Going to Laos, need a few travel tips

by **rufus** » August 21, 2010, 3:13 pm

I forgot to mention, the Pizzas at La Terrasse are superb; much better than that damn Pizza Company stuff. They are about 40,000kip. The desserts are also excellent!

by **rufus** » August 21, 2010, 3:26 pm

I also notice that one or two posters suggest paying in Baht while you are there. This is poor advice, and actually goes against the official Govt. policy, though vendors will take it , of course. Paying in Kip is invariably cheaper. ATMs are fine. Most ATMs dispense only 700,000 Kip. The ANZ ATMs allow you to withdraw 2 million Kip. However everyone will exchange Baht for you, and there is little difference as to where you change it. Just don't take any back to Los.

by **T Bone** » August 22, 2010, 2:33 am

rufus wrote:TBone, I live in Laos.

The Laos Orchid is a nice hotel, however I would suggest you stay at the Souphaphone Guest House, which is directly opposite the Hare and Hounds Hotel. For about $20.00 you will get a nice large room, air, TV and a fridge. The GH is about 1 year old, very clean and very pleasant. The rooms are bigger than the Laos Orchid. I just had a friend stay there for 3 weeks, so that says something.
This is the web site:
http://souphaphone.net/

Shopping is NOT mai peng. We often go to Nong Khai to buy goods as it is cheaper. Wine and spirits are definitely cheaper here though. Go San Kiang Market - take a tuk tuk - it is on the road to the airport on the right hand side. This is the new Chinese Market and is WELL worth an hours or so look around. There are some high quality Chinese goods available there. (No, this is not an oxymoron).

If you want a nice, inexpensive meal, try La Terrassse. This restaurant has a big range of food; the pizzas are excellent, but avoid the steaks. They are ok, but there are better in town. They will let you take your own wine for 20,000kip corkage. Go to Vansome Wine shop at 10 Samsenthai Rd and select an excellent bottle.

If you want a very good quality meal, try La Central for steaks and good fish. They have an excellent rib - 1kg for 2 people. If you like excellent Italian food, go to La Scala. This is a little out of the town centre, on the same road as the Aust Embassy. The food is equivalent to the better Italian restaurants I have eaten at in Australia; they also have an excellent wine list. Try the steak stuffed with Gorgonzola. This place is a little pricier than La terrasse, but the food is excellent.

If you want to try Laos food, go to Kua Laos in Samsenthai Rd. You can bring your own wine for 40,000Kip - about $5.00 corkage, but you save a lot.

You will need 1 passport photo and US30. Don't pay in Baht as suggested above - the exchange rate is poor. Take a tuk tuk or taxi into town.

Entertainment? After dinner, I would head to Borpenyang Bar on Fang Nam Nuhm, the road on the river. There are lots of expats there after about 9.00 and it is fun watching the Laos working girls, and yes, there are some, chat them up. Alternatively, go to Kob Chai Der and have a few ales. Don't eat there - the food is ok, just, but has become expensive of late. The Indian restaurants on the river are salmonella traps - avoid. If you like Turkish food, try Istanbul, in the same soi as the Guesthouse I suggested.

I will keep watching this thread over the next few days, so if you want to ask anything, I'll try to help. Have a geat trip.

rufus,
Thank you very much for the details, I would certainly qualify you as an expert on the subject.
I will take your kind advise on the Souphaphone Guest House ( no offense to chriss who suggested Laos Orchid ), the Borpenyang Bar on Fang Nam Nuhm ( this sounds like my cup 'o tea ), the Kob Chai Der and the San Kiang Market as these are the targets for this trip over the river, since we are only staying for 2 nights this time.

The restaurants all sound very nice. especially the Italian and I am sure that I would enjoy them, however the missus' tastes are a bit different to mine and she still considers any meal that costs over 200 baht to be a waste of money.
I still consider eating some, but not all, of the things that she eats to be a hazard to my health.

As far as the shopping goes we are not looking to stock up the house on this trip, but just to entertain the missus who always seems to gets enormous satisfaction from getting a 200 baht pair of shorts bartered down to 170 baht, which I will never cease to find highly amusing.

Typical shopping scenario:
The missus is laughing after getting the price on a pair of shorts knocked down from 200 to 170 baht thinking how clever she is. The vendor is laughing for having just sold a pair of shorts for 170 baht and thinking how clever she is.
I am laughing thinking how funny my life in Thailand is.
Cheers

by **udonuk1** » August 23, 2010, 12:24 am

Yes i like going to Laos, it is quiet at night, but seems more European than Thailand. Best thing to buy, Number 1 is , well for women , handbags , Kapow, they are such great value , you have to haggle, don't accept the first price. Also the silk skirts that many of the tiny Lao ladies wear, seem good value.
What did i like ? Well the great Lao coffee, but make sure that you buy it within sell-by date, preferably ground a few days or weeks ago. Also , the ubiquitous Lao beer, cheap and wonderful, guided by Carlsberg all my Thai friends say. There seems to be many farang style restaurants , i particularly liked the French ones, juicy steak with pepper sauce 180 baht wow !

I have to say that it was quite difficult to find an ATM that worked, and there is a tiny limit on the amount of Kip you can take . 1 baht is about 250 Kip more or less and the largest note is 100,000 kip = 400 baht ! The Post Office is located at the main bus station near the morning market. There are a few tourist places to visit, monks came and chatted to me when i was visiting the Buddhist places, their robes are dressed in a slightly different way to Thai monks
Anyone flying to Kuala Lumpur will find the AirAsia flight a good bargain from Vientiane. You can even go by train from Udon to Laos, changing at Nong Khai with all the visas, stamps etc easily carried out at the stations(the train uses the same bridge and the cars are stopped from using it when the train crosses). But the track has not reached Vientiane yet, you must get TukTuk to centre of the capital.

There is a duty free shop at the frontier, but behind it, there is a sort of market, where many bargains can be haggled. Wine is the same price at all duty free shops, TERRIBLY EXPENSIVE, buy it in your normal shops in Vientiane , if you can find them.
Tuktuk drivers will quote you inflated prices , compared to Thailand, i thought.
Oh yes one last thing, the filled baguettes, with flossy pork and vegetables, for 20 baht, the tastiest meal i have had in Asia ! A taste of France on your doorstep .

Bon Voyage !

by **rufus** » August 23, 2010, 1:28 pm

udonuk1, the largest note is 50,000 Kip, not 100,000 as posted by you. Re ATMs, I guess you did not bother to read my post above re the ANZV ATMs. I have never had a problem with ATMs here, by the way. I agree about Laos coffee; it is amongst the best I have tasted anywhere.

by **udonuk1** » August 23, 2010, 4:27 pm

Thanks for the correction Rufus ! Largest note is 50,000 Kip ? that is only, what 200 baht ?? Incredible !

As for the ATM withdrawal limit , i did read your post before i wrote mine, but i regard 2 million Kip to be a small limit when you have to pay up front for 2-3 days hotels, when compared to Thailand , in Switzerland , once or twice i remember that i used to withdraw 2000 CHF a day.

I liked the mineral water too in Laos. Who said communist countries make crap food and drink ?
Is there any good tea there , i am coming next week ! I will try out out all the suggestions, like the OP

by **udonuk1** » August 23, 2010, 4:55 pm

I think T Bone is only going for a few days, i want to go for 1 MONTH, do you know anywhere i can stay , reasonable, and quite cheap , with a MONTHLY rate ? I have found 1 ok place @ 400 USD a month, that is more than double the cost of my Udon condo. Know anywhere Rufus, monthly rent, 1 month only ?

by **rufus** » August 23, 2010, 4:59 pm

Yes there is good tea also coming from the Bolaven. Hard to find though.
You could try the Aroon Guesthouse for a month. It is not that flash, (It is ok though and i have stayed there for 2 weeks), but they do have a 2 room apt.

Going to Laos, need a few travel tips

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