What do you think?
Rate this book
One Foot in Laos
A renowned travel writer describes her journey into the small Southeast Asia country of Laos, a land of gentle and welcoming people who are still dealing with the repercussions of the Vietnam War and are confronted once again with the pressures and encroachment of the modern world.
284 pages, Hardcover
First published October 14, 1999
15 people are currently reading
472 people want to read
About the author
Dervla Murphy
52 books281 followersDervla Murphy’s first book, Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle, was published in 1965. Over twenty travel books followed including her highly acclaimed autobiography, Wheels Within Wheels.
Dervla won worldwide praise for her writing and many awards, including the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize, the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing and the Royal Geographical Award for the popularisation of geography.
Few of the epithets used to describe her – ‘travel legend’, ‘intrepid’ or ‘the first lady of Irish cycling’ – quite do justice to her extraordinary achievement.
She was born in 1931 and remained passionate about travel, writing, politics, Palestine, conservation, bicycling and beer until her death in 2022.
Dervla won worldwide praise for her writing and many awards, including the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize, the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing and the Royal Geographical Award for the popularisation of geography.
Few of the epithets used to describe her – ‘travel legend’, ‘intrepid’ or ‘the first lady of Irish cycling’ – quite do justice to her extraordinary achievement.
She was born in 1931 and remained passionate about travel, writing, politics, Palestine, conservation, bicycling and beer until her death in 2022.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 13, 2023
The indomitable Dervla Murphy ALMOST gets dominated in this worthy later addition to her oeuvre. The title is both a clever nod to her 1983 book Eight Feet in the Andes (in which she, her 9-year-old daughter and a mule explored the length of Peru), as well as a statement of fact, since early in this story she is involved in a traffic accident which leaves her crippled and hobbling around on one foot for the rest of her journey. But does that slow her down? Well, if you have to ask, you don't know Dervla.
I'd previously read her original (and excellent) India/Nepal trilogy - Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle, Tibetan Foothold and The Waiting Land: A Spell in Nepal - written in the mid-1960s. And while Laos maintains much of her trademark charm and all of her reckless indestructibility, it is also different in significant ways - which largely explains why some other reviews of this book describe Murphy as cranky, preachy, angry and overly-political. Because, well, much of that is frankly true - but with good reason; or indeed, several good reasons.
First off, SHE'S OLD. Murphy embarked on this journey as a 66-year-old "grannie," literally twice as old as when she and her trusty bicycle Roz undertook their first epic trip to India. And as someone who is also in his late sixties (although nowhere near as lively as Dervla), I can tell you that we geezers - our preferred term to "seniors" - have damn-well EARNED the right to be cranky, angry and opinionated. We worked hard and lived long so that someday we could make you listen to our endless stories about how much better travel was back in the '70s (much less '80s and - God forbid - '90s); to complain about today's budget airlines and spoiled "glampers," always wondering where they'll find the next Starbucks and believing that for enough money even they can haul their fat asses up Mount Everest. Believe me, being cranky and otherwise "colorful" is about the only true benefit of growing old - so sit down, shut up, and let us enjoy it!
But (and I realize this is a terrible segue) more seriously - and infinitely more important - is the fact that if the plight of any country and its people deserves our anger, crank and politicized viewpoints, it is probably Laos. Described by almost every travel writer (not just Murphy) as some of the nicest, most gentle and generous people in the world, the various ethnic and tribal groups of Laos are also among the world's most long-suffering. For well over a century, Laos has been abused by one foreign country (and ideology) after another, beginning with the French but then continuing with the Vietnamese, Americans and finally under their own ill-fitting Communist rulers and their "Western development" advisors.
Foremost among the many other plagues still afflicting this beautiful country - which include but are not limited to rampant deforestation to meet the insatiable hardwood demands of China and the West; and the unstoppable dam building which is well on its way to destroying much of Southeast Asia, Pakistan and India, and will most likely bring on the first of the "water wars" predicted for the mid-21st Century* - is most certainly the unforgivable amount of "UXO" (unexploded ordinance) that almost half a century later remains the most deadly after-effect of the Second Indochina War.** Because small as it is (roughly the size of Oregon, with a national population smaller than the urban populations of either Bangkok and Saigon), Laos lays claim to the title of MOST HEAVILY BOMBED COUNTRY IN WORLD HISTORY; a heart-breaking fact in itself, but one that becomes even worse as one considers the details:
- Between 1964-1973, the United States flew one bombing mission every eight minutes around the clock for eight years, resulting in over 2 million tons of bombs dropped, or roughly (based on the population at the time) one ton of bombs per person
- At the height of the war, the U.S. was spending $2 million per day on its bombing program, (while today Laos has a budget of just $1 million per year for bomb disposal; also, during a 1997 visit, Deputy SecState Strobe Talbott bragged about the U.S. providing "$1.5 million in equipment and training for the national program to clear the bombs" - again, less than one day's cost of dropping the damn things in the first place)
- According to a 2021 update from the UK-based Mines Advisory Group (MAG): a recent "milestone" had been reached with the removal of 300,000 "bomblets" since the program began (you can read more at https://reliefweb.int/report/lao-peop... ); however, with a total of 250-270 million cluster bombs dropped (sources site different numbers), and a failure-to-explode rate of 10-20% - that means they have so far removed less than 0.01 percent of all such ordinance
- As a result, uncountable Laotians (largely women and children) continue to be killed or horrifically maimed in the course of their daily lives - both in the villages and in the countryside - a situation which will continue into the unforeseeable future
So yeah, that.
(UPDATE: And so I just found the below in the excellent - and soon-to-be separately reviewed - Atlas of the Invisible: Maps & Graphics That Will Change How You See the World, which shows the extent of U.S. bombing across Southeast Asia. And while it looks like Vietnam took the brunt of this damage, Laos remains per capita the most bombed country in history):
But back to Ms. Murphy, who - I again have to emphasize - at age 66 regularly biked and hiked up to 60-70 miles a day with a wonky foot over some of the most inhospitable terrain in Southeast Asia, (and so unless you can do the same, you may want to keep some of your harsher criticisms to yourself): sure, she did tend to get a little political and edgy and preachy with her anti-development, anti-tourist and generally anti-Western-influence views - but I can't in all honesty say she was ever truly wrong. Still, however, the overall effect was to somewhat dilute her usual persona as the "charming if eccentric Irish traveler," which is why I've only given this book 4 stars instead of her usual 5. And so if you are new to this author - and unless you have a particular interest in the sad plight of Laos - I would probably recommend starting with any of her earlier works.
GLOSSARY: As usual with British or Irish writers, I always come away with a few new words. In this case, swidden, usufruct, spelean and bonham. Look 'em up.
PERSONAL NOTE: Laos and Burma remain the only two countries in Southeast Asia which I have never visited. However, I do have a rather creepy connection to Laos and it's "Secret War." When I first moved to Taipei in 1978, I befriended a young - and frankly brilliant - expat graphic artist named Andy Unger. It was only later that I learned he was the son of Leonard Unger, the last U.S. Ambassador in Taiwan (before Jimmy Carter switched recognition to "Mainland China") - who prior to that posting had been the ambassador to Thailand from 1967-1973 (during the height of U.S. bombing, all of which was based out of Thailand); and before that had been ambassador to Laos from 1962-1964 (the run-up America's involvement in the war). He obviously left Taiwan when they shuttered the embassy in early 1979 (although Andy stayed on for a number of years), and so I only met him a couple of times at various functions - seemed like a nice enough guy; but I was only 25 years old at the time and so didn't know shit about shit yet…still, looking back now it seems kind of like one of those "wow, I had dinner once with Hannibal Lecter" experiences.
____________________________________
* For more on this, you can read Michael Buckley's excellent (if ultimately repetitive) Meltdown in Tibet: China's Reckless Destruction of Ecosystems from the Highlands of Tibet to the Deltas of Asia.
** Erroneously and inaccurately known in America as "the Vietnam War."
I'd previously read her original (and excellent) India/Nepal trilogy - Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle, Tibetan Foothold and The Waiting Land: A Spell in Nepal - written in the mid-1960s. And while Laos maintains much of her trademark charm and all of her reckless indestructibility, it is also different in significant ways - which largely explains why some other reviews of this book describe Murphy as cranky, preachy, angry and overly-political. Because, well, much of that is frankly true - but with good reason; or indeed, several good reasons.
First off, SHE'S OLD. Murphy embarked on this journey as a 66-year-old "grannie," literally twice as old as when she and her trusty bicycle Roz undertook their first epic trip to India. And as someone who is also in his late sixties (although nowhere near as lively as Dervla), I can tell you that we geezers - our preferred term to "seniors" - have damn-well EARNED the right to be cranky, angry and opinionated. We worked hard and lived long so that someday we could make you listen to our endless stories about how much better travel was back in the '70s (much less '80s and - God forbid - '90s); to complain about today's budget airlines and spoiled "glampers," always wondering where they'll find the next Starbucks and believing that for enough money even they can haul their fat asses up Mount Everest. Believe me, being cranky and otherwise "colorful" is about the only true benefit of growing old - so sit down, shut up, and let us enjoy it!
But (and I realize this is a terrible segue) more seriously - and infinitely more important - is the fact that if the plight of any country and its people deserves our anger, crank and politicized viewpoints, it is probably Laos. Described by almost every travel writer (not just Murphy) as some of the nicest, most gentle and generous people in the world, the various ethnic and tribal groups of Laos are also among the world's most long-suffering. For well over a century, Laos has been abused by one foreign country (and ideology) after another, beginning with the French but then continuing with the Vietnamese, Americans and finally under their own ill-fitting Communist rulers and their "Western development" advisors.
Foremost among the many other plagues still afflicting this beautiful country - which include but are not limited to rampant deforestation to meet the insatiable hardwood demands of China and the West; and the unstoppable dam building which is well on its way to destroying much of Southeast Asia, Pakistan and India, and will most likely bring on the first of the "water wars" predicted for the mid-21st Century* - is most certainly the unforgivable amount of "UXO" (unexploded ordinance) that almost half a century later remains the most deadly after-effect of the Second Indochina War.** Because small as it is (roughly the size of Oregon, with a national population smaller than the urban populations of either Bangkok and Saigon), Laos lays claim to the title of MOST HEAVILY BOMBED COUNTRY IN WORLD HISTORY; a heart-breaking fact in itself, but one that becomes even worse as one considers the details:
- Between 1964-1973, the United States flew one bombing mission every eight minutes around the clock for eight years, resulting in over 2 million tons of bombs dropped, or roughly (based on the population at the time) one ton of bombs per person
- At the height of the war, the U.S. was spending $2 million per day on its bombing program, (while today Laos has a budget of just $1 million per year for bomb disposal; also, during a 1997 visit, Deputy SecState Strobe Talbott bragged about the U.S. providing "$1.5 million in equipment and training for the national program to clear the bombs" - again, less than one day's cost of dropping the damn things in the first place)
- According to a 2021 update from the UK-based Mines Advisory Group (MAG): a recent "milestone" had been reached with the removal of 300,000 "bomblets" since the program began (you can read more at https://reliefweb.int/report/lao-peop... ); however, with a total of 250-270 million cluster bombs dropped (sources site different numbers), and a failure-to-explode rate of 10-20% - that means they have so far removed less than 0.01 percent of all such ordinance
- As a result, uncountable Laotians (largely women and children) continue to be killed or horrifically maimed in the course of their daily lives - both in the villages and in the countryside - a situation which will continue into the unforeseeable future
So yeah, that.
(UPDATE: And so I just found the below in the excellent - and soon-to-be separately reviewed - Atlas of the Invisible: Maps & Graphics That Will Change How You See the World, which shows the extent of U.S. bombing across Southeast Asia. And while it looks like Vietnam took the brunt of this damage, Laos remains per capita the most bombed country in history):
But back to Ms. Murphy, who - I again have to emphasize - at age 66 regularly biked and hiked up to 60-70 miles a day with a wonky foot over some of the most inhospitable terrain in Southeast Asia, (and so unless you can do the same, you may want to keep some of your harsher criticisms to yourself): sure, she did tend to get a little political and edgy and preachy with her anti-development, anti-tourist and generally anti-Western-influence views - but I can't in all honesty say she was ever truly wrong. Still, however, the overall effect was to somewhat dilute her usual persona as the "charming if eccentric Irish traveler," which is why I've only given this book 4 stars instead of her usual 5. And so if you are new to this author - and unless you have a particular interest in the sad plight of Laos - I would probably recommend starting with any of her earlier works.
GLOSSARY: As usual with British or Irish writers, I always come away with a few new words. In this case, swidden, usufruct, spelean and bonham. Look 'em up.
PERSONAL NOTE: Laos and Burma remain the only two countries in Southeast Asia which I have never visited. However, I do have a rather creepy connection to Laos and it's "Secret War." When I first moved to Taipei in 1978, I befriended a young - and frankly brilliant - expat graphic artist named Andy Unger. It was only later that I learned he was the son of Leonard Unger, the last U.S. Ambassador in Taiwan (before Jimmy Carter switched recognition to "Mainland China") - who prior to that posting had been the ambassador to Thailand from 1967-1973 (during the height of U.S. bombing, all of which was based out of Thailand); and before that had been ambassador to Laos from 1962-1964 (the run-up America's involvement in the war). He obviously left Taiwan when they shuttered the embassy in early 1979 (although Andy stayed on for a number of years), and so I only met him a couple of times at various functions - seemed like a nice enough guy; but I was only 25 years old at the time and so didn't know shit about shit yet…still, looking back now it seems kind of like one of those "wow, I had dinner once with Hannibal Lecter" experiences.
____________________________________
* For more on this, you can read Michael Buckley's excellent (if ultimately repetitive) Meltdown in Tibet: China's Reckless Destruction of Ecosystems from the Highlands of Tibet to the Deltas of Asia.
** Erroneously and inaccurately known in America as "the Vietnam War."
November 27, 2016
I bought this book in Ventianne airport as I left the country and heartily wished I'd read it at the beginning of my journey. As someone who was living in Cambodia at the time and had familiarised myself with Cambodian contemporary history this was an extraordinary companion piece to books like Sideshow. Certainly Murphy is heartily pissed off and has a few decent rants, as some other reviewers have peevishly noted, and for damn good reason. Terrible things happened in this country while the rest of the world was oblivious, distracted by the Cold and Vietnam Wars. The place was monumentally screwed and Laotians are complex and the government is repressive and omnipresent - but you wouldn't notice that unless you step away from scripted tourism. If you want your travel writing sweet and focusing on the nice, gentle, seemingly biddable side of Asian people that so beguiles those who want to spend a few days or weeks, then don't go here.
The way Murphy throws herself into improbably and, for most people, seemingly extremely brave or seriously foolhardy experiences on bicycles and enters under the skin of a country through her interactions with locals and her ability to put herself at street/village level like few other travellers or writers... always amazes me. She goes to places not only off the tourist trail but into the unknown and unimagined. I felt like a lightweight, but more enlightened, tourist after reading this book - which pretty much sums up the effect all her books have on me. Her genre of travel writing has, as far as I know, only one author.
The way Murphy throws herself into improbably and, for most people, seemingly extremely brave or seriously foolhardy experiences on bicycles and enters under the skin of a country through her interactions with locals and her ability to put herself at street/village level like few other travellers or writers... always amazes me. She goes to places not only off the tourist trail but into the unknown and unimagined. I felt like a lightweight, but more enlightened, tourist after reading this book - which pretty much sums up the effect all her books have on me. Her genre of travel writing has, as far as I know, only one author.
March 9, 2011
Dervla Murphy self-righteously refers to western travelers as "wimps". Meanwhile she rides a piece-of-crap bicycle with no brakes through Laos, terrorizing the villagers and drinking all of their beer. This book is less a travel book than a long and annoying rant about the evils of the western world. Though I share many of the author's views, I found her tone to be off-putting and obnoxious. I also found her translations, based as they were upon drunken charades rather than any actual language skills, to be suspect at best. Generally speaking, I am a big fan of Irish writers. Unfortunately, after reading this book, I am not a fan of this author. Had I not been traveling in Laos while reading it, I don't think I'd have finished it at all. This being said, credit to the woman for her sense of adventure, even if it reaches the point of foolhardiness.
August 22, 2018
Thought provoking and useful insight into this beautiful country. I was lucky to visit. Couple of years ago and yes, there have been more changes yet at the same time the country in this book was instantly recognisable. Makes me want to return.
July 10, 2012
I just finished the book today - it is the first book by Dervla Murhpy I have read, and I am sure it is probably not the easiest read.
Dervla Murphy's views on colonial policies in small countries like Laos really hit the right spot and I agree with her views to a large extent. Her knowledge is deep and goes so far beyond the shallow views of the silly Lonely Planet overview of things. However, this comes with a price - she tends to get preachy, and sometimes she can get a bit boring.
Great read nevertheless - and the final chapters on UXO, colonial policies and pseudo-development in poor countries are particularly outstanding in my opinion.
Dervla Murphy's views on colonial policies in small countries like Laos really hit the right spot and I agree with her views to a large extent. Her knowledge is deep and goes so far beyond the shallow views of the silly Lonely Planet overview of things. However, this comes with a price - she tends to get preachy, and sometimes she can get a bit boring.
Great read nevertheless - and the final chapters on UXO, colonial policies and pseudo-development in poor countries are particularly outstanding in my opinion.
June 12, 2022
The recent death of the author at the age of ninety has reminded me to revisit her writings while I still have time. The expansive Dervla Murphy section of my library is no longer a shelf-run but a floor stack, a veritable leaning tower of BABLE (book accumulation beyond life expectancy: thanks to the writer Kevin Power for the acronym). Murphy remains among my favourite travel writers, even when, or perhaps especially when, I have no prior knowledge of the country and no prospect of visiting it, as in this instance. For me, Laos is no longer, in that invidious phrase, merely a 'friendly casualty' of the Vietnam War but a country with a history, identity and appropriate technology of its own, which supposedly advanced nations would do well to heed. In addition to her tolerance, tenacity and indomitable humour, Murphy distinguishes herself from many other travellers in her ability to enter into the lives and the spirit (and spirits!) of the willing and unwilling hosts on her journey through their country. She shows far more interest in conveying their preoccupations and privations than her own. Some readers have objected to the political turn of her later books, but it is precisely this development that raises the writing from travelogue to investigation, the legacy of a lifetime's concern with the consequences of our behaviour on the lives of other people in other places.
June 10, 2021
I enjoyed this quite a bit. Dervla Murphy is extremely cool, friendly, and good at reading new situations. And she can react well under pressure and doesn't need a consistent schedule to thrive.
I also learned a lot about the history of Laos, especially the history of American involvement (aka relentless bombing and minimal clean up). This was bleak but it was good to learn.
I liked the casual, friendly writing style and Murphy's limited ego. She doesn't really try to slam a lesson in your face or tell you what to conclude from the experience.
More reviews on my StoryGraph page.
I also learned a lot about the history of Laos, especially the history of American involvement (aka relentless bombing and minimal clean up). This was bleak but it was good to learn.
I liked the casual, friendly writing style and Murphy's limited ego. She doesn't really try to slam a lesson in your face or tell you what to conclude from the experience.
More reviews on my StoryGraph page.
August 16, 2019
Having just completed an Intrepid Travel tour of Laos (2019), I especially found great satisfaction w/ this book of Laos travels in the late 1990s. The Author’s unique path & style of her story of exploring backroads to meet the peoples and learn about their cultures, as well as the landscape, enriched my personal visits to some of the same destinations of the book. Yes, cultures worldwide are dynamic by nature but the changes in Laos (and SE Asia) are being transformed almost overnight. The Author brilliantly integrates background information on the history and politics of Laos (gleaned from 1st hand sources on her travels and from researched references) with her personable sense of observation and humor of her encounters. Therefore, reading this book has given me many meaningful reflections and insights about Laos which have deepened my love and respect for this country. I wholeheartedly recommend this book for a non-tourist book guide to a fascinating country Laos, in specific, and SE Asia, in general.
February 22, 2009
I love all of Dervla Murphy's books. Such a resilient woman who travels the world in the simplest of ways, meeting people and seeing parts others rarely reach. This was the first of her books that I read since I was really interested to find out more about Laos - and I have gone on to read every book of hers as it is published. I'd like to think that I could emulate Dervla, who like me is a traveller to a country rather than a tourist, but I fear I have insufficient guts for the extremes she goes to!
January 16, 2012
a gutsy woman traveller. much of the commentary is tinged with a delightful understated irony. difficult to find books on travel in Laos (apart from travel guides - even those are few and far between). will be interesting to compare with "Ant Egg Soup - the Adventures of a Food Tourist in Laos". Looking forward to being in Laos for Christmas/New Year.
March 16, 2012
As ever I find Dervla's total bias to Western society annoying but find the places and situations she gets into amazing. Her default stance of anything modern instantly being bad can get tiresome. That said I'll contine to read her books as they are fascinating.
February 12, 2013
I loved Full Tilt and I am a fan of DM but the longer that she writes the more political that she becomes. In addition, she has a somewhat bitter tone at times, I just seem to enjoy her earlier works a lot more.
August 18, 2007
superb writing from an adventurous and well educated Irish woman. A beautiful vicarious experience of Laos.
Read
August 5, 2011Boring! Interesting stuff about international development tho'. There is no answer.
August 15, 2011
Informative, witty and philospohical in a muted and honest way - an excellent read, especially if you are visiting Laos!
February 17, 2016
Dervla might be quite pointed at times but I enjoy her ability to travel as she does and to have the knowledge she does and to include that history and politics with her dialogue
January 7, 2024
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/one-foot-in-laos-by-dervla-murphy/
The late great Irish travel writer Dervla Murphy travelled around Laos in late 1997 and early 1998, and produced one of her typically empathy-filled accounts of the country and its people, along with the difficulties of getting around on a bicycle. (The title of the book refers to the fact that she injured a foot quite early in the trip, which also hampered her mobility.) It becomes gradually clear that this is a society in deep trauma after the American bombed it to smithereens in an unreported sideshow to the Vietnam War. Murphy generally enjoys and learns from her interactions with the locals; other foreigners are a different matter (to her annoyance, she finds that a fellow passenger on a ferry boat has brought along a copy of one of her earlier books).
Murphy was anti-globalisation and anti-capitalist, and deeply hostile to western interventions in the developing world. That’s not quite where I am coming from, but I really appreciate her candid and unflinching commentary on the consequences, intended or unintended, of economic transition. But I must say that I appreciate even more her description of the glorious landscapes through which she travels, cycling along uncertain roads through the middle of the Laotian mountains. The one thing that the book lacks is a proper map; when I tried to identify some of the spots where she travelled, I was astonished at the distance she covered. I foolishly thought that crossing Bosnia on bombed-out roads in 1997 in our Belfast-bought Skoda was a bit of an adventure, but really there’s no comparison. It’s a fascinating read.
The late great Irish travel writer Dervla Murphy travelled around Laos in late 1997 and early 1998, and produced one of her typically empathy-filled accounts of the country and its people, along with the difficulties of getting around on a bicycle. (The title of the book refers to the fact that she injured a foot quite early in the trip, which also hampered her mobility.) It becomes gradually clear that this is a society in deep trauma after the American bombed it to smithereens in an unreported sideshow to the Vietnam War. Murphy generally enjoys and learns from her interactions with the locals; other foreigners are a different matter (to her annoyance, she finds that a fellow passenger on a ferry boat has brought along a copy of one of her earlier books).
Murphy was anti-globalisation and anti-capitalist, and deeply hostile to western interventions in the developing world. That’s not quite where I am coming from, but I really appreciate her candid and unflinching commentary on the consequences, intended or unintended, of economic transition. But I must say that I appreciate even more her description of the glorious landscapes through which she travels, cycling along uncertain roads through the middle of the Laotian mountains. The one thing that the book lacks is a proper map; when I tried to identify some of the spots where she travelled, I was astonished at the distance she covered. I foolishly thought that crossing Bosnia on bombed-out roads in 1997 in our Belfast-bought Skoda was a bit of an adventure, but really there’s no comparison. It’s a fascinating read.
February 25, 2021
Dervla Murphy certainly hasn't mellowed with age. This is the angriest attack on globalisation I have read. I can't say I disagree with her. A must-read for everyone interested in the Vietnam War or just from the US, because I'm guessing a lot of this is not taught or talked about. Murphy has really done her research!
I really have to admire a 66 year old grandmother who travels alone through an unknown (and dangerous illegal loggers and unexploded ordinance riddled) country on a bicycle. I first went to Laos nearly 15 years after her. I don't know if it's good or bad that I hadn't read her book before that. But a lot of the attitude that she is worried about disappearing I still very much felt in Laos. I guess people have basically remained the same and hopefully will. I did get stabbed a bit during a mugging gone wrong in Luang Prabang, but I don't hold that against the Laotians and have been back since.
All in all, Laos is one of my favourite countries to travel to. Although this book is not necessarily all flowers and sunshine, it is good to know about the more painful side of the country too, to better understand and respect it.
I really have to admire a 66 year old grandmother who travels alone through an unknown (and dangerous illegal loggers and unexploded ordinance riddled) country on a bicycle. I first went to Laos nearly 15 years after her. I don't know if it's good or bad that I hadn't read her book before that. But a lot of the attitude that she is worried about disappearing I still very much felt in Laos. I guess people have basically remained the same and hopefully will. I did get stabbed a bit during a mugging gone wrong in Luang Prabang, but I don't hold that against the Laotians and have been back since.
All in all, Laos is one of my favourite countries to travel to. Although this book is not necessarily all flowers and sunshine, it is good to know about the more painful side of the country too, to better understand and respect it.
November 3, 2024
A great travel book, Murphy is a true adventurer and paints a vivid picture of bans and muangs not featured in your standard guidebooks.
At first I enjoyed the opinionated rants (though the veracity of the translated conversations with Laotians who all seem to agree with her is a bit doubtful) as pieces of writing
But a massive amount of this book is dedicated to her anti development stance and I just don't find it very convincing. At the end of her trip she gets to go back to Ireland, get her mangled foot MRI'd, have surgery if she needs it, physiotherapy, etc etc etc. The rural poor in Laos would simply limp the rest of their lives. Even 20 years later (and with massive improvements since she visited), child mortality before the age of 5 is 1 in 20, life expectancy is sub 70 years old, and 15% of the population is illiterate. Tribal villagers remaining in the mountains have astounding rates of poverty and opium addiction. These facts are glossed over in favour of glamourisation of a 'traditional' way of life. I find this rather frustrating
At first I enjoyed the opinionated rants (though the veracity of the translated conversations with Laotians who all seem to agree with her is a bit doubtful) as pieces of writing
But a massive amount of this book is dedicated to her anti development stance and I just don't find it very convincing. At the end of her trip she gets to go back to Ireland, get her mangled foot MRI'd, have surgery if she needs it, physiotherapy, etc etc etc. The rural poor in Laos would simply limp the rest of their lives. Even 20 years later (and with massive improvements since she visited), child mortality before the age of 5 is 1 in 20, life expectancy is sub 70 years old, and 15% of the population is illiterate. Tribal villagers remaining in the mountains have astounding rates of poverty and opium addiction. These facts are glossed over in favour of glamourisation of a 'traditional' way of life. I find this rather frustrating
May 25, 2023
Gonna round up a 3.75 rating. This is the first book I've read by Murphy. I bought it years ago, read two pages, hated it, and stuck it on a shelf. After reading an obit of her this year, I decided I needed to give her a second chance.
Hers is a different travelogue, mainly because she travels so rough and ready. That led to a fascinating view of Laos. I'm not sure how this will work in a more urbanized or developed country, but it leads to a great lens on a country like Laos in the 1990s.
The ending was the weakest--the pages of passages lifted from development handouts and letters back and forth added nothing to her novel.
Still, I liked it enough to buy some of her other books.
Hers is a different travelogue, mainly because she travels so rough and ready. That led to a fascinating view of Laos. I'm not sure how this will work in a more urbanized or developed country, but it leads to a great lens on a country like Laos in the 1990s.
The ending was the weakest--the pages of passages lifted from development handouts and letters back and forth added nothing to her novel.
Still, I liked it enough to buy some of her other books.
November 22, 2024
Dervla Murphy’s One Foot in Laos captures the country’s beauty and charm, with vivid descriptions and thoughtful reflections on its culture and environment. However, the book is weighed down by Murphy’s condescending tone. She often criticizes other travelers as mere “tourists,” positioning herself as a more authentic explorer, which feels hypocritical and unnecessary.
Her disdain for local food also stands out, coming across as dismissive rather than curious, undermining her claim of engaging deeply with other cultures. While there’s value in her environmental insights and her unique perspective, the judgmental tone detracts from the reading experience. Fans of Murphy might still enjoy it, but newcomers may want to start elsewhere.
Her disdain for local food also stands out, coming across as dismissive rather than curious, undermining her claim of engaging deeply with other cultures. While there’s value in her environmental insights and her unique perspective, the judgmental tone detracts from the reading experience. Fans of Murphy might still enjoy it, but newcomers may want to start elsewhere.
February 13, 2025
Another reliably enjoyable read from Dervla although none of her books would tempt you to go there, given the way in which she chooses to travel. I had no idea that Laos was so heavily bombed during the Vietnam war and she shows that once again how it is mainly ordinary people that suffer horribly from international power politics in an echo of what is happening in Gaza and elsewhere in the present day.
February 28, 2026
Laos es el país más bombardeado en la historia de la humanidad, que aún tiene repercusiones después de tantos años. Sigo sin creer que décadas después tantos niños y mujeres sigan muriendo actualmente por la explosión de las bombas restantes de la “Guerra Secreta”, algo que nunca debió de haber sucedido. Un viaje a este país en los 90, este libro me hizo reflexionar y percibir al país y a su gente de manera diferente.
October 12, 2025
At once a ripping adventure story of Murphy’s travels, and a heartbreaking, enraging, account of the country she is travelling through. Opinionated, yet too charming to be strident, the author decries the all-too-numerous offences committed against Laos, and champions its people’s endurance in the face of destruction, misrule, and Capitalism Unbound.
May 15, 2020
Dervla is always amazing but I wasn't so interested in her Laos journey.
March 21, 2023
This is my first Dervla Murphy book and it will not be my last. It’s like reading Rachael Carson as a travel writer. I am indebted to her courage.
May 28, 2023
‘One falls in love with Laos at first feeling rather than at first sight.’
October 14, 2023
I love Dervla Murphy. I didn’t quite get into this book as much as others. However I will be very intrigued to see what Laos I like later this year…
October 18, 2025
quite an informative book about life and times in Laos.
January 16, 2026
Brilliant book by the late Dervla Murphy I have visited all the places she describes in the book a must read for people with an interest in South East Asia/Far East.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews