All posts filed under: Jason Rolan

Travel Gems: Phonhong, Vientiane

Greetings, travelers! Around 70km north of Vientiane lies the capital of Vientiane Province, Phonhong. It’s usually not even a blip on the tourist radar. It looks much like any other highway junction town; a few petrol stations, a market, and a handful of noodle stalls. But slow down, dig a little deeper, and you will find some fascinating things. To the west and south of the city lies the expansive Phou Phanang National Protected Area. Due to high levels of encroachment and fruit and rubber plantations, it’s now just a National Protected Area in name only. It is marked with large expanses of sandstone escarpment, hiding a couple of treasures for our visit today. Laos’ Grand Canyon View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jason Rolan (@jasonrolan) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jason Rolan (@jasonrolan) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jason Rolan (@jasonrolan) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jason Rolan (@jasonrolan)   Location: Sitting just a few kilometers west of Phonhong …

Staff Favorites: June – Who Is Your Favorite Fictional Father?

There are so many events and holidays that June brings around, but because we celebrated Mother’s Day (in our Little Laos way)…we felt it was only fitting that we also celebrate Father’s Day…with one twist. So, we asked our staff, “who is your favorite fictional father?” It goes without saying that, while mothers seem to instinctively know how to heat our tempers up, fathers are more of an X factor. Roll that dice! Is it a 5 hour long lecture where you become comatose and need mom to come give you a heart attack to revive you or did you roll a 6? Six is no good–that’s “do not pass go, do not collect $200” territory. Oh, a 3? Insert a sibling as a means of torture. Rolled a 4? BAM! Didn’t see that one coming, didya! Got a combo of any of the previously mentioned consequences? That’s lucky roll number 5. None of us have ever rolled a one, though. That’s territory I hope no one has ever found out the hard way. My …