With its lack of paved roads or footpaths (sidewalks) - even when present the lat­ter are often uneven - Laos presents many physical obstacles for people with mobil­ity impairments. Rarely do public build­ings feature ramps or other access points for wheelchairs, nor do most hotels make efforts to provide access for the physically disabled, the few exceptions being in the top end. Hence you're pretty much left to your own resources. Public transport is par­ticularly crowded and difficult, even for the fully ambulatory.

For wheelchair users, any trip to Laos will require a good deal of advance planning. Fortunately a growing network of informa­tion sources can put you in touch with those who may have wheeled through Laos before. International organizations with information on travel for the mobility-impaired include:

Access-Able Travel Source (www.access-able.com)

Accessible Journeys (Tel: 610-5210339; www.disabilitytravel.com)

Mobility International USA (541-3431284; www .miusa.org)