LTC - Lose yourself, Try something different and Come see the world
by Ben Copeland
One of the hardest decisions you have to make when traveling is where to go and how much time to spend there. Around the world every destination, every city, every village has a different experience to offer. Everyone is looking for that something that will leave an everlasting impression in their mind, if not their soul, the ultimate experience of a lifetime. The 20-day LTC was designed to see as much as possible in Laos, Thailand and Cambodia, and give people the opportunity to experience something different, something that goes above and beyond anything they have ever seen. Things like different cultural traditions, such as the “alms ceremony”, where the monks in Luang Prabang, Laos, wear their traditional orange monk robes, walk the streets early every morning to accept their daily food (alms). Or the history of Cambodia and Ankor Wat, a massive area of 12th century temples that still stand and carry with it much more history than many people realize. Of course there is the adventure aspect, zip lining or trekking through the jungles of Chiang Mai hoping to catch the glimpse of a monkey or maybe a tarantula. Not to mention the parties of Vang Vieng, Laos, that most people say can go unmatched by any party they have ever been to with trapeze like rope swings and 50ft long water slides that toss you into a river that’s lined with more bars per square metre than any pub street!
All this being said, the LTC allows all travelers to experience all of this which is much more than most people experience in a lifetime. Now the only issue is that’s a heck of alot of experiences to love and enjoy in only 20 days! However!! Now that this has all been changed, the trip now being a quarter longer with 5 extra days, allows the group to experience all of this with a breath of fresh air in between. Giving the trip even more of a ‘free’ and ‘easy’ vibe to it. And trust me, maybe 5 days doesn’t seem like a lot, but it adds more to the trip than you know! The extra days can be spent lounging maybe having a delicious foreign beer and just taking in the surrounding views of beautiful limestone cliffs that your eyes never thought they would fall on, or just walking around markets to see what weird and bizarre items are for sale. Personally, with the extra day added to Luang Prabang, I see myself renting a peddle bike and going exploring to parts of the town I have never been, maybe even purposely getting lost and see what I find or who I meet. In Siem Reap, maybe take another day to explore the ancient temples of Angkor Wat. In Vang Vieng, maybe I’ll go and have another day of party on the river with whoever is daring to do a second round! hahaha One thing is certain, these days will not go unused, that is for sure.
When i heard that there would be an extra 5 days added to the LTC, i said to myself, “Well its about time!” I am overwhelmed with excitement as we embark on a new and improved LTC, a trip that will continue to leave an impression on the minds and souls of those who are ready to experience something completely different, something unparallelled, something that won’t even be able to be put into words.
Photos by Simon Rumford.
