When Michael and Vicki Cowan began planning their last holiday their one priority was to spend as much time as possible together.

Should they tour the canals of Venice on gondola or maybe hire a car and discover the historic castles of Bavaria?

After much discussion and taking into account recommendations from friends, Michael and Vicki decided to take the road least travelled and spend five weeks cycling around Laos.

"We were told that if we liked Vietnam then Laos was even better," said Vicki.

Laos is a landlocked country bordering China, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

In 2007 the population was estimated at around 6.5 million making it one of the least densely inhabited countries in the world.

In 1949 Laos gained its independence from France, becoming a communist state 26 years later after a long and protracted civil war.

"We had been there once before for a three week holiday," said Michael who was more than happy to return and further explore the countryside.

Prior to leaving for Laos, Malcolm and Vicki decided they would not take anything they weren't prepared to lose and made a point of taking as little luggage as possible.

"I'm fat and not very fit," explained Vicki who had to go into training in order to prepare for such a mammoth undertaking.

When the Cowans finally arrived in Laos it was the beginning of the rainy season which meant progress was sometimes slow and stilted, but they soon discovered every cloud had a silver lining.

"We'd be in a rural area sheltering from a deluge and within 10 minutes we'd be surrounded by a dozen curious children," said Vicki.

"We couldn't speak the language but we communicated through smiles and laughter," Michael explained.

Like most western tourists, Michael and Vicki began their journey in Laos highly security conscious, locking their bikes whenever they needed to go indoors.

They soon realised their concerns of property theft were unfounded.

"Within four or five days we stopped locking our bikes as we never felt as if people would steal from us," said Vicki.

When it came to navigating the roads and traffic Michael said they always felt perfectly safe.

"We were very happy cycling around in peak hour traffic. Navigation wasn't a problem at all."

Although the challenge of cycling 1900 kilometres cannot be underestimated, for Vicki the most confronting aspect of the journey was sitting down to eat.

"I was on a vegetarian diet for the five weeks we were away," said Vicki who avoided dog meat, frog soup and the various reptiles and marsupials for sale in many of the village food markets they encountered on their trip.

Culinary issues aside, Vicki said she had no complaints about the accommodation despite the fact clean sheets and hot water were in short supply.

"The accommodation cost about $4 a night which was perfectly affordable," said Michael who was grateful they didn't encounter one leaky roof during their five weeks away.

Like most adventure holidays however, Vicki said not every day was terribly exciting.

"At one stage I never thought it would never end," said Vicki who admitted to the occasional travel tantrum.

"I sat on the ground one day with no intention of moving then the ants started biting me so I had to get up and go on."

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2008/11/27/2431303.htm?site=hobart