there’s a sugar cane ‘juicer’ — a massive timber cog and hand-wheel system — and also a cottage industry of weaving.

The older farmers who can no longer work the fields turn their hands to making hats, fish traps, tools, furniture and ornaments from bamboo and rice grass.

Finally, we sit down to enjoy the fruits of our labours. Kind of. An assortment of rice-based snacks — including Laos’ number one passion: sticky rice.

This cultural experience is a great thing to do while you’re in Luang Prabang — it makes you appreciate rice a lot more too!

We visited Living Land with Inside Asia Tours, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post That Time We Worked On A Rice Paddy appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Christina and I have been to Bangkok many times over the years. Work, weddings, holidays, extended transfers — whenever there’s an excuse to go, we take it.

Bangkok is such an incredible place.

No matter how many times we go there, this city always finds new ways to surprise and thrill.

Whether it’s the traditional streets of the historic Phra Nakhon District that hasn’t changed much in 250 years or the ever-more extravagant rooftop bars at the apex of towering buildings that seem to sprout like mushrooms from the city’s concrete loam, Bangkok just can’t help itself but be extraordinary.

Here are five amazing things to do beyond the usual temple tours and night markets that will show you a whole new side to Bangkok and its surrounds.

Baan Bu Bronzeworks Community

Map reference

In ‘Little Bangkok’ or Bangkok Noi in the north of the city, the Baan Bu community is the last of the once-thriving bronze bowl industry in Bangkok.

The ‘khan long hin’ bowls — highly polished bronze bowls used in Buddhist ceremonies and once only found in high-class homes — are hand-crafted from pucks of bronze, heated and hammered over coal forges.

They’re then polished and buffed by hand until they shine like mirrors. Looking into them is like peering into a bowl of liquid gold.

This process comes down from ancient Siam, when Ayutthaya was the capital and Bangkok was still marshland.

Baan Bu, its forge and shop can be a bit tricky to find, but catching a train to Thon Buri Station will get you close. This station, by the way, is the very start of the famed Death Railway from WWII. Check out our story here.

Warehouse 30 Gallery

Map reference

Directly across the river from the Iconsiam shopping centre and sharing a wall with the Portuguese Embassy is a complex of repurposed warehouses that form this energetic creative space.

Here, contemporary artists have room to display their works — from paintings to full-blown sculptural installations — boutiques sell handicraft, workshops and vintage shops. You’ll also find a couple of cafes and bars here for refreshment, and even a spa if you feel like a massage or treatment.

The range of art here is impressive and constantly changing. Local and international creators display their works on a rolling programme so there’s always something new to see here in this vibrant, colour-filled corner of the city.

Jim Thompson House

Map reference

Close to the MBK Shopping Centre and on the banks of one of Bangkok’s many canals, the Jim Thompson House is a fascinating museum to the enigmatic entrepreneur and ex-CIA agent who single-handedly revitalised the Thai silk trade in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Regular tours go through Thompson’s rambling timber house, which he designed and built himself. You can see his various collections of art and objects, as well as learning more about his life — though it’s his mysterious disappearance in March 1967 that’s the most interesting part of the story.

There’s also a shop where you can buy Thai silk in all manner of products and there’s usually a silk-spinning demonstration going on.

What’s more, there’s even an excellent restaurant on site serving classic Thai dishes, though it’s more expensive than most eateries serving similar dishes around town.

You can see our write-up and video on the Jim Thompson House Museum here.

Royal Barges National Museum and Boatyard

Map reference

One of the stranger and more difficult-to-find museums in Bangkok, the Royal Barges Museum displays several traditional long-tail barges used exclusively by the Thai royal family.

Think being able to see the US presidential Beast or a ceremonial carriage of the British royal family up close.

In an undercover dock in the north of the city across the river from the National Museum and National Gallery, this is a working shipyard where highly-skilled craftspeople maintain these auspicious boats.

Getting here can be tricky. Trust your guide/Google Maps — the alleys and laneways seemingly through people’s back yards do lead to the museum in the end.

CBT Baan Don Kai Dee Benjarong Porcelain Art

Map reference

Southwest of Bangkok, Don Kai Dee (or ‘Don Ki Di’) is the home of Benjarong Porcelain — some of the most beautiful porcelain ware in the world.

You can watch the skilled craftspeople here hand paint elegant figures, pots, cups and plates, and even have a go yourself (it takes about an hour and the shop will send you your work once its been fired and glazed).

This delicate technique of intricate designs comes down from the Chinese Ming Dynasty, painting multiple colours onto fine white porcelain, and is the traditional Thai style. From 13th to 18th Centuries, this porcelain style was made exclusively for the Thai royal court.

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If you’ve been to any of Laos’ bordering neighbours of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and China, or if you know anything about them, you’ll find things eerily familiar when you’re in Laos; familiar, but not the same.

This feeling of cultural de ja vu is never stronger than in Laos’ food scene.

As we walk through the night markets of Luang Prabang or stop in at little local cafes in Vang Vieng, there are dishes we recognise, but that maybe have different English spellings or a twist on ingredients.

At first it’s unsettling.

We wonder if these are just a Lao interpretation of a Viet soup or a Thai curry, but it eventually dawns on us that perhaps this is the original dish and that it’s these other countries who have adapted it with their own take.

Or maybe its one of those moments when two things can be true at once.

Either way, there are many dishes in Laos that you have to try. Here are seven of our favourites.

For more of our stories and videos on Laos, click here!

We travelled through Laos with Inside Asia Tours. You can see the itinerary we took (and book it!) here.

Here are the hotels we stayed in while we were travelling through Laos if you’re looking for somewhere lovely yet local to stay.

7 Dishes To Eat In Laos

1. Duck Laab (spicy ‘meat salad’)

Made with spicy mince, lime juice, toasted ground rice, mint and chilli, laab is a common enough dish on the tables of Thailand. However, Thais usually make theirs with chicken.

The original Lao dish, which is where laab comes from btw, is made with duck.

The extra fat and flavour from the duck meat makes this richer and more satisfying — though I’ll take laab however it comes!

2. Kanom Krok (coconut pancakes)

We first fell in love with this sweet street-food snack in a food court in Bangkok, and every time we’re in Thailand we hunt it out. Crispy on the outside, and creamy and sweet in the middle, kanom krok are delicious.

So when we discovered there’s a version of kanom krok in Laos, we were stoked.

Often, vendors will put two together creating a ball. Don’t be put off by the eyeball aesthetic; these things are the best. Literally translated as ‘sweet hotplate’, these half-spherical treats are essentially tiny coconut cream pancakes made in a special griddle.

Thais tend to add different toppings like crispy onion, sweetcorn or taro, whereas Laotians often leave their kanom krok plain. Having said that, we have found both in both countries.

3. Ua Si Khai (lemongrass chicken)

Quite an unusual dish, Ua Si Khai translates as ‘lemongrass stuffed chicken’ and is traditional Lao cuisine.

Basically, it’s spiced chicken mince that’s stuffed into a split lemongrass stalk and grilled. The fusion of lemongrass into the mince is delicious, though it can be frustrating to eat as extracting the chicken is a bit tricky. Worth the effort though.

This dish can also be made with minced pork, though chicken is more traditional and is the ‘khai’ part of the dish’s name.

4. Lao Khao Soi (pork noodle soup)

Khao Soi is popular in northern Thailand, and there’s a similar version in Vietnam (we’ve heard it called ‘spaghetti pho’, which I think is quite funny), but the Lao Khao Soi — khao soi from Laos — is our favourite.

This hearty, spicy street food is basically a noodle soup with a rich base of chicken stock and bolognese-style tomato and pork. The noodles are usually fat rice noodles that really grip the soup well.

We first experienced Lao Khao Soi in the night market in Luang Prabang. We went back to the same stall every night we were there — even if we’d already had dinner!

5. Aw Lam (royal eggplant stew)

Sadly, we only found this dish in one little cafe in Vang Vieng, but Aw Lam is famous in Laos for being a royal dish in Luang Prabang when it was the ancient capital.

This stew has a rich peppery stock base, but instead of ground meat, this one uses minced eggplant to add texture and body. Traditionally, sliced beef or chicken is added to the top, but in this case, the cafe uses pork, along with snake beans and steamed greens.

You eat this stew with sticky rice and try to resist the temptation of ordering a second bowl when you’ve finished.

6. Sticky Rice

We couldn’t write about Lao food without mentioning sticky rice. As much as laab is Laos’ national dish, so sticky rice is the number one staple. In fact, it’s an addiction for most Lao people.

The way to eat sticky rice is to pull a chunk off with your fingers and squeeze it into shape. You can use it to dip in sauces or fashion a spoon with it to scoop up food.

Sticky rice adds so much texture and sweetness to a main dish, but is so important to Laotian way of life, it is its own entity as well.

7. Kaipen (crispy river weed)

One of our favourite snacks in Laos — especially in Luang Prabang — is kaipen. It looks like Japanese nori seaweed at first, but this is in fact dried river weed.

The process for making this snack is quite laborious, but after pounding and washing it for hours, then boiling it in stock and squashing it, and then drying it for several more hours, this deep green crispy morsel is covered in toasted sesame seeds.

It’s one of the most satisfying beer snacks we’ve discovered since we came across taralli in Puglia.

We travelled as media to Laos with Inside Asia Tours, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post 7 Things You Must Eat In Laos appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Running down the western border of Thailand in the province of Kanchanaburi, the River Kwai is one of the most important landmarks of the historic Thai-Burma Train Line – the aptly named Death Railway.

While we were visiting this fascinating part of Thailand, we stayed at the Hintok River Camp, right on the banks of the Kwai.

Now a luxury glamping resort, Hintok is also part of the history of the Death Railway. The camp is on the site of a PoW internment where British soldiers, captured by the Japanese Imperial Army in WWII, were forced to work on the rail line.

The resort has kept the name of the military prison and labour camp that once stood here, but thankfully living conditions are now quite the opposite to what the site’s original occupants had to endure.

Hintok River Camp is part of the boutique Serenata Hotels and Resorts Group. As you can see from the other sites in the portfolio, focus is on unique locations, clever construction and luxury design.

This tracks with Hintok, but I must say, some of the other hotels look incredible, and most of them are located in Kanchanaburi.

For more of our stories from Thailand, click here.

Find some of the best tours of the Death Railway and Kanchanaburi here.

Check out these other accommodation options and great rates in Kanchanaburi.

Hintok River Camp — glamping on an historic WWII site

Accommodation here is camping in name only. Our ‘tent’ — if you can call it that — has its own veranda and is big enough to house a king double and a king single as well as all the other furniture and trimmings.

It even has air conditioning.

But the best is yet to come. At the back of the tent is a full solid-wall bathroom with hot and cold running water, a flush toilet and power shower.

Out on the veranda, we can relax at the outdoor table setting or in the recliner deckchairs.

This is definitely not how I remember camping to be when I was growing up, but I tell you what, I could get used to it!

Around Hintok River Camp

A meandering path leads you through the beautifully maintained grounds to various hammocks and hang-out spots, daybeds and cabanas dotted around the lush gardens, as well as the other tents, and to astounding views over the river.

And it’s down by the river that you find some of the best parts of this resort.

Down a flight of steps, we find the rock pools, which are fed by a natural spring that emerges from the cliff. From the pools, you can look out over the flowing river and the broad forested landscape as you cool down in the refreshing spring water.

Down at the water’s edge, the hotel’s pontoon floats on the rapid eddying waters of the River Kwai. This waterside deck and the elevated cliff-edge pools give the resort an extra touch of glamour and uniqueness.

Up above, the resort bar has prime views over the jungle-edged water as the sun sets.

In the evening, as the resort’s lights come on, dinner beckons us to the camp’s al fresco dining option. Paper lanterns and broad timber tables are spread across the lawn while staff wait behind buffet carts that cover two sides of the area.

Here we find all kinds of delectable Thai dishes from soups and curries to satay and salads, it’s hard to stop ourselves going back for more.

In the morning, breakfast is under the straw roofs of the main building. This is also a buffet style situation and there are plenty of options — both western and Thai. There’s also an egg station where you can get made-to-order omelettes.

And if you feel the need for more coffee throughout the day, there’s also a stand-alone barista-style cafe in the gardens.

Hintok River Camp Museum

To pay homage to the history of the camp, there’s a small museum that tells the story of this place. This site held captive 200 British prisoners of war while they were forced to work on nearby Compressor Cutting as part of Japanese war efforts in Asia.

There are some interesting details of what life was like for the soldiers and the harrowing conditions they had to endure. But it also goes into the pre-history of the site. In the 1990s, the owner discovered a refuse pit used by the camp.

When he excavated it, he began finding neolithic artefacts that date back as far as 10,000 years, showing how important this site has been over the millennia.

Hellfire Pass and the War Memorial

The other great thing about Hintok River Camp is its proximity to Hellfire Pass.

Running for 75m, Hellfire Pass – also known as Konyu Cutting – delves 25m into the hillside and is wide enough for a train to run through.

At the end of the cutting is a dell where the Allied War Memorial and cenotaph stands. Usually, it’s quiet here, but on important dates like ANZAC Day, this area is packed with people paying their respects.

It’s a haunting feeling, to walk through the cutting. The knowledge that these cliffs that loom up either side of you were cut and moved by the hands of forced labour.

The workers — both captured soldiers and indentured civilians — suffered so much here. And all because the war demanded the Japanese needed supplies quicker to a western outpost. It’s the horrors of war in hard rock.

You’ll also find the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre here. This museum to the railway looks out over the jungle and river system that paid witness to the horrors of the work camps in the 1940s.

The centre tells the story of Hellfire Pass and of other cuttings along the line. But most of all, it does well to make sense of a mindless moment in human history that makes no sense at all.

Visiting the Death Railway and staying at Hinton River Camp is a travel experience that will stay with us forever.

We stayed as media guests of Hintok River Camp courtesy of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Where to stay on the Death Railway Trail, Thailand — Hintok River Camp appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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I wipe sweat from my eyes as we stare at what’s in front of us. Although we’ve been on the road for two days to get here, it’s still so striking I’m struggling to collect my thoughts.

And although we’ve just got out of the van’s air conditioning, my clothes are stuck to me and my water bottle needs another refill.

Thailand in April has a reputation.

We’re looking out at a fairly simple steel bridge about 130m long with a single gauge train track running along it. Beneath it is a fast-running but otherwise unremarkable river.

The bridge has no name in spite of its infamy. Instead, it’s the river below that takes the title.

Thais call it Kwae Yai. We know it as the River Kwai.

Bridge Over The River Kwai And The Burma Railway

Running from Ban Pong near Bangkok 415km northwest to Thanbyuzayat in Myanmar, the aptly named Death Railway was a major project of the Japanese Imperial Army (JIA) in the later stages of World War II.

Planning to create supply routes between Thailand and the west coast of Burma (now Myanmar), the JIA built a train line through mountains and jungles, and over rivers.

They used Allied prisoners of war, captured in Singapore and Indonesia, and conscripted civilians from different parts of Asia as an enslaved labour force.

Between May 1942 and August 1943, 60,000 PoWs and 200,000+ civilians from around Asia worked on the line. More than 13,000 soldiers and up 80,000 Asian labourers lost their lives here. On average, 20 men died a day in those 15 savage months.

Much of the Death Railway has gone now, but a 120km stretch of track still operates, and what remains is heavy with history.

Here are 7 points along the Burma Railway that are well worth visiting to learn about this incredible epoch that had far-reaching impacts in Thailand and the world at large.

1. Thonburi Rail Station, Bangkok – where the Burma Railway began

Historically, Thonburi Station is the start of the Burma Railway that went from Bangkok all the way up to Thanbyuzayat in Myanmar some 415km north. The station was bombed by the Allies in WWII and rebuilt in the 1950s.

You can catch a train from this station, which is still considered the 0km mark for Bangkok train systems, and it’ll take you all the way to Kanchanaburi and the Death Railway proper.

2. Ban Pong — historic Burma Railway begins

About 70km west of Bangkok’s Thonburi Station, Ban Pong is the first stop on the Namtok Line, the track on the original supply line of the Burma Railway.

Although we didn’t join the train trip here, we did stop for lunch. Highly recommended is the Rain Tree Cafe 10 minutes up the road from the station on the banks of the Mae Klong River.

One thing I really wasn’t expecting to find (or like for that matter) was a local specialty ‘coffee orange’. Half fresh orange juice and half cold brew coffee, this drink sounds pretty awful, but it’s surprisingly tasty and even better on a hot day.

I’ll be keeping this idea in my pocket for the heat of the Sydney summer for sure.

3. Bridge over the River Kwai

The Mae Klong River winds through southern Kanchanaburi to join the famous River Kwai and its bridge, and then on to the sea.

You get a solemn thrill seeing the bridge for the first time. The curved arches on either bank are the originals from WWII, but the middle square sections are replacements from where Allied forces blew it up in 1945.

You can walk across the bridge along the train tracks, which is quite a strange sensation. Especially as trains do still run along here.

It’s hard to imagine, with all the hotels, restaurants, shops and market stalls lining the river, that this was once a place of torment, struggle and death.

4. Kanchanaburi War Cemetery and Museum

A little way downstream from the bridge is Don Rak, the biggest Allied war cemetery in Thailand.

Here, 6,858 war graves mark the final resting place of Australian, New Zealand, British and Dutch soldiers lost in the construction of the Burma-Siam Railway.

The cemetery is beautifully maintained. Headstones are clean and polished, and the grass and pretty shrubs are in good order.

Down the road is the Thailand-Burma Railway Centre, an excellent museum that shows what the conditions were like, the purpose of the railway and many more details.

5. Hellfire Pass or Konyu Cutting — Anzac memorial and museum

For us, the most significant site of the Burma Railway is Hellfire Pass. This place brings into sharp focus the horrors and insurmountable tasks the PoWs had to endure. Hellfire Pass — or Konyu Cutting — is the deepest and longest section of excavation along the railway.

Men hacked and chipped their way through solid rock on no sleep, no food, no water, and the threat of pain and death always hanging over them. The cutting runs 25 metres deep and 75 metres long, and is wide enough for a train to fit through.

At the end of the cutting is the ANZAC Memorial where the Dawn Service is held on 25th April every year. We were lucky enough to be able to attend the Dawn Service here. Outside Europe, this is one of the few memorials that hold such a ceremony in a place that has seen active conflict.

It’s an immensely thought-provoking place that brings to life the enormity of what the soldiers who suffered here had to endure.

While you’re here at Konyu Cutting, make sure you also visit the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre and Memorial Walkway.

This museum has some fascinating (and haunting) exhibits, which start with sounds of steel hammers on stone and a narrow corridor representing the cutting. On the walls are the names of the men who worked on the railway.

They cover both walls, floor to ceiling.

6. Hintok River Camp

There are plenty of places to stay around the area, including in Kanchanaburi Town itself. We stayed close to Hellfire Pass at the Hintok River Camp.

Once a labour camp for British PoWs working on nearby Compressor Cutting, this site is now a glamping resort.

There are plenty of nods to its history, including the replica guard tower at the entrance, but thankfully it’s nothing like what the site’s previous occupants would’ve had to put up with.

The ‘tents’ are extremely comfortable — with a full bathroom, kingsize bed and even a/c. Breakfast and dinner are served here at the camp, there’s a pool and deck out on the river, and you can even grab a massage at the on-site spa!

A long way indeed from the conditions of the 1940s.

7. Nam Tok Station – the end of the line

This is our last stop on the Burma-Siam Railway. From here, you can board one of the old mulberry and gold carriages of a heritage train.

It’s a strange, conflicting feeling riding this line.

On one hand, you’re appalled at the brutality that occurred here. On the other, you can’t help but feel impressed by what these men were able to achieve under such conditions.

And yet still more conflicting are the views from the train windows, which are at times so beautiful, it’s easy to forget the real reason you’re taking this ride. The curve of the track shows the train’s flank and the timber trestles as it leans against the edges of cliffs.

Occasionally, the river comes into view following the train, and running fast through fields and amongst little villages that roll on by.

It’s an iconic train ride in a place that brings deep reflection.

We travelled as media with Tourism Authority of Thailand and Intrepid Travel, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post 7 Points On The Burma Railway You Must See appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Luang Prabang is a beautiful riverside town in central-northern Laos and was once home to the Lao royal family before revolution in 1975.

Before that, centuries ago, it was also the capital city of the country.

Add to that spectacular rivers and waterfalls, wildlife programmes for asiatic black bears, water buffalo and Asian elephants, and even UNESCO protection of the city, and you begin to see why Luang Prabang is such a special place.

The Maison Dalabua, in central Luang Prabang, is a Lao-owned hotel that’s been in the family for generations. Its name is a fusion of French and Lao cultures and means House of the Lotus Princess.

Check out our video walkthrough of the Maison Dalabua:

This hotel was included in our 10-day itinerary around Laos that began in the capital Vientiane and travelled north to Vang Vieng before ending here in Luang Prabang.

You can book this same trip and its activities with InsideAsia’s Laos by Rail itinerary here.

And if you want to know what Laos is like, take a look at our video featuring these three very different cities as we travel through them.

We travelled in Laos via the country’s new high-speed train, which we’ve also reviewed. You can see that write-up here.

Staying in Maison Dalabua, you understand that you’re staying in a part of Laos. So many hotels lose the sense of where they are, but this hotel fits so well within the culture of Laos generally and Luang Prabang specifically.

Even the three lily ponds in the hotel’s grounds are UNESCO-classified.

Around the Grounds of Maison Dalabua

Tropical plants and palm trees fill every spare metre here. Timber walkways and bridges lead you over the water from the comfortable reception all the way to the hotel’s bar and restaurant, Manda de Lao, which looks out over one of the ponds.

As we explore more of the hotel, we find more interesting little touches like water features and lounges, cabinets full of ornaments and icons, and artworks on walls.

The hotel pool looks extremely welcoming in the heat of the Lao summer. It is, however, really quite cold. Call me a wimp (Christina did), but it’s a bit too chilly for me.

There’s a day spa here, which is much more my style, offering a range of relaxing treatments. You can also book all kinds of tours and experiences at reception, not least hiring pushbikes to get around town.

The Rooms At Maison Dalabua

There are several types of room here, including some beautiful studio and duplex apartments, and overwater bungalows that sit out over the lily ponds.

Our room — a Grand Deluxe Heritage room — is on the first floor and is full of that clever blend of Lao and French colonial decor that Luang Prabang seems to have mastered.

Rich timber floors and ceilings lead to elegant French windows that open out onto a small balcony with leafy views of the grounds.

The room’s comfortably furnished with an enormous bed and teak cabinetry that fits in well.

However, the bathroom has one of those strange windows looking into the bedroom that seem popular in SE Asia. There is a blind you can pull down for privacy, but you know what makes a bathroom more private? No windows!

Inside the bathroom, there’s a bath, which is a nice surprise, and a large shower room too. But the modern grey concrete walls here seem at odds with the rest of the hotel’s vintage aesthetic.

On the whole though, this is a lovely room with nods in particular to the cottage industry of cotton textiles and weaving that’s still an important part of life in the province.

Dining at Maison Dalabua

Breakfast at Maison Dalabua happens in the Manda de Lao restaurant.

You’ll find herbal teas and coffee here, and a lovely range of Lao dishes to choose from at the buffet. There are also a la carte options you can order too.

In the evening, this becomes not only the hotel’s restaurant, but a dining destination for many people in the city.

Beautifully plated dishes combine French and Lao techniques and ingredients for tempting a la carte and set-menu formats.

And if you only have time for a quick drink, the bar here is the perfect spot for a house cocktail or a cheeky BeerLao looking out over the lilies and lotus flowers of the pond as the sun sets.

We loved our time in Luang Prabang, but staying at Maison Dalabua made the visit all the more special.

We stayed at Maison Dalabua as media with InsideAsia Tours, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Laos Hotels — where to stay in Luang Prabang appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Vang Vieng in northern Laos – about an hour from the capital on the new fast train – has long had a reputation for being a backpacker haven which began in the late 1990s and grew to its breaking point. But things are changing here.

At its peak in the late ‘00s, the town’s tourism boom drew hoards of revellers until the government finally shut it down in 2012.

Vang Vieng had developed a reputation for a crazy, anything-goes party town. Cheap booze flowed as fast as the stony Nam Song River, which carried thrill-seeking drinkers down to waterside bars on inner tubes (aka tubing) for shots and all-night hooleys.

And people were willing to stay in the cheapest most squalid accommodation for the experience.

But since the 2012 crackdown, Vang Vieng has diversified its tourism offerings.

You can still bob down the river in kayaks and inner tubes, but the waterside bars offering drinking games, hooch and — ahem — other consumables have all but gone or have at least cleaned up their acts.

Instead, Vang Vieng has brought focus back to the natural beauty and culture that attracted visitors in the first place — before things started getting out of hand.

The Riverside Boutique Resort is a gleaming example of this change.

Vang Vieng’s Riverside Boutique Resort

On the banks of the fast-flowing Nam Song River, the aptly named Riverside Boutique Resort is a low-key place with a pool, lush gardens, a lounge bar, restaurant and day spa.

From the hotel, views over the stony river follow the Nathong Valley and the magnificent towers of karst mountains that fill the horizon.

Meanwhile, its main entrance opens onto a little unsealed laneway, far from the main street and any traffic noise.

The rooms at the Riverside Boutique Resort

The resort has 34 rooms and suites, which means the grounds and facilities are never too busy.

Our room – a double deluxe on the first floor – is modern, but with plenty of traditional Laos styling. In fact, the rooms here are named after and separated by eight of the 49 recognised ethnic groups of Laos: the Akha, Hmong, Katu, Lanten, Lao Lum, Tai Daeng, Tai Lee and Yao.

We’re in one of the Hmong Rooms, named after Loas’ third largest ethnic group, and the decor and fabrics reflect this people’s culture.

Batiks on the fabrics are all handmade in Hmong style, and the ink drawings are by renowned artist Mick Saylom from Vientiane. The drawings show typical Hmong village life within the landscape of Vang Vieng.

I suppose the only let-down of the room is the shower, which is in a bath and has a shower curtain. For some reason, I find shower curtains in hotels unsettling.

Otherwise, its a lovely room and very comfortable.

The rest of the resort

The hotel’s restaurant has the illustrious sounding name of ‘Restaurant du Crabe d’Or’ — though in English, the Golden Crab Restaurant feels more Sponge Bob coded. The name, however, comes from one of the area’s most famous caves.

We don’t have chance to try the resort’s menus while we’re here unfortunately. There are just too many places in town to check out, but it looks nice enough inside.

The hotel bar is downstairs and there’s seating by the boundary wall overlooking the river’s edge — the perfect spot for a happy hour cocktail.

As the sun starts to set, hot air balloons come into view, sailing low over the Nathong Valley across the water.

It’s a beautiful spectacle, seeing balloons so close and the sun setting low over the mountains, though we’re not sure how safe it is as some almost touch down on the river or barely scrape the resort roofs as they float by.

In the morning, we head back to the Golden Crab for breakfast.

There’s plenty to choose from, including western options like bacon and chat potatoes in clay pots, but there’s also more local options including laab, fried rice and even dumplings.

We sit on the veranda, enjoy a well-made cappuccino and take in the dramatic views that Vang Vieng is so famous for, well set up for a day of adventure.

We stayed at the Riverside Boutique Resort as media with InsideAsia Tours, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Laos hotels – where to stay in Vang Vieng (that’s not a backpackers) appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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As you’d expect from any capital, Vientiane has plenty of hotel options. Not only is it the political and economic hub of Laos, it’s also the main international gateway to the country and right on the border of eastern Thailand.

But if you’re not after a big anonymous international hotel full of business travellers or large tour groups, this 55-room boutique hotel right in the centre of Vientiane is the place for you.

Check out our video walkthrough of the Lao Poet Hotel here:

Where to Stay in Vientiane, Laos — Lao Poet Hotel

Once the home of a famous local writer, the Lao Poet Hotel is a locally owned boutique hotel in the central Ban Haysoke District, surrounded by shops, markets and bars, and close to the river.

Everything about this hotel is quietly low-key, which matches Vientiane well. Decor and furniture reflect a comfortable, creative vibe with nods to Lao’s French influence, as well as the country’s many cultures and its close ties to Buddhism.

The lobby has a classical feel, full of French design and furniture, though mingled in with the European aesthetic is plenty of Laos too.

Check out our guide to Vientiane here for top tips on things to do, where to eat and how to get around this interesting city.

You can also find our full library of stories, guides and videos on Laos here, including our review of the state-of-the-art high-speed train that’s changed tourism in Laos.

Statues of elephants and water buffalo sit next to Parisian style cafe tables and photographs of Hmong and Yao Mien Laotians in traditional dress sit in teak art deco frames.

We stayed here at the Lao Poet Hotel as part of our trip with InsideAsia Tours on their outstanding Laos by Train itinerary. Check it out (and book it) here.

The Rooms at Lao Poet Hotel

Our room – an Urban Deluxe room – is small by Southeast Asian hotel standards, but well furnished and comfortable.

The hand-painted mural above bed is impressive and just one of the many artworks in the room and around the hotel. In fact, most of the rooms here have a unique mural above the bed, which is a lovely touch.

Attention to detail in the styling of the room makes such a difference, like traditional lantern style bed lamps and the work desk that feels like you should be penning some Hemingway-esque novel.

The bathroom is neat and modern with some nice design touches and sleek black marble walls around the sink and vanity.

However, the wall next to the shower is just glass, so you’d better have a good relationship with whoever you’re sharing the room with.

There is a blind you can pull down for privacy, but this seems to be a growing trend in SE Asian hotels and I’ve got to say: I’m not a fan.

What Else is There at the Lao Poet Hotel?

It’s up on the roof that you’ll find the real wow factor of this hotel where the rooftop infinity pool looks out over this low-slung little city.

Even though you’re only up six or seven storeys, you get views out over the rooftops of Vientiane all the way to the Mekong River and the Thai border beyond.

Next to the pool is a beautiful leafy lounge perfect for a sundowner or an intimate dinner, and if you’re in need of a pampering, there’s a small day spa and massage room on the fifth floor.

Breakfast here is served in the sunny restaurant next to reception, where you’ll find a generous spread of the freshest fruit you’ll ever eat and a new favourite discovery: pineapple jam!

There’s also toast and butter, and you can also order eggs a la carte, but — to my doctor’s glee — there’s no bacon in the buffet.

You can also order any coffee you can think of (Laos’ coffee scene is better than most European countries) and best of all, this savoury pancake.

Filled with chicken mince and beansprouts and somehow crispy and chewy at the same time, it’s similar to Vietnamese bahn xeo. I still have dreams about this delicious morning morsel!

The Lao Poet Hotel is a great place to base yourself in this funny little city — a city where the French colonial influence is still clear to see, but that also has so much of its own culture to get to know.

We travelled as media with InsideAsia Tours, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Laos Hotels — where to stay in Vientiane appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Girt by Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and China, Laos is the missing central piece of the puzzle that makes up the Southeast Asian peninsula.

Often overlooked by travellers in favour of its many neighbours, Laos is still quite new to tourism. This makes it such an attractive option for those of us in search for something different in the region.

Book your Laos by Train journey with InsideAsia Tours here.

Until recently, backpackers made up the majority of visitors to Laos. But since new roads and — even better — a high-speed rail line has come to the country, the travel demographic has expanded.

Taking advantage of the train means you can easily, quickly and comfortably travel between three of the most popular destinations in Laos: Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang.

Check out our video that takes you through all three of these unique and beautiful destinations in Laos:

Here’s a brief rundown of the full itinerary. For more detail, we’ve got separate stories on each of the three destinations — Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang — here.

To skip to each town in this itinerary, click on the links below and you’ll jump down to the destination:

– Skip down to Vientiane

– Skip down to Vang Vieng

– Skip down to Luang Prabang

Vientiane to Luang Prabang – Laos by Rail with InsideAsia Tours

We travelled with InsideAsia Tours, a global tour operator that creates fully tailored cultural adventures around Asia and that takes the tricky/boring bits out of visiting new places and turns your holiday into an experience you’ll always remember.

InsideAsia Tours is part of Inside Travel Group and sister brand of InsideJapan Tours. This award-winning tour operator specialises in ‘cultural adventure’ tourism across Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

Focus is always on getting travellers beneath the surface of their destination and giving them a taste of local life wherever their adventure takes them. That’s certainly what we’ve found travelling in Laos with InsideAsia.

For the most part, you have a personal guide and driver taking you round the attractions during the day, then in the evening you’re free to do as you wish.

Day 1: Flight to Vientiane

Regular flights from major Australian cities fly via Bangkok to Vientiane. The connection is usually with a local carrier into Laos.

Day 2: Day to explore

We booked an extra day in Vientiane so we could acclimatise and explore on our own. We wander the city, check out a few nearby temples, discover strange little bars like The Office and Laodi Bar, and settle in to our hotel – the Lao Poet Hotel in Ban Haysoke District.

Day 3: Touring Vientiane

Our guide Sakhoe and his driver take us around a range of Buddhist temples and the national monument, the grand Patuxay. We also visit the COPE Visitor Centre, telling the story of how Laos is the world’s most bombed country.

We then drive to Lao Disabled Women’s Centre that helps disabled, disadvantaged and vulnerable Lao women learn crafts and other skills.

Finally, we head to Buddha Park, a sculpture park with over 200 Buddhist and Hindu statues.

Back in the city and left to our own devices, we check out the Lao Night Market for some dinner.

Day 4: Train to Vang Vieng

Sakhoe takes us to the train station from our hotel. Built in 2021, this slick high-speed rail service has improved travel through Laos hugely.

It takes just over an hour to reach Vang Vieng.

Day 5: Ballooning and hiking in Vang Vieng

At dawn, we’re picked up from our accommodation — the Riverside Boutique Hotel — for a hot-air balloon ride with Above Laos. The views from our basket of the karst mountains and rice fields are magnificent.

Next we meet Toh, our local Kmhmu guide, who takes us on a cultural hike. We walk through rice fields, learn about his people and their way of life, meet a blacksmith and have lunch with two Kmhmu women.

Day 6: Train to Luang Prabang for a city tour & an ancient Baci ceremony

Our morning train ride to Luang Prabang is under an hour — a journey that can take around eight hours by bus.

Our guide, AK, takes us around the city to visit temples, to the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre and to look at the two rivers that converge here.

After lunch, he drops us off at our hotel, Maison Dalabua.

In the afternoon, AK takes us to meet Tiao Nith — Nithakhong Somsanith — a Lao artist and member of the former royal court.

Here, we also have a Baci (‘bah-chi’) ceremony, an ancient Sanskrit celebration that pre-dates Buddhism.

Day 7: Waterfalls, rice farms and buffalo

We travel into the countryside to the Living Land Farm to learn about growing Laos’ food staple: sticky rice.

This is a hands-on experience where we get into the mud to plant seeds, plough the paddy and harvest the crop with rice sickles. All up, there are 14 fascinating steps involved.

Next we travel to the stunning Huang Si Waterfalls where we have lunch and then a dip in the cascades. This is a busy area, especially at weekends, but our guide AK whisks us through masses.

Finally, we visit the Water Buffalo Dairy Farm. This ingenious endeavour ‘rents’ buffalo from locals in a form of agistment. We learn about the processes involved and get to interact with these friendly beasts.

Day 8: Elephants and a sunset river cruise

Our last day of the itinerary takes us to MandaLao Elephant Conservation sanctuary. This is the only ethical elephant sanctuary in Luang Prabang — perhaps in all Laos. If you want to see Asian elephants, this is the place to come.

We get to feed the elephants and hike with them, but there’s no riding or washing them here. This is an incredible experience in a centre is focused on the mental and physical well-being of the animals.

After lunch, we journey back to town for a sunset cruise on the Mekong River. We spend the next hour and a half floating down one of Asia’s great rivers in our own private longboat with a bottle of good wine and delicious snacks.

The golden sun setting across the water is a wonderful end to our itinerary.

Day 9: Day to ourselves

As in Vientiane, we have booked an extra day in Luang Prabang so we can explore the town by ourselves and get to know the place a little better.

We roam the little laneways and laid-back streets until it’s time to eat (or cool down with a beer). Little cafes and markets are all over the place, and in the evening, the night market runs through most of the town until late.

Day 10: Flight home

Our flight home leaves at a very civilised 2.45pm. As we soar south over the Mekong where it splits into its famous 4,000 Islands, it’s as if the shimmer of the water is waving us goodbye.

We hope it won’t be long before we’re back. Laos, you have our hearts.

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