- Vientiane
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Laos
1 - Don't let the staff at the GPO put stamps on for you. Put the stamps on yourself, check the amounts, watch them be canceled. When I neglected this, then insisted on getting my letters back to check, she charged more than what she'd stuck on.
2 - ATM's charge fees but they don't all warn about it, eg bcel. Best value is ANZ, as it charges a standard 20,000 flat fee, but has a higher withdrawal limit.
3 - If you're going to the Thai embassy, don't forget ID pictures and two Xerox, one of the photo page of your passport and one of your current Laos visa. There's a Xerox in the Thai embassy, with the powerlead mysteriously missing and little booths just outside just waiting to rip you off!
4. it is possible to get a visa of Vietnam in Vientiane at the Vietnamese Embassy, the price is 45 USD, however, you can bargain to 35 USD.
They say it takes longer if you pay $35 instead of $45, but it is ready when you stop by a couple of days later. however, you are advised to get a visa at Vietnam embassy in UK www.vietnamembassy.org.uk before you go.
5. While in the Vietnamese Embassy area, you can look at their Arc di Triomphe: www.travelblog.org/Photos/1744610 and on to the temple complex area a few thousand feet up that road.
This is a community website run by some locals and expats. I discovered it while in Vientiane and think it's probably the best online guide to Vientiane that there is. As its run by locals, the what's on guide is very up-to-date and it shows a lot of things that only locals know about - i.e., stuff not in the Lonely Planet.
Viengchampa is a tour operator based in Vientiane with links all over the country. They organised a trip I took in southern Laos in September 2008 very efficiently. I only had a few days to spare and wanted to get a reasonable overview of the southern provinces without the hassle of organising it myself and Viengchampa were great. They use local guides who really know the area and all of them spoke good English and were very competent. Everything happened pretty much when they said it would and they were flexible enough to allow stops whenever a place looked interesting. Highly recommended.
It's a small, boutique style hotel right on the Mekong. The rooms are invididually decorated - very individual in some cases, with the bath/shower right in the bedroom. It has tea and coffee and a fridge, the rooms are spacious, and it's all very comfortable, with free wifi access. It's just a short walk from the centre of town and from lots of riverside cafes.
What a fantastic booklet. It gives so much information about making the most of your holiday and doing something worthwhile.
We did loads of the stuff recommended in it and it helped us meet local people and ensure that our money was going to worthwhile places.
For example: teaching locals to read English (Brother Mouse in Luang Prabang - fantastic place!).
If you fancy a massage, go to the Red Cross in Luang Prabang. It's not luxury - none of your scented candles here - but a great massage and all the money goes to the Red Cross. The brave can even donate blood.
Stay Another Day Laos is available in guesthouses, travel agents, bars, restaurants - all over the place.
Laos is a mountainous and landlocked country located in the centre of Indochina. It has common borders with China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Laos is 236,800 sq. km in land area, the major part being mountainous and forested. Geographically, the country is divided into three areas: the North, the Central and the Southern parts.
Laos is an adventurer’s paradise, offering treks to off the beaten track destinations that few tourists get to. It’s a country that receives relatively few visitors and that is one reason why it is so special and why we love it.
The kingdom of Lan Xang (Laos) was founded in the mid-14th century and ruled by Buddhist Thai. At the northern capital, Luang Prabang, the influence of the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai predominated; in the southern capital, Vientiane, a mixture of Ayutthaya and Khmer motives prevailed.
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Retire-Asia.com has pages of information about the Lao PDR. Visa on arrival (30 days now), banking, ATMs, Vientiane nightlife for tourists, expat life or retirement and more.
One of Vientiane's few clubs (and one of the few places open after 11.30pm). Local bands play a varied, and sometimes quite bizarre, mixture of Thai, Lao and Western pop and rock.
Good place to hang out with the locals and try a bit of Lao dancing!
Open 7pm-midnight.
Piawath Road, Sisatanak District, Vientiane
www.chesscafe.laopdr.com
It's not the cheapest in what is a very cheap town, but it's more of a 3* hotel. The staff are absurdly friendly (the desk clerk drove me to hospital on the back of his moped despite being warned not to by his boss), the rooms large, clean & comfortable with free breakfast.
114 Pangkham Rd
Tel: 021 215 093
Lao Pako is an ecotourist resort about 50km from Vientiane. It's set on the banks of the Nam Ngum river out in the countryside - access from the nearest village is by the river in a motorised canoe.
It's a really relaxing place to spend a few days chilling out - reading, swimming, walking, wildlife watching, going on boat trips or visiting local villages. There is a dorm building as well as private rooms and bungalows (costing approx US$6-25), a bar/restaurant and a large terrace overlooking the river. There's no electricity so evenings are pretty low key - playing games, drinking Beer Lao and eating the fantastic local food.
Take the Pakxap bus from Vientiane morning market to Somsamai (about an hour) then get a local boat to Lao Pako (25 mins). For more info tel (856) 2131 2234 or fax (856) 2121 2981;
www.visit-laos.com/hotels/laopako/index.htm
Great bakery serving the best muffins and banana milkshakes in south-east Asia.
Sethathirath Rd
Vientiane's very own replica of the French monument, with a Laotian twist, of course. Built from concrete donated by the US government, intended for a runway. Beautiful at sunset, as the lights begin to illuminate the facade.
On Lane Xang Avenue, the Laotian Champs Elysee
Restaurant/bar in yet again, an old French mansion. Excellent outdoor terrace with the the best fresh spring rolls in south-east Asia. Get your fill of cold Beer Laos on a hot afternoon and watch the world stroll by.
Nam Phou Place (right across from JoMa Bakery)
Lovely restaurant in one of those old French colonial mansions. Sit on the wooden porch, amidst tropical plants, caressed by the breeze from old-fashioned ceiling fans and have a delicious leisurely lunch. The four cheese pizza is to die for...honestly.
Impeng Road, near the temple, Wat Impeng
Bakery and excellent breakfast place.
Setthathilat Road, west of Nam Phou Place
Clean, well-run, friendly guesthouse adjacent to the Mekong River. In the evening, locals and tourists sit along the river and drink the best beer in the world - Laos beer. English and French also spoken.
Fa Ngum Road, 021/258225
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