Buy Used
Used - Good See details
$4.91 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Fulfilled by Amazon

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Lonely Planet Laos (Country Guide)
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Lonely Planet Laos (Country Guide) [Paperback]

Andrew Burke (Author)
2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews) |

Available from these sellers.


Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --   -- --
Paperback --   -- --
Paperback, August 1, 2007 --   -- --
There is a newer edition of this item:
Lonely Planet Laos (Country Travel Guide) Lonely Planet Laos (Country Travel Guide) 3.5 out of 5 stars (2)
$15.97
In Stock.

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2007 | Series: Country Guide
Discover Laos

Weave your own path through the temple-lined streets of World Heritage-listed Luang Prabang.
Find out why Katang villagers sleep with their heads pointed towards an outside wall.
Explore the ancient Khmer's 'imitation of heaven' at mystical Wat Phu Champasak.
Join locals for a riverside Beerlao as the sun sets over the Mekong in Vientiane.

In This Guide:

Three authors, 1472 hours of on-the-road research, 61 maps
Our guide is dedicated to providing travelers with environmentally and culturally aware travel advice
Visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveler insights

Editorial Reviews

Review

Nobody covers the world like Lonely Planet.' --New York Post, May 2004

From the Publisher

Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travelers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travelers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
* When we update our guidebooks, we check every listing, in person, every time.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travelers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travelers; not clouded by any other motive.

What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 372 pages
  • Publisher: Lonely Planet; 6 edition (August 1, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1741045681
  • ISBN-13: 978-1741045680
  • Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #845,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Joe Cummings Page
Joe Cummings
Joe Cummings was born in New Orleans, and raised in California, France and Washington DC. In high school he developed a taste for rock guitar and subversive politics, playing in a succession of garage bands while publishing an underground newspaper. After he graduated from college, the Peace Corps granted his request to be posted to Thailand, where he served as an English lecturer at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology in Bang Mot, Thonburi. He later earned a master's degree in South Asian Civilization from the University of California at Berkeley, and was a scholar in residence at the East-West Center in Hawaii. His Thailand guide for Lonely Planet was the first guidebook to that country written in English since 1928. An instant success, it remains one of the bestselling guidebook ever published. He has authored over 35 other books, including coffeetable books, phrasebooks and travelogues. Joe has twice been honoured with the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Gold Award and is also a recipient of Mexico's Pluma de Plata (Silver Quill) for outstanding foreign journalism on Mexico. He never gave up the guitar, and continues to jam regularly at clubs in Thailand, where he makes his home.


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Contrary to what several other reviewers have posted, this is in fact a surprisingly thorough guidebook to a locale that's only in recent years been opened up to the public, particularly tourists.

There isn't a lot of material in English about Laos, and Cummings makes a good attempt at showing us the deep richness of Laos and the fascinating aspects of the culture.

He approaches Laos with respect, and not like some rampaging farang looking for a good time at the expense of the natives.

It's a guidebook that tries to honestly tell you something of the place.

Does it always succeed?

Perhaps not, but it's quite useful not only as a "guidebook" but a more condensed reference book about Laos, considering there are so few readable books about Lao culture, geography and society out there.

And having used it on my own month-long trip through Laos, it got me through things just fine. I also had a Let's Go guide, and between the two, I pitched Let's Go somewhere in Southeast Asia and still kept Cumming's book with me.

So I hope this review helps anyone thinking about this book.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
25 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have recently completed a 12-month backpacking journey around the world, a trip that included Laos. In each of the 20-some countries I visited, the Lonely Planet I carried proved invaluable. However, after having read some of the other Amazon reviews of the LP Laos book before using it, I was expecting this particular guide-book to be worthless. But in fact, after using Cummings' book for nearly a month in Laos, I was pleasantly surprised to find it as useful as any other LP that I have used. Actually, expecting this guide-book to be useless, I brought along another Laos guide-book, which proved to be much less useful on the road when used side-by-side with the LP.
Not only did I find the accomodation and eating sections for popular locations as accurate and update as I would expect, but Cummings' did a fine job of briefly describing many off-the-beaten-track places, providing initial ideas for numerous adventures into the unknown.
And of course, as in any country to see the "real-thing", it is always rewarding to venture to places that you have not read about in a guide book. For this reason, I would certainly not criticize Cummings for not writing more.
All in all, in my opinion this book certainly meets the lofty standards set by Lonely Planet.
A bit of advice to would-be travelers: During my 12 months of diligently using Lonely Planet guides, I have been amazed by the travel-blunders made by fellow travelers who have carried travel guides, but have not used them. Some travelers perfer to do it "on their own", but I have seen numerous costly, time-consuming, and uncomfortable mistakes made that could have been easily avoided if they would have simply consulted the book in their hands. A little diligence goes a long ways.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Julia
Format:Paperback
After using the Thailand Lonely Planet guide (also written by Joe Cummings) extensively this summer (it was extremely helpful), I found the Laos guide really disappointing.

Laos is changing at an alarming rate and a lot of the information in this guide was out of date. Also, unlike the Thailand guide which is quite detailed, I found this book to be kind of skimpy. The maps aren't very good, a lot of towns weren't included, transportation details were no longer correct or not included, and because of the surge in tourism and high inflation rate, the prices listed were meaningless.

Until edition 4 of the Laos Lonely Planet guide is published, I would recommend buying The Rough Guide Laos which was published in January 2000 and was getting good reviews from other tourists.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Handy
This guide is a little bit dated now but is still very useful for the maps and some easy tips on what you might expect in certain places. Read more
Published on March 1, 2010 by Adam J. Smith
Lonely Planet Laos 6 -- worth every kip
What a difference a new edition makes. Lonely Planet's brand new guidebook, Laos 6th edition, released August 2007, is easily the best on the market. Read more
Published on September 1, 2007 by Stuart McDonald
Not for everyone, but my choice Part 2
I agree 100% w/ Bryan below. (So, you could stop reading my review now) But when planning a trip to Laos, one needs to do allot of research on one's own. Read more
Published on May 14, 2007 by Kelly @ Mango
Great traveling companion
This book made traveling through Laos a fantastic experience. Though prices in the book can't keep up with increases, most of the information was very timely and accurate. Read more
Published on April 1, 2007 by C. Georgi
This guide was useful
When I first read the reviews at amazon, I thought I just ordered a worthless piece of paper. In fact that guide was as useful as I used lonely planet in other countries. Read more
Published on January 9, 2007 by Francis Theoret
Not a full update--Hua Phan Province info VERY out of day
I bought this edition for a bicycle trip across northern Laos, but was very disappointed with the very old and inaccurate information on Hua Phan Province in the northeast of the... Read more
Published on April 5, 2006 by William S. Weir
Great for the cities and history
If you are doing the regular two week route of Luang Phrabang - Vang Vieng - Vientiane, this is an outstanding book, despite the inevitable dating of hotel and restaurant info. Read more
Published on March 1, 2006 by Peter Keusgen
dangers and annoyances- this book
I'm sorry, but did the author even go to Laos before writing this book? Don't get me wrong- Joe Cummings does an excellent job in his Thailand books, however, in Laos, he falls... Read more
Published on April 12, 2004
road map for roadless country
Laos is an amazing place, almost without infrastructure, cars and factories. The Laotians are too poor even to have rich people. Read more
Published on March 28, 2002 by Erik Ringmar
Guide to nonexistent restaurants, old residences, old hotels
The problem with this guide is that, even though things have changed since the last revision, the guidebook hasn't. Read more
Published on March 8, 2002 by Timothy J. Triche, Jr.
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
phàa nung, héua wái, shared jumbo, khào niaw, khào pûn, ping kai, accommodation online, southern bus terminal, southern bus station, most guesthouses, longtail boat, laterite road, bamboo bungalows, ordination hall, including waiting time, limestone karsts
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Guest House, Luang Prabang, Luang Nam Tha, Vang Vieng, Huay Xai, Mekong River, Muang Sing, Tha Khaek, Sam Neua, Xieng Khuang, Wat Phu, Lao Development Bank, Nong Khiaw, Talat Sao, Lan Xang, Pak Beng, Bolaven Plateau, Don Khon, Don Det, Hua Phan, Thai Dam, Chao Anou, Don Daeng, Pha That Luang, Xieng Kok
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

Books on Related Topics (learn more)
 
 

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

› Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(4)
(2)
(1)
Agree with these tags?
See all 7 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

So You'd Like to...


Create a guide

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:











i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...