343 © Lonely Planet Publications Planet Lonely © arrival in , and Prabang and Luang arrival in Vientiane, airports, international and when Pakse China crossing the border from , and . (good- ) ai-dii ą – taking eco-conscious treks into the feral jungle of Nam Ha Nam Ha jungle of into the feral – taking eco-conscious treks sáb 856 (hello), – Khmer-era ruins perfectly placed beneath a mountain facing the ruins perfectly – Khmer-era – visiting Vieng Xai caves, the remote and forbidding home of Pathet Pathet forbidding home of and the remote – visiting Vieng Xai caves, (thank you) % i

– home to the best coffee in Laos– home to the best coffee to with ice-cold waterfalls and dotted ai-dii ą ą – enchanted mystical city of treasured , French cuisine and Indochinese Indochinese cuisine and wats, French treasured city of mystical – enchanted 6.5 million Lao, ethnic dialects – a lazy maze of shady islands and rocky islets, home to the rare Irrawaddy Irrawaddy rocky islets, home to the rare shady islands and – a lazy maze of sáb

US$15 to US$20 a day Vientiane US$1 = 9627 kip city guesthouse US$4-10, four-hour city guesthouse US$4-10, four-hour GMT + seven hours + seven GMT two in Vientiane, one in Luang one in Luang two in Vientiane, khàwp j Thirty-day tourist visas are available available Thirty-day visas are tourist Visas or China, Vietnam in advance in Thailand, On-the-spot 30-day visas are . available for US$30 with two photos on ATMs all with and Pakse, Vieng Prabang, Vang facilities international Budget Capital Costs bus ride US$1.50, Beer Lao US$0.80 Country code Languages Money Phrases Population Time bye),

„ TRAVEL HINT take plenty of of Laos bus travel; a feature detours are and unexpected breakdowns Flat tyres, out to be your them round. iPods and inflatable neck cushions may turn and share provisions best friends. OVERLAND ROUTES one from China, and an and Vietnam, Landlocked Laos has multiple entry points from Thailand unofficial crossing from Cambodia. FAST FAST FACTS „ „ „ „ „ „ „ „ „ „

Luang Prabang villas overlooking the ) p387 Luang Nam Tha River and , ( p368 ) p385 ( Akha and ethnic villages Area National Protected Si Phan Don dolphin ( p400 ) Phu Champasak ) p399 Champasak ( of village peaceful riverside Bolaven Plateau p398 south ( the the heat of relieve Off the beaten track ) p382 Laos ( Lao of the last king and the prison of revolutionaries

„ „ „ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

L a o s

LAOS 344 MYANMAR Chiang Khong Xieng Kok (BURMA)

LAOS Thailand

3 Gulf of Mekong

LAOS Huay Xai River Pak Beng BANGKOK Muang Sing 2 Nam Tha Luang Pak Lai Thao

Kaen Nam Mengla Tha (Muang Xai) Udomxai 1 Ratchasima 4 Nakhon Chiang Prabang Khan Mekong Luang Boten 13 River VIENTIANE Phon Hong Phu Khun Pak Ou Kasi Vieng Vang

Ngeun 7 13 Xieng

Nam Nam Mong

Pak Ou

Seuang Nam Trang Tay Nong Khiaw 1

Ang Nam Nam

Nong Khai

Ngum

Udon Thani Khan

um Ng Muang Kham Muang (2819m) Phu Bia Khun Bien Phu Dien Thong THAILAND Vieng 6 6 Hua Muang 7 CHINA

Neua Nam Sam Paksan Son La

Nong Haet

San Sop Hao Mekong Mukdahan 13 Na Maew Nam Can Ratchathani

CAMBODIA

Vieng Xai River 8 Phanom Nakhon Nam Khan Ubon Keut Kham Sao Lak Nam Xoi Savannakhet VIETNAM Chong Mek Tha Khaek Cau Treo Kaew Neua 120miles 200km 0 0 HANOI 9 Vang Tao Si Phan 12 Don Se Pon Khong Don Vinh 23 13 Pakse Champasak

Stung Treng Se Don Voen Kham Sepon Se Kong 23 18 Siempang 9 Salavan Tonkin Gulf of lonelyplanet.com Bao Lao (Samakhi Xai) Dong Hoi Se Attapeu (Muang Sekong Lamam)

Kong Khe Sanh S OUTH C HINA Dong Ha S EA Se Hué Ka

m 18 an Hmong villages, inanattempt torein in Asia’s mostrelaxing countrytotravel in. metropolis,noaggressive smoggy work. Noteeming, entrepreneurialism, thisisSoutheast you’d probably driver, have wake togofindtheLao himupand wouldalmostrunyouoverdestination viaasilkshop, theVietnamese foryourcustom,while ThailandandVietnamtúk-túkdrivers,Were Laos, theThaidriver wouldtake youtoyour lonelyplanet.com ad around. and ing aroundonbus journeystoPhonsavan the oddgun-totingguardknock- to see Provinces (SpecialZone).Don’tbesurprised and Xaisamboun – aroundXiengKhouang are frequent often –though unpublicised tion, ishaving mixed results; alerts security more thanthree decadesof minorinsurrec- expensive and time-consuming process. untilit’sclearedland isvirtuallyunusable –an as slowdevelopment another factorinLaos’ ing legacyof War,UXOs theUS-ledSecret are Alast- unexploded ordnance(UXO)fatalities. in arise tradeinChina–hasalsoseen metal Asean. of andkeep upwithothermembersport itself tofinanciallysup- need sources versus Laos’ of oneof theworld’srichest ecosystems re- balance,thepreservation est. It’sadifficult ofcontinued logging huge swathesof for- of damsandthe 11lucrative hydroelectric country’s wildlife, disrupted bythebuilding more anxious astowhat’shappeningthe waves, are theworld’senvironmentalists invadingtheair-with somuch ThaiTV overself of thefallingstandards morality land-linked. to forming thecountryfrombeinglandlocked China,ThailandandVietnam,trans- tween state. Major are highways beingbuiltbe- hasreinventedLaos asthecrossroads itself its doors toforeign investment. As such would beitsdownfallandgingerly opened learnt bythelate 80sthatfurtherisolation take-over in1975,theCommunistregime Eschewing theinternational arena sinceits hundred years ago. subsistence village life remains virtuallyunchanged sincetheFrench sidledinmore thana And whileeconomicreforms have spawnedanewurbanelite, fortherest of thecountry ofpowerhouse Thailandbythemassive Mekong River. trees, thelanguidsouthisquasimarket g withrivers,crossed makes travel impossiblyslow.Flatasapancake andsprinkled withpalm CRET EVENTS CURRENT Government-forced resettlement of Rural poverty –andtheskyrocketing scrap- And whilethegovernment concernsit- After 30years ishurrying toplaycatch-up of withitsneighbours. communistinertia,Laos In thenorth,arugged terrain of anddramaticlimestonepeaks,criss- emeraldmountains LAOS••Current Events arden of Laos; separated fromtheeconomic separated arden of Laos; Siamese, who covetedSiamese, much of modern-day bled, fallingunder thecontrolof the By the18thcentury, thenationhadcrum- French Rule Asia. Southeast century, whenitwasthedominant forcein which LuangPrabang is named. today,thePha buddha image,use after Bang sovereigntysymbol of Lao thatremains in religionBuddhism thestate andadopted the Million Elephants.He alsomade Theravada of a) Xang,or(Land –Lan and businesses the titlestillfavoured bytravel romantics (Vientiane). Chan warlordFaLao Ngum conquered Wieng in the14thcentury,whenKhmer-backed prosperity and decay. to anever-revolving cycle of war,invasion, collection of disparate principalities subject wasa drew Siamese alinearoundit,Laos theFrench,Before and British,Chinese The KingdomofLanXang HISTORY and life has expectancy incrementally. risen improving; more are hospitals beingbuilt siderably; inter-country communicationis not an overnight process. tradition andconvincingscepticaltribesis change re-education, through butreversing aretalists workinginearnesttoapproach tion of originalgrowthforest. Environmen- and rubber,hasledtoextensive deforesta- nic farmers inthecultivationof coffee, burn) farmingpracticedforcenturiesbyeth- Lan Xangreached itspeakinthe17thLan It wasFa Ngum whogave hiskingdom con- On theplusside,literacy hasrisen Finally, theproblemof Laos’ earliestbrushwithnationhoodwas Laos’ then persuade himtodosome swidden (slash and

345 LAOS LAOS LAOS mostly intoThailand.Theremaining op- course). Laos enteredcourse). Laos thepolitical familyof investment of (but notpoliticaldissent to allowforprivate and foreign enterprise softenedsince the1980ssocialism hasbeen shortcomings of thesocialistexperimentand governmentThe Lao quicklyrecognised the A NewBeginning pressed, often brutally. andLuangPrabang –wereKhuang sup- of dwellers) Hmong(highland inXieng ponents of thegovernment tribes –notably protégé Kaysone Phomvihan. created underthe leadership of Vietnamese People’s DemocraticRepublic(PDR) was the communistshadtaken over andtheLao and non-Pathet butwithintwoyears Lao, Pathet dividedupbetween Laos Lao saw the communists.TheUSwithdrawalin1973 if anything,increased domesticsupportfor armiesand Pathet andtheRoyalLao Lao campaign intensified the thewarbetween inthecountry.The the NorthVietnamese carpet-bombing tocounter thepresence of withnonstopern andnortheastern Laos east- From 1965to1973,theUSdevastated The SecretWar backed bythe US government. andSoviets,Chinese elite andtheright-wing supported bytheNorthVietnamese, Lao intotwofactions:thePathetagendas settle multiplepartieswith mayhem saw played ‘domino effect’ out. itself anxiety over theperceived Southeast Asian the clashof communistambition and USA becameastage onwhichlowed asLaos full sovereignty, but20years of chaos fol- at theendof WWII.In1953Francegranted French ruleafter theinvadingJapanese left created toprevent thecountry’sreturn to wasmovement, (Free Issara Lao), theLao alism wasslowtoform.Thefirst nationalist short historyasanation-statemeantnation- the Mekong, andLaos was born. Siam intorelinquishing herterritory eastof day Vietnam),theFrench negotiated with overtaking AnnamandTonkin(modern- ist French. Soonafter Itwastonoeffect. zoneagainsttheexpansion- asabuffer Laos 346 A periodof shifting alliancesandpolitical The country’sdiverse ethnicmake-up and Around 10% of Laos’ populationfled,Around 10%of Laos’ AS • h utr LAOS ••TheCulture Similarly, touching anotherperson’s head almost ubiquitouspresence inthecountry. an modern way,withThaimusicandTV are withThailand, reasserted inadistinctly strongest culturalandlinguisticlinks Laos’ Lifestyle werewolves. most universal; in theHmongstillbelieve isal- tious andbeliefinspiritsghosts boisterousness. Many are alsovery supersti- (or by dissolve asifbymagic diffidence acteristic Lao joke), thechar- andatfestival timeyou’llsee They lovesame. acelebration(anddirty unassuming, andappreciate others beingthe peopleare generallyLao very laid-back and Psyche National CULTURE THE a bidtoincrease itsprosperity. income-generating projects in recent years in reliant hascommitted onforeign to aid,Laos Country bracket by2020.Whilestillheavily Developed outof theLeast goal tohaulLaos government its power in1975.TheLao hasset embargo inplacesincethecommuniststook Trade Relations,cementingtheendtoatrade in 1997,twoyears after Vietnam. Southeast Asian countriesknownasAsean Tourism Authority ( p354 ) comicallydescribes Don’ts in Laos, islands of Si Phan Don). Afree booklet, rule (itgets intheboiling harder tomaintain (foreigners) are generally respectful of this totheircredit,shirtless visiting Lao; many and shops.Ingeneral youwon’tsee when entering people’shomes,guesthouses ings. Youshould alsotake yourshoes off whenentering off your shoes religious build- Thailand andtheWest. overgeois liberalismseeping theborderfrom in response totheperceived menaceof bour- regular waves of prohibitiontheland sweep commonplace. urban areas the handshake isbecomingmore palms infrontof thefaceorchest, in although or land, thetraditionalgreeting gesture isthe of emotionare alsodiscouraged. As inThai- person oratabuddhaimage. Strongdisplays asis pointingyourfeetis taboo, atanother Socially, Laos is very conservative and isvery conservative Socially, Laos toNormal In 2004theUSApromoted Laos For alltemple visits,dress neatlyandtake wâi, aprayer-like placingtogether of the lào-láo akaricewhisky)intobawdy produced by the Lao National produced bytheLao lonelyplanet.com falang Do’s & nop

Population among theyoungandimpressionable. offend orencourage irresponsible behaviour how todress andbehave inawaythatwillnot lonelyplanet.com who are andexorcise trainedtoappease Thai, especiallytheThaiDam. phî people wearingthese). manyLao tied aroundthewrists(you’llsee bound totheguestof honourbywhite strings 32 ceremony called citizensopenlyperformthe in Vientiane,Lao dominant non-Buddhist beliefsystem. Even sâiyasaat alongwith bannedinLaos officially has been den topromote with afew alterations. Monksare stillforbid- had relented anditwasbackinfullswing, was suppressed, butby1992thegovernment After the1975communistvictory, ‘ripe’ untilhehascompleted hisspiritualterm. ayoungmanisnotconsideredwat. Indeed, anywhere fromamonthtothree years ata temporarily asmonks,typicallyspending tobeordained maleschoose and manyLao are TheravadaMost lowlandLao Buddhists changing that. the growingaccessibilityof theinternet are and world wasvery ThaiTV limited, though also ensured thatknowledge of the outside culture.ditional Lao Government education dhist hilltribeswithlittleconnectiontotra- non-Bud-is madeupof non-Lao-speaking the factthatmore than30%of thecountry identity,despite age nationalprideanda‘Lao’ The government atpainstoencour- hasbeen RELIGION Outside theMekong River valley,the Despite the ban, (quite literally) forWestern reserve. in acrammedbus where there’s noroom normalof privacytoWesterners isperfectly tial awareness; aninvasion what seemslike Laos theyhaven’t acquired the hangofspa- falls asleepanddroolsonyourshoulder. In toyouonalong busjourney next the kid hand onyourleginafriendlygesture, or Don’t besurprisedifanoldmanputs his INVADERS SPACE khw cultisparticularlystrongamongtribal ǎ n (folkmagic). (guardian spiritsof thebody) are LAOS••Religion sukhw phî phî (spirit)worship, which ǎ worship remains the n or b ą sî, Mâw inwhich the (priests) tribes, andtribalThaiweaving (especially smithing amongtheHmongandMien ing Thailand. Itspristineforests, mountains centration of wild animals thanneighbour- forest coverLaos’ meansithasagreater con- Wildlife ple of any country. developed of theirownnaturalresources thanthepeo- above subsistence consuming far fewer level, andslash logging burn farming. idea of of effects thedetrimental relentless tistic wasnearer 75%,which provides a clear growth forest. Ahundred years agothissta- of isoriginal thecountry,and10%of Laos managed vegetation covers anestimated 85% altered environment inSoutheastAsia. Un- of rugged geography meanthisistheleast smallpopulationand236,800sqkm Laos’ Land The ENVIRONMENT are themusic of choice. imitations heartbreak ThaipopanditsLao tunes. Increasingly, soppy though, ern Lao still quite popularandinspires manymod- ally featuring the Royal Palace ( p374 ) and in Vientiane. occasionally heldinLuangPrabang atthe performancesare although lost inLaos, Classical musicanddancehave allbut been among theThaiDamandLüpeoples). off with it. Thailand, MyanmarandFrancehave run successive colonistsfromChina,Vietnam, tory asanation-state andpartlybecause hasamore modesthis- Laos partly because range thanitsSoutheastAsian neighbours, (chapels), withsteep, low roofs. shape. WatsinLuangPrabang feature imageBuddha, astanding witharocket-like forRain istheCalling Distinctively Lao expressive, andmostlyreligious innature. artandarchitectureLao canbeuniqueand ARTS worship. ancestral animism;thelatter groupalsoadds practise The Khamu andHmong-MientribesalsoThe Khamu Thai Damfestivals andotherceremonies. troublesome spiritspreside atimportant Upland craftsincludegold-andsilver- arthasamore limitedTraditional Lao Nonetheless, most Lao stilllive atorjust Nonetheless, mostLao traditionalfolkmusic,usu- Foot-tapping khaen (Lao panpipe), is (Lao 347 s ĭ m

LAOS LAOS LAOS China, ThailandandVietnam),Luang Pra- by airatVientiane(fromortoCambodia, Youcanenter orexitLaos toLaos. flights There are currently nointercontinental r i A AWAY & THERE GETTING TRANSPORT p385). (see cessible andpopularwildernessarea tovisit province of LuangNam Thaisthemostac- travellers NamHa NPA inthenorthern forthemajority However, ofLaos. foreign China. to ment’s grantinglucrative licenses logging facilitated bythegovern-the former,sadly, naturalresources;nificant threats toLaos’s ofthe smuggling exotic wildlife are stillsig- illegaltimberfelling and efforts, servation have yettomaterialise. con- Despite these ommended anotherninesites, butthese national consultingagencies have alsorec- coveragethe total Inter- to14%of Laos). additional twowere addedin1995(taking 24,600 sqkm,justover 10%of theland.An Protected Areas (NPAs), of comprisingatotal In 1993thegovernment up18National set Parks National so it’sworth the journey). three of the10-strongpodwithinminutes, (wesaw of theminthedryseason sighting Phan Don , where youhave thebestchance southern Mekong particularlyaroundSi isconcentrated inthedolphin. Itshabitat bears, , andtherare Irrawaddy ible 320different fish species. alone,anincred- bird and,insouthernLaos tures, includinganestimated 437kindsof and rivers harbourarich varietyof crea- 348 There are alsowildelephants,jackals, Most conservation areas are insouthern Most conservation 5000 kip. taxis also Domesticairport be 5000kip. At overland crossings, theexitfee should (cash only)attheairport. orkip lars, baht taxisUS$10,payableinUSdol- Departure TAX DEPARTURE RNPR • GtigTee&Aa There &Away ••Getting TRANSPORT bre crossings. border 216143; www.thaiairways.com) .vietnamairlines.com) -airlines.com) bang (US$220,daily),sometimesstoppingen AirwaysfliestoLuangPra- daily). Bangkok toVientiane(US$100,fly fromBangkok AirlinesandThaiAirwaysInternational Lao THAILAND Vientianeand between (US$140). AirlinesandChinaYunnanfly Lao CHINA one passport photo)for most nationalities. for US$20(plus rival atairportsinCambodia are(US$150). Touristvisas available onar- to SiemReap(US$150)andPhnom Penh Airlines flies regularly fromVientiane Lao Airlines Vietnam AirwaysInternational Thai Lao Airlines Bangkok Airways fares listed inthischapter are one-way. lines alloperate intothecountry.All flights (THAI), AirwaysandVietnamAir- Bangkok (Cambodia). Pakse ThailandandVietnam)or bang (Cambodia, .com) Airlines Lao r i A situation before leaving. See p929 der), butthiscanchange rapidly,socheck the checkpoints bor- (exceptattheCambodian isavailablevisa onarrival atallinternational warning. Undercurrent rules,a30-daytourist tion atallof themispronetochange without China, ThailandandVietnam,butthesitua- hasopenlandborders withCambodia, Laos Land Chi MinhCity(HCMC; US$180, daily). Vientiane andHanoi (US$120,daily) and Ho Airlines and VietnamAirlinesflybetween Lao VIETNAM Friday andSunday)from Luang Prabang. also fliestoChiangMai (US$90,Tuesday, Airlines inThailand.Lao route atSukhothai .bangkokair.com) GTIG AROUND GETTING CAMBODIA Airlines,ThaiAirwaysInternational Lao handles all domestic flights in Laos. Pur- inLaos. handlesall domesticflights (codeQV; (codeQV; (codeVN; (codePG; % % 021-212051; www.laos 021-212051; www.laos-airlines % % (THAI, codeTG; (THAI, 021-217562; www 071-253334; www lonelyplanet.com foralistof % 021- made public,andmanyinternational or- lonelyplanet.com ar travellers. air conditions unpredictable, isnotfortimid Sam Neua,where thedescent istrickyand tic routes are assafe asanybutflying into andbusydomes- The international flights M12s, improving thecompany’s reputation. gradually phasingouttheoldaccident-prone range of planesare MA60Chinese-made anew thisairline. Thatsaid nottouse staff andWestern embassiesadvise ganisations so book ahead. to somedestinations, toget aseat difficult itcanbeveryand duringholidayseasons additional surcharge. Schedules are unreliable chasing tickets usingcredit cardscarriesan MYANMAR LAOS AIRFARES Chiang Mai (BURMA) Safety Airlinesaren’t records forLao THAILAND Bangkok Fares varyenormouslydependingon (discounts availableonmostflights). Full one-wayeconomyfares inUS$ 90 Chiang Mai 220 Kunming 140 90 season andcarrier. THAILAND CHINA Huay Xai TRANSPORT •• Getting Around ••Getting TRANSPORT 90 50 Nam Tha Luang Bangkok 100 VIENTIANE Sainyabuli 50 (Muang Xai) Udomxai 80 Luang Prabang Phnom Penh 60 150 50 Phonsavan 150 Siem Reap 60 140 100 CAMBODIA will always pickyouupalong the road. northprovestainous too challenging, a bus usually withoutany hassle,andifthemoun- intothecountrybicycles canbebrought cyclists, model. Forlong-distance or Chinese around 10,000kipperdayforacheap Thai rent inmajor touristdestinations,costing Bicycles arescaling mountains. available for many hardycyclists ditions andyou’llsee townsmakes for favourableLao cyclingcon- andrelativelyThe light inmost slow traffic Bicycle the off list. passenger may becancelled,oryoucouldget bumped before departing asundersubscribed flights VIETNAM Always reconfirm adayortwo yourflights Minh City Ho Chi 120 180 135 Savannakhet Siem Reap 70 HANOI Pakse Tonkin Gulf of CHINA VIETNAM Danang

349 LAOS LAOS LAOS integrate withanysolidfloating oncontact year.people every Theytend toflipanddis- as beingdeafeningly loud,killandinjure aswell Speedboats, can’t endsoonenough. giant runawaychainsaw, anightmare that major thrill.Forothers, it’slike ridingona boatsisa sengers. Forsome,arideonthese so thecostcanbeshared pas- amongseveral They’re not cheap butsomeplyregular routes, take ariverthat might ferry twodaysormore. areThese abletocover insixhours adistance with 40HPoutboardengines–are common. wái Xieng KokandHuayXai,Thai-built Luang Prabang andHuayXaibetween or asmallimprovised ferry will be used. trip (egcrossingariver) a are forareally themosttypical,though short with enginesgimbal-mounted onthestern, river The taxi. bang tothePak Oucaves, youcaneasilyhire a hole inthedeckatbackof the boat. on. Thetoilet(ifthere isone)anenclosed It’s agoodideatobringsomethingsoft tosit sengers onthewoodendecks. sit,eatandsleep regular, soyou’llhave tocharter a boat. andLuangPrabang –areKhiaw nolonger Pakse andSiPhan Nong Don,orbetween leg room.Otherpopularjourneys–between Luang Prabang ( p375 ) there’s usuallyabitof ( p390 ) boatsare often packed, whilefrom bang –remains FromHuayXai adailyevent. HuayXaiandLuangPra- slow boatbetween ists, pushing prices up. todayare geared towardstour-boat services river transportare asgoodover. Sadly,most thedays of mass almost complete inLaos, upgradingprocess With themainhighway 350 Boat For shorter river trips,such asLuangPra- River ferry facilitiesare quite basicandpas- Along theupperMekong River, between –the The mostpopularriver tripinLaos stock ofinner-tubes. water onuntravelled roads,andahealthy plentyoffruitandOur onlyadviceisto take villages previously considered inaccessible. intofrontiersandmountain pushing further aretain-bikers reaching dizzyingaltitudes, travelling has really bybike off;moun- taken Thanks toamuchimproved road-system, POWER WHEEL (speedboats) – shallow, 5m-long skiffs –shallow,5m-longskiffs (speedboats) RNPR • GtigAon Around ••Getting TRANSPORT héua hang nyáo héua phai (longtail boats), (longtail (rowboat) héua Try toget aJapanese bike ifyou’re travelling policemen eager topocket alittleextracash. a helmet,expecttobefinedUS$5by vigilant there isbarely stretch astraight of roadtobe endurance, especiallyinthenortheastwhere canstillbeatest ofments, roadtripsinLaos this isundergoing afacelift.Despite improve- though ViengThongandNongKhiaw, tween upgraded; themainexceptionbeingRte 1be- now eitherinareasonable conditionorbeing wooden benches downeitherside). rows’; converted pick-upsortruckswithtwo either bybusors is publictransportinLaos Long-distance Bus &S the wet season. debris, which isinplentifulsupplyduring .com. the wealth of information atwww.gt-rider should check Laos out ning toridethrough outofany distance town.Motorcyclists plan- (www.asianbiketour.com). are offeredLaos by ofthe event anaccident.Motorcycletours of covered bytherental company’sinsurancein port asadeposit,butit’sunlikely you’llbe per day.You’llbeexpected toleave yourpass- possible torent dirtbikes foraroundUS$20 in larger placeslike Vientianewhere it’salso Tha. Adrivinglicenceisincreasingly required PakseVieng, Savannakhet, andLuangNam kip to80,000perdayinVientiane,Vang scootersthrough canberented for64,000 andJapanese-madeChinese- 100ccstep- Motorcycle & Car littleplasticbagsonsomebuses!). those found (you’llsoonfindoutwhytheyhand The majority are of inLaos mainhighways tions for you.Formore ideassee: there’s nowhere toofaroffthebeaten track has decentsuspensionandknobblytread, more thanahulagirl. Provided yourbike though thebackwheelsare pronetoshake you canpickupanoldRussianMinsk, or Hanoi.Forareported US$200toUS$300 inHoChiMinh ing boughttheirmotorbikes twowheeladventures,their Che-style hav- A numberoftravellers have regaled uswith DIARIES MOTORCYCLE

(www.overlandsolutions.com) ǎ wngth ǎ e w w e ǎ Ifyou’re without caught Asian Motorcycling Adventures Motorcycling Adventures Asian wngth ǎ ew (literally ‘two Overland Solu- lonelyplanet.com . entiane, great wayof reaching remote places.InVi- lonelyplanet.com and you’ll soonfeel athome here. bytheriver, at sunset Lao and enjoying aBeer itsexcellent food sampling its unusualsights, Luang Prabang, butspendafew daysvisiting city mayreveal itsbeauty lessreadily than easy charms of backwater. thisevolving The slowlywonoveryou’ll findyourself bythe ternational cuisine–mostpointedly French – market of andanimpossiblyrich selection in- fromBuddhaParkto see, totheMorning streets.thariat andSamsenthai Full of things Nam Phu, theMekong riverside andSet- compact travellers’ enclave around isbased Graham Greene Itsconveniently protagonist. tive city;thekindof finda placeyoumight somewhere abigtownanddiminu- between blooming streets andsteaming is noodlestalls, crumbling French mansions,bougainvillea - studdedwith friendlycapital, This delightfully % cles) are alsoagoodbet. red-on-yellow numberplates (private vehi- cargo long-distance trucksorcarserwise with and willpickyouupalmostanywhere. Oth- publictransportisinexpensiveIn anycase, and waving atcars bemisinterpreted! might for womenastheactof besidearoad standing entirely safe anddefinitely notrecommended butit’snever Hitching ispossibleinLaos, Hitching sometimes more. extensions are possibleforuptotwoweeks, few formsattheborder. Temporary import it forthelengthof after yourvisa fillingina car ormotorcycle,youare allowedtoimport day, notincludingfuel.Ifyouhave yourown or withoutdrivers, fromaroundUS$70per wagons,with 4WDsandstation minibuses, 17493; [email protected]; ThSamsenthai) VIENTIANE Car rental in Laos isexpensive, butit’sa rental inLaos Car history, culture andpoliticsofLaos. that willdeepenyourunderstandingofthe Evans, containsaseriesofacademicessays Society, & Culture Laos: READ MUST 021 /pop203,000 Asia Vehicle Rental Vehicle Rental Asia VIENTIANE••History edited byDrGrant (AVR; Map p356 ; has sedans, hassedans,

% 021- evard of Th ,where of you’llfindthe evard ThLan isthewidetree-lined boul- Th Setthathirat Heading northeastata90-degree angleto you’re catchingortúk-túkintotown. ataxi Nam Phu isthebestinner-city landmarkif barsguesthouses, andrestaurants are located. Vientiane andare where mostof thebudget –formthecentralinnercityofSamsenthai kong –ThFa andTh Ngum,ThSetthathirat The three mainstreets paralleltotheMe- ORIENTATION onthefuture.set firmlyward-looking countryhasitssights Asean Games,litmusproof thisonceback- matic map.In2009Vientianewillhostthe placing itfirmlyonSoutheastAsia’s diplo- the honourof hostingtheAsean Summit, ding itsparochial skin.In2004,itenjoyed investment, shed- Vientianehasslowlybeen outpost. Sinceopeninguptointernational from notoriousdenof vicetoaustere socialist and thecitybeganarapidtransformation but thenrelented andstuckwithVientiane, considered moving toViengXai thecapital their victoryin1973thePathet briefly Lao Air America)inthe60sandearly70s.After (thescrew-looseRavens CIA-funded pilotsof inhabited byCIA‘spooks’andthecharismatic 19th andearly20thcenturies;itwasfurther took over theprotectorship inthe late of Laos citywhenthey asacapital Vientiane’s status and French conquerors. TheFrench cemented Khmer Siamese, sive Burmese, Vietnamese, bysucces- variouslyabused history, it’sbeen the1000orsoyears ofbulent history.Over its Vientiane’s peacefuldemeanourbeliesatur- HISTORY road and wait forapassing túk-túk. To save money, lugyourbagontothemain pay US$5togetinto towninalicensedtaxi. to youcanexpect tay International Airport, centre ofthecity. ridefromthebus station.Allare ashort arrive attheTalat Sao Muang busstation,whilebusesfromwithin and Laodybuses,you’llbearrivingatthe Si KVT coming inbythemore comfortable busstation.Ifyou’rearrive atthenorthern Most busescominginandoutofVientiane INTOTOWN GETTING Arriving byairatthenowimpressive Wat-

351 LAOS LAOS LAOS 352 VIENTIANE Airport (2km) International To Wattay Luang Prabang(380km) Vang Vieng (156km); Kiaw LiawPier(12km); To Marina(500m); Sikhottabong VIENTIANE 23 Muang

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LAOS LAOS LAOS too manytruthfulexposés.More informa- evacuation tothishospital evacuation in Thailand. 2555; Come here fortreatment ofminorailments. vtmn punch. vitamin barthatdeliversa at thisdelightfulfamily-runfruit-drink per item 500-4000 kip; per item500-4000kip; chased from the PTT ( from thePTT chased above ) and mini- International call phonecardscan bepur- Telephone Post, Telephone &Telegraph Post Bank Lao-Viet Bank Lao Development Bank Joint Development h p356 Map Lao Banque pourleCommerceExtérieur are also a numberof 24-hour ATMs. against credit cardsforacommission. There travellers cheques anddocashadvances banksinVientianechange cashand Several Money Hospital Mahasot EmbassyClinic Australian Hospital UdonInternational Aek Services Medical entiane Book ( Centre p353 ). and magazines such asthe tive isthe ment-run published five isthegovern- timesaweek, onlyEnglish-language newspaper,Laos’ Media House ofFruitShakes for10,000 kipperkilo. service offer laundryMost guesthouses same-day Laundry 354 Setthathirat; Setthathirat; internet services internet services available here. 8am-noonSat)Stamps,poste restante and(slow) Mon-Fri, Vieng; Th LanXang&Khu Lan Xang; h here. canaccess Citizens ofCommonwealthcountries treatment Th Mahasot; mission oncashadvancesagainst credit cards. 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri) Goodratesfor 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri) travellers cheques. 8.30am-4pm Mon-Fri) 8.30am-4pm Mon-Fri) Time h ININ • Sgt VIENTIANE ••Sights h 24hr). If you’re seriously ill seekanemergency 24hr). Ifyou’re seriously % h are soldatminimartsandtheVi- h Vientiane Times, Bangkok Post 213200; cnr Th Pangkham &ThFa213200; cnrThPangkham Ngum; 8.30am-4pm Mon-Fri) Chargeslowercom- 8.30am-4pm Mon-Fri) 8.30am-12.30pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri) 8.30am-12.30pm &2-5pmMon-Fri) (Map (Map p356 ; 8.30-11.30am &2-4pmMon-Fri) (Map (Map p356 h (Map (Map p356 Mp p356; (Map 7am-9pm) Doyourlaundry % (Map (Map p356 h Mp pp352-3 (Map Economist, . International news % 215418; ThLanXang; (PTT; Map Map (PTT; p356 8am-noon &1-5pm sodon’texpect 214023; Th Mahasot) 214023; ThMahasot) ; h Samsenthai; Th ; ( % % % 0066 4234 213300; Th % 213535; Th

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cred Stupa; Map cred Stupa;Map pp352-3 ThThatLuang; admission2000kip; h tional monument in Laos, asymbolof both tional monumentinLaos, tours, kayaking, treks tours, kayaking, and mountain-biking. Wildside, Green Discovery offers environmentallyfriendly Formerlyknownas discoverylaos.com; ThSetthathirat) commission. Boualianislovelyandspeaks great English. charging5% for VietnamandCambodia,plusextensions, kok, Hanoi,Hué,Danang,HCMC;organisestoursandvisas toBang- 1646; ThSamsenthai)Booksbusandtraintickets arranges visasandLaos visa extensions. toBangkok; fromNongKhai land; alsobookstraintickets toLaos,VietnamandThai- Organises onwardbustickets glean info. Staffspeak good English. and for LaoAirlines,thisisagoodplacetobooktickets Arecognised agent .diethelmtravel.com; ThSetthathirat) Lao YouthTravel Discovery Green Diethelm Travel 1 Boualian Travel Authority Lao NationalTourism Information Tourist at internet shops ( p353 ). marts. Cheaperinternet callscanbemade walk but shared túk-túks gothisway,or you tre attheendof Th ThatLuang.It’s adecent Luang isabout 4kmnortheastof thecitycen- held inearlyNovember (see p358 Supreme Patriarch of Buddhism. Lao The latter isthemonasticresidence of the south andWatThatLuangNeuato the north. Only tworemain, WatThatLuangTai tothe time, fourwatswere builtaroundthestupa. Construction beganagainin1566 and, over breastbone asearlythe3rdcenturyBC. stupa) here apieceof to enclose Buddha’s sionaries fromIndiaerected a hasitthatAshokan Legend national seal. mis- An image of themainstupa appears onthe sovereignty.the Buddhistreligion andLao The beautifulgolden SIGHTS speak some English. English andFrench (recommended reading). Thestaff tion Guide, Free copiesoftheofficial Laos’ wildlife, aswellexcursionsbeyondthecapital. Located inalargeofficewithpostered informationabout % Tae Agencies Travel Pa ht Luang That Pha 8am-4pm Tue-Sun) The temple isthesite of amajor festival 212251; ThLanXang; with listings and editorial commentaryinboth withlistingsandeditorial (Map (Map p356 (Map (Map p356 (Map (Map p356 Mp p356 (Map is the most important na- isthemostimportant Lao NationalTourismAdministra- h That Pha % 8am-noon, 1-4pm Mon-Fri) 8am-noon, 1-4pmMon-Fri) % % % 251564; www.green 215290; www 216314; ThFa Gnum) 263772, 020551 (NTAL; Map p356 lonelyplanet.com thâat ) Pa That Pha ). (Buddhist

(Great Sa- h Monument; Map pp352-3 ThLanXang;admission2000kip; Built in1818byKingAnouvong(ChaoAnou), Saket Si Wat afternoon tocatch thereflected sun. setting can hire abike. Thebesttimetovisitislate lonelyplanet.com well asLao. Ifyou get museum-fatigue, you Many of thedisplays are now inEnglish as ernment, andthe 1975communistvictory. imperialism, the 1964–69 provisional gov- ence, the1954–63 resistance toAmerican forindepend- period, the1945–54struggle dedicated tothe1893–1945French colonial and geographical exhibits.Innerrooms are Rooms neartheentrancefeature cultural Museum. Revolutionary known astheLao sion 3000kip; Museum ernor’s residence, the originally builtin1925astheFrench gov- inawell-wornclassicalmansionHoused Museum History National Lao views over Vientiane. interior tothetopof themonument, with entrance fee allowsyoutoclimbthestairway expats refer toitas‘thevertical runway’.The for theconstructionof anew airport, hence built in1969withcementdonated bytheUSA who diedinpre-revolutionary wars. Itwas locals as called Xang. Officially Th Lan dominating thecommercialdistrictaround incongruoussight, is animposingifslightly ArcdeTriomphereplicaVientiane’s haughty Patuxai Hat Sai Fong. site atnearby fromaKhmer play, brought A Khmer-style NagaBuddhaisalsoondis- from 15th-to16th-centuryLuangPrabang. to 19th-centuryVientiane,butafew hail niches. Most of theimages are from16th- and bronze)rest onlongshelves belowthe of varyingage, sizeandmaterial (wood,stone More buddhas andstanding than 300 seated than 2000silver andceramicbuddhaimages. moreriddled withsmallniches thatcontain features. Theinterior wallsof thecloister are on temples. WatSiSaket unique hasseveral ifyou’vewell worthavisiteven overdosed holidays) admission 2000kip; WatSiSaket 8am-5pm) istheoldesttemple inVientianeand

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one eccentricman’sbizarre ambition.Xieng dhist andHindusculptures, amonumentto era 2000kip; pàa h to For atraditional massage experience,head Saunas Herbal & Massage % street-level gymatthe totheconvenientlythyself located, small, itstoll,get istaking Lao If allthatBeer Aerobics & Gym available. are andrefreshments beer, you’ll findpooltables, ing. As wellasgoodold-fashioned bowling, sideofbut entryisontheright thebuild- ‘official’ closingtime,itmaylookdeserted, shoe hire 20,000kip; tre wooden pinsawaityouatthe andthehigh-pitchedclatter of lights Bright Bowling ACTIVITIES s minutes duringtheday.Youcouldcharter a utes) leave theTalat Saoterminal 30 every deity imaginable. just about otherHinduorBuddhist every Avalokiteshvara,Vishnu, Arjuna, Buddhaand ofmeans SpiritCity)includestatues Shiva, concrete sculptures (which atXiengKhuan and iconographyintoacrypticwhole. The Hindu andBuddhistphilosophy,mythology Sulilat, ayogi-priest-shamanwhomerged Luang Pu(Venerable Grandfather)Bunleua wasdesignedandbuiltin1958by Khuan off Map pp352-3 southeast of Vientiane, In agrassyfield by theMekong River, 25km Park) (Buddha Khuan Xieng day. same can keep yourticket andcomebacklater the ǎ wngth Buses passinghereBuses (3000kip,45min- before travelling. visories forup-to-date securityinformation Always checkyourgovernment’s travel ad- WARNING Wat SokPa Luang Mp p356; (Map 1-7pm). 216906; ThFrançoisNginn;pervisit 40,000 kip). means ‘forest temple’) the watisfamous ǎ Located in a semirural setting ( setting Located inasemirural

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17 lonelyplanet.com eoors specialists. ecotourism mostsuccessful lowimpact guides with Laos’ coverylaos.com; ThSetthathirat) Discovery Green Rafting afterwards. questions until 5.30pmwithanopportunity toask Luang ( p355 runsfrom4pm ). Thesession urday afternoon sittingatWatSokPa Foreigners are welcomeataregular Sat- Meditation to US$5 per hour. the superiorof thetwo. Massages costUS$4 its soothinginterior andscented air,maybe Pangkham; US$5 per hour). massages (US$4totraditional Lao-style 10pm) Beauty there. get centre, buttúk-túkdrivers allknowhowto (30,000 kip).It’sabout3kmfromthecity (10,000kip)andmassages for herbalsaunas Authority...... Lao NationalTourism Banque pourleCommerce SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES CoopérationLinguistique...... Centre Cultureletde Boualian Travel1...... ExtérieurLao...... A1 Internet...... INFORMATION Lao NationalHistoryMuseum... Lao BowlingCentre...... Lane XangHotel...... Green Discovery...... (see51) Vientiane BookCentre...... US Embassy...... Tourist Police...... (see16) Post, Telephone&Telegraph..... PlaNet Online...... Monument Books...... Mahasot Hospital...... Lao-Viet Bank...... Lao YouthTravel...... Lao DevelopmentBank...... Kosila Bookshop1...... Joint DevelopmentBank...... Immigration Office...... House ofFruitShakes...... Green Discovery...... (see51) French Embassy...... Federal Express...... Fastnet Internet...... Diethelm Travel...... Mandarina Massage Mandarina In thecentre of town, isadayspaoffering and oilmassage

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LAOS LAOS LAOS basic andcleanwith achoice of attachedand tioned wallsandgrubbyatmosphere thisis shared/private bathroom60,000/80,000 kip) shared/private It’s runby lovely people. bicycles for rent. A nicearea toread upstairs. and outside toilets.Also offers laundryservice cheap andyoucanhire bikes for US$1. like somethingoutof % mostly duetoitsvery convenient location. season, Fills upbymiddayduringthehigh condition. Blankets available for coolernights. thathirat; r40,000-60,000kip) from thevertiginous roof terrace. side toilet,redeemed views byamazingsunset withfanandout- in thisspookyoldhouse; r20,000-50,000kip) Khumman; Nokeo had achance tofind your bearings. move intoalessexpensive placeonceyou’ve that youcaneatforvery littleinVientianeand great bargains listed below.Rememberalso fills upvery quickly,butthere are stillsome modation. Anywhere that’scheap andclean out infavour of better, more accom- sanitary ing thebare minimum,are slowlybeingedged oncecomplacentinoffer-The oldflophouses, SLEEPING (). in mid-April forthemass water-fight of New Year New Year ebrations on31Decemberforthe gardensfor games andbeer three nights. temporarywith foodstalls, discos,carnival Myanmar compete, andtheriverbank islined country, aswellfromThailand,Chinaand Mekong River. Rowingteams fromallover the in October, whenboatracesare heldonthe (River Festival) attheendof BuddhistLent on everyone happy drugs! onacupfinalday,with Wembley Stadium One traveller fromLondondescribeditas Pha ThatLuang( p354 ) andWat SiMuang. a colourfulprocessionof between thousands Thefullmoonfestival peakswith fair inLaos. held inearlyNovember, isthelargest temple The EVENTS & FESTIVALS 358 The riverbank isthefocusof yetmore cel- Another huge is annualevent Lao SakonhGuestHouse GuestHouse Mixok Syri 2GuestHouse Syri GuestHouse Mixay 216571; r 40,000-70,000 kip) 216571; r40,000-70,000kip) That LuangFestival That ININ • Fsias&Eet VIENTIANE ••Festivals &Events , usuallyinFebruary, thenoncemore , andagainfor

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commodation in a salubrious setting, andso setting, commodation inasalubrious Th Saigon;r60,000-100,000kip) % [email protected]; ThSamsenthai; r120,000- [email protected]; Just northof NamPhu of (andthedelights the % large Lao. Beer ofand make thefreaky sense muralafter a othertravellersit’s afunplacetomeet ortry is showing inapeacefulcourtyard herage. Set withpaint-thirstyfriendly oldstalwart, walls, rwithshared bathroom80,000kip) Th Manthatulat; warned, theownerplays guitar. Badly. Also,bea roomwithwindow,though. bathrooms andfan.Make sure youaskfor Adequate digsifalittlemurky,withattached % pable sense of atmosphere. large andcool,décorisoldstylewithapal- of othertravellers, filmsandmeet roomsare tiane. Agreat place tochill, watch a widerange bike ridespromisinganothersideof Vien- the back.Theowner,Air,alsooffers special home toalittletribeof artistswhopaintout location, Syriiswelcomingtonewcomers and as a daisy. family-runatmosphere.with apleasant Fresh proud accommodationhasspotless rooms r 60,000-80,000kip; 230,000 kip; 230,000 kip; downstairs. available – atelephone! Newspapers andmagazines –and,waitforit have hotwater, satellite TV it should begiven theprice. Vayakorn’s rooms r120,000-170,000kip) Khumman; Nokeo andavery cool laundry service lobby. Plush. commodation withahintof luxury.Has fans, to arecent refurbishment, thisisqualityac- % of you.Ask foraroomwith a view. tiled floors. Thisisgreat valueifthere are two furnishings, fresh white linenand kip) 30,000 kipyoucanhave a balcony. elegant withattached bathrooms.Foranextra Scandinavian Bakery!) roomsare spotlessand Dragon Lodge Vayakorn GuestHouse RD GuestHouse GuestHouse Phonepaseuth GuestHouse Phatoumphone GuestHouse Thawee o Nali NamphuGuestHouse 263298; www.malinamphu.com;rinclbreakfast 100,000 Recentlyopenedwithpristinerooms, 212263; 217903; r with/without air-con 60,000/120,000 kip; 217903; rwith/withoutair-con60,000/120,000kip; 262112; r 120,000 kip) 262112; r120,000kip) Soukxana GuestHouse

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359 LAOS LAOS LAOS François Nginn; meals 40,000-60,000 kip; François Nginn; meals40,000-60,000 kip; and lunchtime options.Consistent as ever. tion, diningalfresco withexcellentbreakfast 30,000 kip; 30,000 kip; shakes 4000-7000 kip; 4000-7000kip; shakes You can dine out on modern Lao, Chinese, Chinese, You candineout onmodernLao, over-priced Lao. Beer Indian orWestern, followed by lashingsof The mostpopular rat; meals30,000-50,000kip; and of Lao/Thai dishes. Vietnamese to read. Asian fusionmenu,featuring acombo haunt, withanupstairs bar andquietveranda and styleconverge inthissumptuouslycomfy Nginn; meals20,000-40,000; sionfruit fromMay to July. December toFebruary oranythingwithpas- includeanythingwithstrawberryfrom lights fruit-shake high- shopinVientiane. Seasonal Restaurant Katusha International ence; thecoolersideof Vientiane’s nightlife. of artdeco.awhiff Varied menu,lavish ambi- Plaza Hotel withasmattering of neonand sive double-floored restaurant opposite Lao Samsenthai; meals30,000-50,000kip; Nazim Indian lights. fairy isilluminated withredsetting andyellow thebeer-gardencludes Thaidishes. Atnight, ChaiDeu,themixedfrom Khop menuin- dinner) thathirat; meals15,000-40,000kip; it’s probably good.Take your pick. influenced dishes.Ifit’spopularwithlocals, andChinese- upfresh Lao- serve ous stands Ngum; meals10,000-30,000kip; delights. other làap ing short street linedwithfoodvendors sell- beforeright theT-junction andbehold a Anou, Vientiane’sChinatowndistrict,turn meals 5000-20,000kip Ban Anounightmarket Asian & Lao 360 Open-air riverside foodvendors Open-air riverside Sticky Fingers Café &Bar Sticky Fingers Café Full MoonCafé IndianFusion Rashmi’s Khop ChaiDeu Khop Sabaidee Restaurant ping kai (spicysalad) ININ • Dikn VIENTIANE ••Drinking Alsopopular,andjustdowntheroad

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where themore expensive of town,isthemaindeparture pointfordo- .com) Tha Khaek and Savannakhet. and Savannakhet. Tha Khaek Laody and travel agents aroundtown. hours) fromguesthouses canbepurchased air-con toVang minibuses Vieng(US$7,three on 7kmwestoftruck station Vientiane. Seats 3pm. After that,s Vieng (15,000kip,three tofourhours) until location. from thesame Airlines)andleavesplane ($120,Lao at7pm an air-con bus(US$18)versus aswiftrideby long haultoHanoi isagruelling20hours on The depart fromthenorthernbusstation. kip, 16hours, twodailyat6.30amand2pm) hours, onedailyat7am);Udomxai(85,000 6.30am, 9.30amand4pm;VIP80,000kip,10 savan (60,000kip,12hours, three dailyat hours,US$16, eight onedailyat8am);Phon- four dailyat6.30am,7.30am,9am,7pm;VIP inthesouth,andHCMC.north toAttapeu here foreverywhere inthefar fromPhongsali leave Buses mestic andinternational buses. T2) The passengers typicallysleep on board. the daybefore. Boatsmake stopsand several aspot Go totheKiawLiawPierreserve where Kao Rte 13headsnorthinBan Liaw. Pier, 3.5kmwestof theforkinroad Ferriesto oneweek). leave fromKiawLiaw Luang Prabang(US$26,upstream fourdays It’s possibletotake aslowcargo boatto Boat (US$120). Hanoi bang (US$60),Phonsavan (US$50)and (US$140), HuayXai(US$90),LuangPra- (US$100), ChiangMai (US$90),Kunming (US$60),HCMCkhet (US$180),Bangkok Penh (US$50),Pakse (US$100),Savanna- you canflytoSiemReap(US$140),Phnom the maincarriers forVientiane. Fromhere lines % Airlines Lao r i A AWAY & THERE GETTING Bus &S , a5000-kiptúk-túkridefromthecentre From Talat Sao, regular head toVang buses forLuangPrabang (US$10,10hours,Buses Si Muang busstation Si Muang 251041; www.thaiair.com) (codeVN; , northern busstation northern ( % Thai AirwaysInternational Thai ǎ 242102) wngth

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is LAOS LAOS LAOS US$8 per day.Shop around foroneingood city centre. Scooters costaroundUS$6to inthe from touragencies and guesthouses Bicycles canberented for15,000kip perday Motorcycle & Bicycle AROUND GETTING Boualian Travel ( p354 ) for information. lished inthe fromtravelpurchased agents in Vientiane. at 8pm.TicketsMuang AirBusStation canbe 11 hours), includinganovernighter, leave Si toPakse VIPbuses the waythrough. (US$18, to 4pm),stoppingforabreak on inThaKhaek Pakse (US$12,14hours, ninedailyfrom10am two hoursevery thereafter until3pm,andfor hours),(US$6, eight departingat7amand above ). text, theboxedship Bridge (see toNongKhai Friend- gins itstripacrosstheThai-Lao Internationalwhere Busbe- theThai-Lao andsouth.Thisisalso from where runtodestinationswithin buses Sao busstation 362 Up-to-date bus-fare informationispub- leaveLocal buses Talat SaoforSavannakhet The otherkey departure pointisthe before youattempt toenter here. The borderisopenfrom8amto5pm. horror storiesofpeoplebeingleftinthemiddlenowhere abound. Hanoi withtradersinLakSao,butdon’trelinquish anymoneyuntilyou’re physicallyinthecity– buses headacrossthebordertoVinh, inVietnam. to Itisalsopossibletoorganise transport from Vientiane. NeuainLaosandCau TreoThe bordercrossingbetweenKaew inVietnam canbeaccessed To Vietnam túk-túk betweenthebridge andthebusortrainstation. passengers betweenimmigrationpostsevery 20minutes orso. OntheThai a sideyoucantake bus 14fromTalat between6.30amand5pm.At thebridge,shuttlebusesferry Sao(5000kip) betweenVientiane andthebridgeincludetúk-túk ortheregulartransport public (50,000kip), The bordercrossingiseasy,withvisasissuedonarrivalinbothcountries. Alternative meansof the bridgealmostevery hour. there FromNongKhai are regular busesandtrainstoBangkok. 7.30am, 10.30am,3.30pmand6pm.Buses,túk-túk andtouristminibusesrunfromthecapitalto 90minutes),Lao International whichleaves Bus(10,000kip, Vientiane’s Talat Saobusstationat Thai- is opendailybetween6amand10pmtheeasiestwaytocrossoncomfortable The Thai-Lao FriendshipBridgeis20kmsoutheastofVientiane. The Vientiane–Nong border Khai Thailand To VIETNAM & THAILAND TO GETTING ININ • GtigAon Around VIENTIANE ••Getting See p838 Vietnamese guardsattheborderare rigorousintheirchecks,andit’svitaltoorganise avisa busstation;fromthereBuses runtoLakSaointheearlymorningfromVientiane’s northern See p758 fordetailsondoingthetripinreverse. forinformationontravelling intheopposite direction. Vientiane Times Mp p356; (Map % 216507; ThMahasot) orpopinto Talat

senthai; bicycleperday15,000 kip; motorcycles per day US$8/20) ThWatXieng Nyeun; scooters/ [email protected]; or stolen.Readthefineprintbefore signing to replace the bike damaged ifitisseriously out insurance,mosthirers expectyoutopay condition (yoursafety dependsonit).With- túk-túk (one withpassengers already init) possible. Youcanalsoflag down ashared the street) where abitof fare negotiation is free-roaming túk-túk (onedrivingalong 2km to4km).You’re better off tryinga 5000 kipfor1kmto2km;10,000 kipfor with theotherdrivers (ieapproximately forlessthantheprice alreadystand agreed queue onastreet cornerwon’t leave the inanot impossible. Túk-túksstanding though túks, which makes difficult haggling tripcostsareStandard posted insidetúk- Túk-Túk PVO Shop KT 1 Boualian Travel lock yourbike inside overnight. toany contractsandaskyourguesthouse ers per day US$7) Hire scootersat ers perdayUS$7)Hire this eatery. (Map (Map p356 ; (Map (Map p356 ; % Map Map p356 ; 020 5515655;ThSamsenthai;scoot- % 020 5614201; % h 263772; ThSam- lonelyplanet.com 8am-6pm) yu destination. your you around2000to5000kipdependingon go. Ajourneyinashared túk-túkwillcost that isheadinginthedirection youwantto lonelyplanet.com van’s Plainof Jars; improved roads,though graced resort of Vang ViengandPhonsa- destination of LuangPrabang,the karst- hasblossomed beyondthebeautifulLaos intrepid. thelastten years, Over Northern ofa wealth trekking adventures awaitthe forest, diverse ethnichill-tribevillages and carpetedMist-laced mountains inthick LAOS NORTHERN Pheung Ton MYANMAR NORTHERN LAOS Muang (BURMA) Mom ὈὈ ὈὈ Ban Nam Chiang Khong THAILAND Sang Moeng Muang Khop

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Treo Cau 363 LAOS LAOS LAOS caving andclimbing,there are stillplentyof (for which thetownisfamous)totrekking, tion of outwardboundpursuits fromtubing awideselec- karsts isfarfromthat.Besides the NamSongRiver andjagged limestone beside thisbeautifulsetting sullied paradise, on visitors. Butdespite itsreputation asa video bars inanattempt tosecure itsclaim western comforts andcomatose-inducing retreat, Vang Viengoffers aplethoraof transplantedhas been tothisoncesleepy As SanRd of Khao ifasection Bangkok’s % Vieng V ang 364 VANG VIENG AROUND you have nochoicebuttopaythefineorbedeported/jailed. up payingUS$30togetridofthem.’ atripwiththemtothepolicestation.Iheardsomegirlssuggest youtake didthisandended impersonators are quite credible, sotryandremain calmandaskforID.Ifitfailstomaterialise scent ofreefer. Iftheycatchyouwithajoint,theon thespotfineisfromUS$500toUS$700.The to beplain-clothescoppers. Sven, atraveller fromFinland said,‘They’re bloodhoundsonthe like Travellers passingthroughVang Vieng toldusofthelatest brazen hustle–peoplepretending SMOKE UNHOLY Ban Nammuang 023 /pop25,000 Tham Phu OTENLO • VetaePoic LAOS••VientianeProvince NORTHERN Quasi police aside, if you bump into the real article (they’reQuasi policeaside,ifyoubumpintothereal allplain-clothedinVang article Vieng) Kham Tham PhaPuak To Vientiane Prabang (135km) (1736m) Phu Nampin (120km) Tham Loup Na Som To Luang Tham Hoi Tham Nam Tham Khan Ban Na Tham None Thong Tham Sang Na Bua New Market

Nam Song Pha Jao 6miles 10km 0 0 Tham Ban Phatang Jang Tham 13 Organic Farm Phoudindaeng Ban NaDao Vang ViengResort Vang Vieng Ban ViengSamai Phon Ngam Pak Pok Phon Sai New BusStation Tha Heua Ban KhanMak Vang Heua Ban Namon nection inacoolspace. nection h phone calls. Organises onward visas. 11pm) Internetaccess,CDburning,internationalinternet Banque pour le Commerce Extérieur Lao Banque pourleCommerceExtérieur Thailand. to get toVientianeforanambulancepick-up the river. healthconcerns, Foranyserious alongnewer bungalow-styleguesthouses moreand several restaurants, plusafew lel tothemainstreet are abasichospital of restaurants guesthouses, andbars. Paral- toreachturn right themainconcentration was theairstrip. Head westintotown,then stopeastofBuses apatch of that tarmac want toenjoythebest of it. is where youshouldspendyourtimeif Vieng. Itgrew uparoundtheriver, andthis authentic spotstosavour asliceof oldVang at sniffing out spliffs (see UnholySmoke, (see outspliffs at sniffing op- travellers isthelaw. Policeare adept nasally p366 ). Theothertroublethattends tofind the boxed text Safety Tips fromtheExpert, a few drownings here inrecent years (see awarenear caves. thatthere Be have been tions, anddon’tleave valuables lyingaround by fellow travellers. Take the usualprecau- Vang Vieng has itsfairshare of thefts,many Beside the old market. Post office PlaNet Online IT Internet Bookshop BKC ATM. 24-hour Xayoh Café,doesexchangesandcashadvanceshasa ( books andhand-drawn–coloured-in – maps. tourist ofsecondhandnovels,oldguide- asmall selection Sells DNES ANNOYANCES & DANGERS OINAIN INFORMATION & ORIENTATION % 7am-7pm) Next to Riverside Tours,superquickcon- toRiverside 7am-7pm) Next 5114480; ( ( % % h ( ( % 511009; % 020 2244 7755; per min 300 kip; 020 22447755;permin300kip; 8.30am-3.30pm Mon-Sun)Justwestof 511209; per min 300 kip; 511209; permin300kip; 511303; Market St; 511303; Market h 8.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri) 8.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri) lonelyplanet.com h 7am-7pm)

h 8am- offers asimilarrange atcompetitive prices cycling, caving andtubingoptions.The There are twooutfits runningtrekking, ACTIVITIES & SIGHTS or US$500toUS$700 on-the-spot fine. posite ). Three months injailwithoutappeal Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com going the rest of thewaybyroad. Though US$15, involve paddling forhalf a daythen Vientiane, advertised aroundtownforabout its tocaves andvillages. Kayaking tripsto take youdown afew rapidsandinclude vis- trips (US$8toUS$12perperson) typically g n i k Kayaking isanother popularpursuit. All-day a y a K youget to Can three?level tree andtake ajumpintothepoolfarbelow. dip inthebluestream afterward. Climb the final200mclimbbutworthitfora a tough ern sideof thevillage: followthesigns.It’s you have towalk1kmahillonthenorth- NaThong,fromwhere roadtoBan unsealed Song, thenwalkorpedal6kmalongascenic, boo footbridge (admission 4000kip) the signsfromVang Vieng Resort. a coolspringatthefootof thecave. Follow up tothemaincavern entrance. There’s also ofthe early19thcentury.Aset stairs leads in Chinese out frommaraudingYunnanese 9000 kip) sense of humour. Vieng, sotake plentyof smallnotes anda to make turnaroundVang aquidatevery There’seral guesthouses. someonetrying from BKC Bookshop( own forback-up.Youcanbuyalocalmap tobringyourby torchlight,butit’swise compulsory, guidefees. Guidesleadyou entrance charges notstrictly and,although addition of signsinEnglish there are now ally openfromdawntoduskandwiththe The caves aroundVang Viengare gener- s e v a C tickets. bus and canassistwithbookingonwardair sidetourslaos.com; ThLuang Prabang; while .greendiscoverylaos.com; ThLuang Prabang; best knownis Another popularcave is The mostfamouscave, Riverside Tours Riverside southof asahide- town,wasused

(toll 2000kip) Green Discovery Green . Toreach it,crossthe ( % near theHotel near Nam opposite ) 020 22447755;www.river Tham Jang Tham Tham Phu Kham Phu Tham h

( %

7am-7pm) and atsev- NORTHERN LAOS••VientianeProvince NORTHERN 511230; www h (admission

7am-7pm) bam- also tranquillity, are by the river. ness. Thebest options,ifyou’re of insearch Vieng they’re doingeach other outof busi- There are in Vang somanyguesthouses the tackle rapids intoxicated. course it’spretty stupidanddangerous to makeshift bars youstopatenroute! Of on river conditionsand howmanyof the trip cantake twoormore hours depending to thelaunch point3kmnorthof town.The 30,000 kip,which includesthetúk-túkride aroundtown.Pricesareguesthouses fixed at dozens of tuberental placesinshopsand Vieng’s biggest attractionsandthere are g n Tubing downthe NamSongisoneof Vang i b u T Vieng. Vang fromtheGreenobtained Discovery officein permits (US$5perdayforagroup)mustbe Ifyou’recliffs. aclimberyoucanDIY,but per day)upVang Vieng’sdramaticlimestone climbing courses fornovices (around US$30 .com; ThLuang Prabang) Discovery Green Climbing Rock the guides’credentials. are usingacheap not. Before operator,check all guidesare tobetrained,many supposed SLEEPING SLEEPING ( Mr Thi atthe Jamie Thomas, Herefordshire, Uk VIENG VANG IN VOLUNTEERING something backtothecommunity. to interact withLaoyoungsters andhand ing localchildren offers agreat opportunity able contributionvisitorscanmake. Teach- the localschoolisperhapsmostvalu- school busforlocalchildren. Teaching at a libraryandtheestablishmentoffree seen thebuildingofacommunitycentre, thusiasm forcommunitydevelopment has in wherever they’re needed.MrThi’s en- and patiencetohangaroundmuck work foranyonewhohastheinitiative ing have gone,butthere’s stillplentyof tolendahand.Thekeen daysofWWOOF- who wishtostayforaweekormore andare % 511220; www.laofarm.org)

Phoudindaeng Organic Farm ( % 511230; www.greendiscoverylaos operates guidedrock- welcomesthose

365 LAOS LAOS LAOS with such view of afantastic theriver. Perhaps alittlenondescript, butwhocares lows are cleanandsimple withafanincluded. river road before yourfirst taking left. Bunga- kip) of Baja motorbikes. the onlyplaceintowntohire apowerful set Maylyn and nowhas aherbalsteam sauna, Its 15cabanasare basicwithfanandensuite. views of thenearbykarsts andriver are divine. lush vegetation andlandscapedgardens.The in isset paradise the NamSong,thissecluded 40,000 kip) places intown. tobecomeoneof themostpopular Deserves reflectionscandy light intothewater bynight. views intown.Itsalfresco barthrowsoff lovely cabanaswithsomeof thebestriver boo footbridge, thispeacefulnewvenue has Perfectly positionedto the westof thebam- 366 o Paradise IslandBungalows Phoubane GuestHouse Phoubane „ „ „ „ „ EXPERT THE FROM TIPS SAFETY tions withhumansweat. caves; andnottouchingformations,whichsoonbecomedegradedduetothechemicalreac- orurinatinginencouraging localstouseflashlights(torches)ratherthancandles;notsmoking on endandseveral couldnotlocate have them. perishedwhensearchparties tion withoutaguideisnotrecommended, touristshave beenlostinVang Vieng caves fordays relatively cheapandwillensure thatyougodirectly tothemostinteresting caves. Cave explora- treated withrespect andcaution.Itisstronglyrecommended togocavingwithguides;thisis help yourfriendsiftheyhave trouble. in theriver; water tubersdon’t.Staytogethersothatyoucan flowsthroughsuchobstructions, suchastrees forobstructions a confidentswimmerwearlifejacket. orbranches Lookwellahead Several touristshave drownedwhiletubinginVang Vieng duringtherainyseason.Even ifyou’re to trust. and prepared shouldsomethinggowrong. The followingquestionswillhelpyouidentifywho environments of toensure yougowithoutfittersLaos yetitisimportant whoare equipped Professionally managed and kayaking rafting trips are agreat waytoexperiencethewonderful Head southfromthemarket the taking IstheleadguidefluentinEnglish?Howlonghasheorshebeenleadingpaddletours? Are yourguidestrainedinbasicfirstaid(discussCPR)andriver rescue? Bywhom? Howlongisthepretrip safety session? briefingandpractice Can boatsandthrowbag? Iseeyourfirst-aid kit, Doyourtourshave alloftherelevant safety equipmentsuchaslife throwropes,a jackets, Mick O’Shea is a certified white-water kayaking expert andtheexpeditionleader ofthefirstdescentMick O’Sheaisacertified white-waterkayaking expert of OTENLO • VetaePoic LAOS••VientianeProvince NORTHERN Finally, pleasepromote sustainableecotourismbypayingthesignposted fees tocave minders; The caves ofVang Vieng are fascinatinganddelicate ecosystems thatshouldbeenjoyedyet andhelmets? first-aid kit Westof thebamboofootbridge across Maylyn GuestHouse Maylyn

( % 511037; r30,000-40,000

( (r 20,000-40,000 kip) (r 20,000-40,000kip) % 511083; r30,000- MickO’Shea San Rd; r 30,000-50,000 kip; San Rd;r30,000-50,000kip; market (earplugsmaybeanoption)thisre- of townonthebanksof theNamSong,this for details. for details. thefarm;see volunteer work through p365 website fordirections. Youcanalso organise ner, makes the deliciousorganic dishes. See 10,000 to15,000kip), openforlunch anddin- bathroom. Theattachedrestaurant (meals in dormsorsmallprivate roomswithshared fruits andvegetables, offers accommodation farm, which growsmulberrytrees andorganic .laofarm.org; r30,000-60,000kip) bouncy bedswillswallowyouup. value withslickmodernroomsandfans.The cently spruced-upaccommodationisgreat Fansrides tothebusstation. are included. whoalsooffer free rooms andfriendlystaff this charming wood-fronted hasdecent house kip) Phoudindaeng Organic Farm Organic Phoudindaeng Nana Guest House & Restaurant Nana GuestHouse&Restaurant opposite SanRd, Khao TheRisingSunoff Thavisouk GuestHouse Thavisouk the MekongRiver fromsource toseain2004. Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com a ( %

) Around 3kmnorth Close to the night tothenight Close 511124; r30,000-40,000

( % ( % 511220; www 511036; Khao 511036; Khao inclusion. rooms fresher thanothers. Fan isastandard isanoldiebutgoodie,withsome Dok Khoun theoldmarkettween andThLuangPrabang, 70,000 kip; Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com have forgotten where they are, food. Lao of Western fare, whomight andforthose gauntlet of Sanoffering Khao arich selection 30,000 kip) posite formore about thefarm. The bestveggie foodonthestrip. See op- berry shakes make thisanexcellentchoice. an alliterative mul- menuandLaos-famous kip; whilst having your alfresco latte. plusagreatsandwiches, viewof thekarsts fering cakes, brownies,pastriesandbespoke meals 7000-30,000kip; corner opposite the old market. It’sonthe localscanafford. at priceseven dishes consistently goodLao Nokeo serves pineapple. extra notmean,asone travellerdoes discovered, Vieng, theword‘happy’before ‘pizza’ most of SoutheastAsia, includingVang Friends uninfectedso farbeen byVang Vieng’s Following are afew restaurants thathave andWestern cuisine. Thai,Chinese Lao, thing tosuityourtastes amongarange of You won’thave anyproblemfindingsome- EATING den Dragon like somethingoutof bathroom andair-con. Theviewistruly upmarket andtake aroomwithprivate and shared bathrooms,oryoucanmove basic bamboobungalowsallhave balconies town where theriver bendstothewest.The r 60,000-120,000kip; it’s another50montheleft. the oldmarket (north),then andturnright the karst peaksbeyond.Walkdownthrough rooms, 12withviewsover and toDonKhang of theNamSong,Orchid has20spacious kip; Dok Khoun 1GuestHouse Dok Khoun Sisavang Restaurant FarmOrganic Café LuangPrabangBakery Restaurant Nokeo Bungalows Riverside Orchid Vang Vieng

a h ) breakfast, lunch&dinner) Fresh three-storey venue onthebanks phenomenon. Please alsonote: in phenomenon.Please

a A feeding holeonthevideo-chain (meals 6000-20,000kip; ) . Right inthecentre Right of townbe-

a h ( % ( % ) Situated justnorthof breakfast, lunch&dinner) (Khao SanRd; meals 20,000- (Khao 020 2202259;r60,000-100,000 ( 511174; meals10,000-25,000 Crouching , Hid- % Innovative dishes, 511035, 0203523426; ( %

h 511032; r30,000- lunch &dinner) NORTHERN LAOS••VientianeProvince NORTHERN ( % 511145; Of-

per person. Tham SangTriangle costsaround10,000kip day. Atúk-túkup totheorganic farmorthe A few placeshire outscooters forUS$5per bikesUS$2 perday,mountain costUS$5. Bicyclescanberentedwith ease. foraround towalkaround The townshipissmallenough AROUND GETTING agencies andinternet cafésintown. hours) areseven tour soldatguesthouses, three hours) orLuangPrabang (US$7,sixto air-con, travelling direct toVientiane(US$5, journey sotryandsitnearawindow). hours, onedailyat9am–atortuous,winding and Phonsavan tonine (75,000kip,eight to five hours, houruntildark) almostevery hours, five daily),Vientiane(25,000kip,four Luang Prabang (55,000 kip,sixtoseven From theairstrip leave busstopbuses for AWAY & THERE GETTING for school’ staff. ‘toocoolgain yourequilibrium.Slightly cushions make thisisagoodplace to re- delic walls,flickering interior andreclined phere. 2 Playstation is alsoavailable. cushions andsoakupthelow-tempo atmos- ing jointwhere youcanrecline oncomfy end of isawelcom- thestreet, Bar Babylon spot. drinking mosphere, ( Xayoh Café above ) isapopular andaneasyat- indoor andoutdoorseating, bothWith itscornerlocation,pooltable, DRINKING franchise. Nazim Indianfoodfromthe tasty neric butever Rd; meals30,000kip; breakfasts to cuisine. Lao downers. Themenuranges fromWestern is anidealspotforbreakfast, lunch andsun- kip; branch. similar towhat’sonoffer atthe Vientiane menu of burgers pizza,pasta, andchips – h Jaidee’s Bar Babylon Bar Nazim IndianRestaurant Sunset Restaurant Café Xayoh Tickets with andVIPbuses forminibuses

breakfast, lunch&dinner) h breakfast, lunch&dinner)

( (Khao SanRd) (Khao % ( %

h 511088; meals20,000-40,000kip; 606339; Khao SanRd) 606339; Khao

( % breakfast, lunch&dinner) AtypicallyWestern 511096; meals20,000-50,000

Downthesouth Ontheriver, this ( % 511214; Khao San 511214; Khao Psyche- 367 Ge-

LAOS LAOS LAOS 200 kipper minute. Thebestplace is andcharge 150and Sisavangvong between here. Internet shops are dotted alongTh You won’thave anytroublegetting online L’Étranger Books&Tea Bookshops INFORMATION attractions. its is anexcellentwaytoexplore thecityand easily covered onfoot,buthiringabicycle Rivers.and NamKhan Theoldquarter is totheMekongning fromThSisavangvong eateries canbefoundinthestreets run- while more accommodationoptionsand and internet caféslineThSisavangvong, The majority of restaurants, tourcompanies Phu goodlandmark. Siis an unmissably Rivers. Dominatingthecentre of town, bounded bytheMekong andNamKhan are intheoldquarter, onthepeninsula Most of LuangPrabang’s touristattractions ORIENTATION longer than planned. the Hive youmayfindyourself staying Bar, inubertrendysybaritic evenings bars such as with shuttered French mansionsorenjoying theoldcitystreetsdering through peppered it wan- place tokickbackforafew days.Be night-market, Luang Prabang isawonderful foodatthemanybistros,cafésandfantastic east Asia. Withitsorange-robed monks,and cated, photogenic cityinthewholeof South- isperhaps themostsophisti- capital sleepy wats, glittering inemeraldandgold,thisonce of theRoyalFamily toitsmyriadstunning the traveller. Fromthefascinatinghistory chanting anddiverse inwhatithastooffer protected WorldHeritage cityisboth en- andMekongNam Khan Rivers, thisUnesco- Nestled onthesacred confluenceof the % Prabang L uang PROVINCE PRABANG LUANG 368 nent Access Internet in cash. halfthe your oldbooksforvouchersortake equivalent Pedigreeand German. filmsshownnightlyat7pm.Trade Titles, are generallyFrench, English andnon-fiction, fiction cinema; withacaféoutsideandupstairslizard lounge. Thecity’sbestbookshop-cumIndie 20,000/50,000 kip) 10pm Mon-Sat,10am-10pmSun;booksperhr/day ThKingkitsarat; [email protected]; 071 /pop52,466 OTENLO • LagPaagPoic LAOS••Luang PrabangProvince NORTHERN ( % 537 7826; h 7am- All Lao All Lao available weekdays only. cashadvances euros; andUKpounds. Openweekends, US,Australian andCanadiandollars; including Thaibaht; symbol only)Willchangetravellerschequesandcash 8.30am-3.30pm Sat&Sun)NowhasATM (MasterCard rounding area. toPak inthe trips Oucaves andotherattractions sur- MoststaffspeakgoodEnglishandcan advise on tickets. busandboat Bangkok andVietnamAirways, canalsosort agentsforThai AirwaysInternational,and Authorized h Agencies Travel in Unesco project Luang Prabang. the peninsulacontainspostedpublicinformationon tipof an oldFrench customshouseatthenortheastern Sakkarin; Internet shops along Th Sisavangvong offer Internet shopsalongThSisavangvong Post office Bank Lao Development Lao Banque pourleCommerceExtérieur Pharmacie Hospital Friendship Lao-China Services Medical spacious placetocatch up onyouremail. h Co Travel All Lao Travel Co All LaoTravel guides. organisescars Th XiengThong)Booksairtickets, with Diethelm Travel office Unesco WorldHeritage Information Tourist Office fice withaphonecardorfromthe regular international callsfromthepostof- internetlong-distance calls.Youcanmake Telephone h ( cases needtobeflown to Thailand. Alargewhitetowersignalsthespot.Serious túk-túk trip). thestadium(a10,000kip after south offThNaviengkham, About5km deserted. All-newandeerily Setthathirat) Post h Money few hours on weekends. medicines. Opendaily,although closessometimesfora % 8am-11pm) 8am-6pm) Thebesttravelcentre onthepeninsula. 8.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-noonSat&Sun) 8.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-noon &2-3.30pm)Goodexchangerates. 252983; ThSisavangvong;

(Th Phothisalat; (Th h ( % (cnrThChaoFa Ngum& Th Kitsarat; (Th Sakkarin; Sakkarin; (Th 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) Ananteroomin 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) – it’s easily the coolest and most –it’seasilythecoolestandmost 253522; Th Sisavangvong; per hr 10,000 kip; 253522; ThSisavangvong;perhr10,000kip; ( ( % % h 253522; ThSisavangvong; 212277; [email protected]; h (Th Sisavangvong; (Th 8am-noon & 1-5pm) 8.30am-8pm) Stocksbasic h (www..org; Th ( 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, % lonelyplanet.com 252049; Th

Telephone . town centre, isheaving withvendors selling is located justafew kilometres southof the admission 20,000kip; the To get a footholdonthecity’shistoryvisit Museum Palace Royal SIGHTS lonelyplanet.com 10,000 kip; The temples ontheslopes of i S u h P are all sold here. mass-produced T-shirts andothersouvenirs antique weavings, mulberry-paper lanterns, icrafts, jewellery,traditionalmedicine and Night Market forthecandle-litgauntlet ofsalat the theRoyalPalace between traffic andThKit- a major intersection. themarket ontheleftat Kuang Si.You’llsee follow ThChaoFa NgumsouthtowardsTat ofand mountains fresh produce. Toget there an impressive arrayof hardware, cookware Market Phousy Luang Prabang’smainmarket, thenewly built Markets T-shirts or sundresses. declares thatforeigners mustnotwearshorts, leave bagswiththeattendants. Adress code no photographyispermitted andyoumust Footwear can’tbeworninsidethemuseum, time of day,accordingtothechanging light. wallismeanttobeviewedatadifferentEach life.tereau, depictscenesfromtraditionalLao painted in1930byFrench artist AlixdeFau- walls intheking’sformerreception room, which the town isnamed.Themuralsonthe buddhaafterPha thegoldstanding Bang, mostprizedart,includingthethe museum’s palace, which openstotheoutside,contains frontcornerroomof Theright the and Laos. Buddhist sculptures fromIndia,Cambodia display inthelarge entryhall,aswellrare Variousseum. royalreligious objectsare on which the palace wasconverted intoamu- prisoned inthecaves of ViengXai,following andim- family were exiledtonorthernLaos shortly after the1975revolution heandhis Savang Vattana inherited thethrone,but family. Whenthekingdiedin1959hisson andhisa residence forKingSisavangvong structed besidetheMekong River in1904as 3.30pm, closedTue). At sundown, Th Sisavangvong is closed to isclosed At sundown,ThSisavangvong Royal Palace Museum h 8am-6pm)

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50 Th Kingkitsarat Th Sakkarin lonelyplanet.com Song Wat Phon

pedestrians, bicycles Nam & motorcyclesonly Wat Khili 9 Bus Terminal(4km) 22 Khaa Wat Pa D Nam Bridge opento Khan Wat Saen Khan Wat Pakkhan Wat Sa-at Tham XiengMaen Tham lonelyplanet.com Khmu Massage Khmu trip fromHuayXai you it. deserve Th Phothisalat. Goon,after thattwo-day (legit) massage parlours andbeauty spason able prices.There are acoupleof heavenly ofin search refined pampering,atafford- tion, hasuppeditsgametocater forthose growingsophistica- The city,withitsever Massage a gently undulating35kmthrough rice paddy. the hills.TheroadtoKuangSiWaterfalls is headsouthpast Phousy Market either: andinto toget take much out ofit doesn’t effort town temples can easilybecovered inhalfaday, (US$2-3perday).Theoldquarter’s thisalat andshopsaroundThPho- ous guesthouses Prabang. Bicyclescanberented fromnumer- Cycling isoneof the bestwaystoenjoyLuang Cycling ACTIVITIES 5pm) hill peaceful cometorest.buddha statues Atthetopof the limestonecavein a100m-deep where decayed Wat LongKhun temples,bang are including notable several Luang serve Prabang’s temples. andpre- tomaintain the artisticskillsneeded young novices andmonkshave trainedin been With backingfromUnescoandNewZealand, háang thíen and neckmassages broughttoyou withflairandstyle. US$3) Irresistible oeuvre ofherbal steams, foot,body Pharmacie...... L'Étranger Books&Tea...... Lao DevelopmentBank...... Diethelm Travel...... ExtérieurLao...... Banque pourleCommerce All LaoTravelCo...... White Elephant...... Wat XiengThong...... Wat XiengMaen...... Wat Wisunalat...... Wat LongKhun...... Wat ChomPhet...... Royal PalaceMuseum...... Lotus DuLaoHerbalSpa&Massage.... Khmu Massage...... Hmong NightMarket...... Green Discovery...... Action MaxLaos...... Unesco WorldHeritageOffice...... Telephone Office...... Post Office...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Across theMekong fromcentralLuangPra- offers undisturbedviewsof the Mekong. (candlerail)has Wat ChomPhet

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LAOS LAOS LAOS this peacefulblueandwhite timbered house in October. See p407 formore. hairdressing, internet, laundry andticket- hapatsaman; r60,000kip) modation withfans and bathroom. separate near theriver offers cleanandsimpleaccom- r60,000kip) Khong; a communal veranda. but colourfulrooms.Theupstairs oneshave offersgarden, thiswiltinghouse very basic centrallocation andeccentric gly employees, r withshared bathroom50,000-100,000kip) The bestvalueformoneyon the peninsula. of calmandsimple littleroomswithfan. sense isawell-kepthouse secret withserene views,a Savang Vatthana littleguest- St,this sweet r50,000-60,000kip) kitsarat; Pathoumphone GuestHouse Prabang Luang very varied bunch. we’ve listed thepickofthe oldcity.Below a of frominandaround tochoose guesthouses Therea bitinthelowseason. are amultitude they canget, youmaybeabletohaggle though Locals have quicktopush forasmuch been as something of anintrepid package destination. links it’snolonger aninaccessibleoasisbut sharply. Also,thankstoimproved transport priceshave Prabang andconsequently risen an addedmigrationof travellers to Luang Post-tsunami depression inThailandsaw SLEEPING ing tion wellinadvance),andtheboatracesdur- to thecomingmonsoon(bookaccommoda- soaked inagiantwater-fight inanincantation Year) inApril,whenLuangPrabang gets Luang Prabang are in annualevents The twomostimportant EVENTS & FESTIVALS town with Unesco support. tion Max hostshistoricaltours of Laos the around Luang Prabang. to four-days theforests through andvillages plustreks fromone-on theNamSeuang, in all-inclusive guidedwhite-water rafting laos.com; ThSisavangvong;perdayUS$35) 372 If you’re notkeen onoutdoorpursuits, Ac- Discovery Green Thavisouk GuestHouse Thavisouk GuestHouse Khao Maethao Paphai GuestHouse Bun Awk Phansa Bun AwkPhansa OTENLO • LagPaagPoic LAOS••Luang PrabangProvince NORTHERN One street north of Rattana, Onestreet northof Rattana,

( % (End of the Rains Retreat)(End of theRains Thavisouk hasmassage, ( Pii Mai Pii Mai

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( % ( % 252022; ThPhaMa- 252061; off Th Khem 252061; offThKhem 212946; ThKing- Withitsgig- specialises specialises tions in Luang Prabang. Beds are inthemain tions inLuangPrabang. Beds Phu Si,thisisoneof thebetter budget op- a quietlocationwithnicegardenviewof r 60,000-80,000kip) laxing lobby…the list goes on.Pricesabovelaxing lobby…the listgoes kong. Woodenfloors, comfymattresses, re- a newlyrenovated yardsfromtheMe- house 60,000-80,000 kip) r 60,000-150,000 kip) r 60,000-150,000kip) upmarket. wherein thenewhouse facilitiesare more building withtimberwalls,oracrossthestreet rwithshared bathroom60,000-90,000kip) Thornkham; internet. speed breakfast andafew computers withmedium lobby isimpressive withanicerestaurant for oneontheriverside,sen excellentviews.The fans, modernbathroomsandifyou’ve cho- building overlooking theMekong, roomshave wooden floors. spaciousrooms,withfanandthis). Eight construction’s finished bythetimeyouread of peaceandescape(provideda sense new this charming oldcolonialmansionoffers Royal Palace headingtowardtheMekong, rooms and fan. the city. Behind themainbuilding arowof the city. Behind Tidy inanauthentic partof newguesthouse bathroom90,000/150,000 kip; man; rwithshared/private pensive rooms have air-con. Cheaper roomsincludeafanand more ex- kindly gentleman, of thisisasanctuary calm. accommodation neartheMekong. Runbya Xiang; r80,000-150,000kip; lobbytorelax in. Lao-style are clean,have fansandthere’s asumptuous 120,000 kip; r80,000- [email protected]; ThPhaMahapatsaman; side restaurant over theroad. bathrooms andare cleaneddaily.Niceriver- ily. Allroomscomewithprivate hot-water isrunbyafriendlyfam- neat littleguesthouse 80,000-100,000 kip) kip fortwoof you. expecttopay80,000 season Off season. high reflect themaximumyoucanexpecttopayin booking services. Great valuewithclean booking services. Jaliya GuestHouse GuestHouseNo2 Suankeo GuestHouse&Restaurant Mano View Khen Khong Silichit GuestHouse GuestHouse Khounsavanh GuestHouse Phousi Phousi GuestHouseII Phousi a Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ) Rooms, though alittlesmall, Rooms,though AspitfromtheMekong, this Set inatypicalwood-frame Set Onthenorthsideof the Beautiful roomswithfanin Beautiful

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5670989; Th ( % 253112; In a ) guesthouse offersguesthouse simplebutcharacterful ac- Villa Santi,thisold-fashioned part-timbered matha; r60,000-80,000kip) Cold River, Merry hasattractive roomswith 40,000-70,000 kip) deliciously sandwiched between nearbyWat deliciously sandwiched between Nam Khan River,Nam Khan family-runColdRiver of- In andaroundtheoldquarter budget options Quarter Old garden area. Bicyclesare available tohire. small motel-style roomsopenontoasunny Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com kip; kip; into abustling river tovehicles closes andtransforms atnight Phanya Kang andthe ThKitsalat between cuisine). ter-hot are effects aforcein Luang Prabang bitter-spicy root(roots and herbswithbit- andadried meat,mushrooms,eggplant skin. Anotheris ment madewithchillies anddriedbuffalo local favourite, theysound.Ano matter howunnerving consider tryingoneof thelocalspecialities, Luang Prabanghasitsown uniquecuisine– EATING RiverKhan are alsospectacular. regularly fresh linen.Theviewsof theNam wooden floors (recently refurbished), fansand to speakLao. with familyandfriendsteaching backpackers verandas). Theshared outsidearea buzzes Rooms are proudwithfans(some house fers thetired traveller comfortandambience. Nam Khan. of Phu Sidownarockylanerunningtothe More budget optionsare found300meast East ofPhu Si and fans. are pristine,fragrantwithcool,tiledfloors andVillaSanti.Rooms Nong Sikhunmeuang r60,000-80,000kip) rin; River. commodation withfans.NeartheNamKhan rwithshared bathroom40,000-80,000kip) rin; get whatyoupayfor. are alsolimited, butatthefollowingyouwill For diningona strict budget, ThChao o Vatthanaluck GuestHouse Chittana GuestHouse Merry GuestHouse1&2 Merry h dinner) Cold River with alarge arrayof foodstalls. Withitsexquisite viewsof the night food market j ą Áw lám, Family-owned guesthouse ew b

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NORTHERN LAOS••Luang PrabangProvince NORTHERN (meals 10,000 Opposite Nazim’s tobethehealthyequivalentof Mc- India, bothveggies andcarnivores willfind cooking classes (cooking classes a able thought andcare:able thought breakfast-sets include fish and eggplant soup)and fish and eggplant orfish, deer buffalo, from town,specialising in ing of pizzas, thisrestaurant isworththetrek 10,000-30,000 kip; Khili. the centre, inaquieter area nexttoWat food.It’sashort walknorthfromnotch Lao h ( toy giveaways. Donalds –ubiquitous,butwithouttheplastic h the peninsula. more upmarket optionsasyouheaddown with are concentrated onThSisavangvong, competingforthewestern dollar Restaurants Restaurants the pretending tobeinterested inthecontents of in town,it’sperfect forpeople-watching and trekking in MuangSing.Theoldestbakery fasts willsoonputbackthepoundsyoulost late cake, pastriesanddeliciouslyfresh break- kip; salads. and sandwiches pizza,pasta, quiche, muffins, sprinkles) orjuice. Thelunch menuincludes coffee (cappuccinoscomewithcinnamon 12,000-25,000 kip; redolent, groundcoffee turn. atevery aromatic trailof freshly baked baguettes and ofThe ghost French occupationleaves an s é f a C atmosphere. views andalanterns-and-fairy-lights festive fare atgoodprices,withexcellentsunset Lao delicious across the street,guesthouse serving & dinner) restaurants one of theopen-airwoodenbench tables. Sample someLuangPrabang specialitiesat % Maly LaoFood Maly Nazim Café Bakery JoMa Tum Tum Cheung Restaurant & Cooking School Tum &Cooking Tum Cheung Restaurant Scandinavian Bakery Lining theMekong are numerous

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LAOS LAOS LAOS a French expat,thischic offers establishment although ahappychangealthough fromthestandard dishes,beauty. ButthemodernIndochinese themenuisanobject –even of settings table 40,000 kip; road, this bar serves mainlyWestern burg- road, thisbarserves h here. locals atmosphere andoccasional live musicdraws ers-and-chips-style meals, buttheupbeat kitsarat; food. Western and Lao to Western sounds.Alsoserves on-the-eye venue tochill outinandlisten litbonfire,is anightly theGarden’s aneasy- its tiered garden, thecentre-piece of which gallery and minicinema. the upstairs caféof thisfunkylittlebookstore, Sun) .com; ThKingkitsarat; L’Étranger Books&Tea DRINKING recommended. Carbonara ence. menu. CooltunesandFranco-Italian a sophisticated menuandtasteful ambi- 20,000-40,000 kip; and Lao Thai food. uptasty home withthewrongperson) serving candle-flickering venue togo (darkenough 40,000 kip; before heading north. andagoodplacetostockuponcarbs setting pizzas toburgers dishes. Lavish andItalian Typical Western fare, fromtheeponymous meals 20,000-30,000kip; bythe‘look’–or raised the prices. fare, donotmatchLao uptotheexpectations with plus consistently goodfare, it’soften packed menu, Thanks toageneric Western andLao in1960. endearing oldplacewasestablished drag (superbpeople-watching location),this dinner) vangvong; meals15,000-30,000kip; ginger). fish orchicken withlemongrassand salad 374 Yongkhoune Restaurant Yongkhoune Hive Bar Hive Chai&BanAphay Khob Lao Garden Dao Fa Bistro Lasi Cuisine Pizza LuangPrabang Samsara 5pm-1am) Twenty-five different teas are available in OTENLO • LagPaagPoic LAOS••Luang PrabangProvince NORTHERN falang Alfresco diningnearthetopof themain %

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020 9970106;ThKing- % h h 212342; ThSisa- breakfast, lunch& 5pm-late) Romantic Runby With thathirat; they’re cheaper. the additionaloverheads andmiddlemen,so similargoodsasshops,butwithout selling Market ( p369 hasstalls ) onThSisavangvong whiletheHmongNight Th Sisavangvong, Dozens of handicraftandsouvenir stores line Luang Prabang hasbecomeashopping mecca. SHOPPING and . ethnicminorities such asthePhoo Noi Lao ballet,plustraditionaldances of Ramayana of different episodesof the600-year-old Wed &Sat) Th Sisavangvong;admissionUS$6-15; Royal BalletTheatre ENTERTAINMENT you’re feeling peckish. inthearea.staying Snacksare available if making itapopularchoice fortravellers Irish drinkssuch Cream, asBailey’s Laos stocked barthatincludeshard-to-find-in- modern furniture, Maylek Pubhasafully illuminated bottle sculpture. one spiritsfrom5pmto9pm.Checkoutthe tication. Trip-hopandtrancetunes,two-for- a magnetfor Si, thisubertrendy, moody-litwatering holeis air.com) schedules atthetimeof research. Nam ThaandUdomxai were stillcutfrom toPhonsavan,Friday, Sunday).Flights Luang Chiang Mai in Thailand(US$90;Tuesday, (US$60, daily),HuayXai(US$50), andto .com) Airlines Lao r i A AWAY & THERE GETTING alone. visit ing andthecharming ownerare wortha from mulberrybark.Thegallerybuild- crafted andcardsmade lamps, stationery lery and otherdecorative items. and traditionalstyles,aswellclothes silkandcottoninmodern rally dyedLao natu- crafts galleryandworkshopselling Ban Vat Nong; PopTok Bangkok Airways While you’re intown,alsocheck out Pub Maylek

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( % seeking asliceof sophis- seeking % 253705; RoyalPalace Museum, 212172; www.laos-airlines h % , aqualityhandi- till 7pm) 253334; www.bangkok h lonelyplanet.com Baan Khily Gal- Baan Khily shows 6pmMon, sells hand- sells Ock- through travelthrough agents. Prabang toSiemReap(US$140);bookings www.siemreapairways.com) (US$225). lonelyplanet.com for departures. the chalkboard outsidetheNavigation Office downstream tripforaroundUS$24.Check possible tohoponaferry forthethree-day frequent butit’sstill since Rte 13 wassealed, join atrip. of where namesoutsidetheiroffice youcan the travel agents intown,whowillpostalist inLuangPrabangNavigation orwith Office ple. Youcan inquire tripsatthe about these foraroundUS$100upto10peo- Khiaw hour karst-rich tripuptheNamOutoNong ellers charter aboatforthebeautifulseven- to make abuck. take you,butthere’s alwayssomeonekeen boatmenshouldn’t risk. Inthedryseason six hours), butit’satripyoutake atyourown (US$32, three hours) andHuayXai(US$26, túk-túk ridefromthecentre, toPak Beng leave Don,a7km10,000-kipshared fromBan Udomxai. it’s alsopossibletotake thebusnortheastto bang. FromPak (US$12,10to12hours) Beng HuayXaiandLuangPra- halfway between stopin night Pak atinyvillage roughly Beng, in town.Thetriptakes twodayswithanover- you canbuytickets there orfromatravel agent by theMekong from thedaybefore departure; ferries depart at8am.Thelong-distance stand Slow boatsnorthwesttoHuayXai(US$24) Boat Cargo boatstoVientianehaveCargo becomeless White-knuckle uptheMekong speedboats itisquickerAlthough byroad,manytrav- burgled whiletravellers were asleep. sual inLaos,butsome roomshave been guesthouse window ifitdoesn’tlock–unu- Secondly, stowyour bagawayfromyour gage andsaidbagturnedupvery quickly! traveller putoutareward forhislostlug- rucksacks occasionallydisappearing. One Storieshave circulatedto disembark. about beforeboat byporters you’ve hadachance firstly yourbagwillbegrabbedfrom the Two Pak Bengscamstobemindfulof: PLEASE? CAN ICARRY YOURLUGGAGE Siem Reap Airways Siem Reap NORTHERN LAOS••Luang PrabangProvince NORTHERN goes direct goes fromLuang

(code FT; % 380330; trips will involve astopatsmallvillages along images are placed. Ifyougoby boat,most ages, akindof graveyard where unwanted are crammedwithavariety of buddhaim- caves inthelowerpart of alimestonecliff Ou, are thefamouscaves at Pak Ou . Thetwo the Mekong River, atthemouthof theNam About 25kmbyboatfrom LuangPrabang up U O K PA Prabang Luang Around prone rental isstillbannedduetoratheraccident- and rental shopsaroundtown.Motorbike per day)are available frommanyguesthouses ers specialtouristprices.Bicycles(10,000kip have becomeaccustomedtocharging foreign- túk-túkdriversaround 15,000kip,though From theairportatúk-túkridewillcost AROUND GETTING then eastonRte NongKhiaw. 1through 1pm goingthelongroute northonRte 13, LuangPrabang onceadayataround through going ontoSamNeuafromVientianepass hours,(70,000 kip,eight dailyat8am).Buses s and 10am).Alternatively catch amorning four tofive hours, three dailyat8am,9am (45,000kip, daily at6pm)andNongKhiaw (70,000kip,ninehours, one hours, three dailyat8am,9amand10am), bus terminal forUdomxai(40,000kip,five (US$12, ninehours). tickets forVIPexpress toVientiane buses hours)eight enroute. Travel agents alsosell at 6.30am)stoppinginVang Vieng(US$5, tiane (90,000kip,11hours, sixdailystarting goingtoSainyabuli Province. buses serves third terminal, ontheroadtoTat KuangSi, the towncentre (10,000kipbytúk-túk).A while thesouthernterminal is3kmsouthof is 6kmfromtown(a15,000-kiptúk-túkride), Luang Prabang. Thenorthernbusterminal seats! no reserved town; contrarytopopularwisdom–there are ticket onthespotforlessthanyou’llpayin andbuya Turn upearlyatthebusstation s u B three hours) andcatch anothers to these destinationsfromthere.to these ǎ wngth There isonedirect bustoPhonsavan leaveBuses thesouthernterminal forVien- There are three mainbusterminals in Buses ands Buses falang ǎ ew toPak Mong(20,000kip,twoto . ǎ wngth ǎ ew leave thenorthern ǎ wngth 375

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ew LAOS LAOS LAOS dochina War. It’sabout 2.5km outof town In- during heavy shellingduring thesecond Tham Pha Tok,acave where villagers hid kip perday.Alternatively walkyourself to villages.Khamu Tripscostaround80,000 day excursions toneighbouring Hmongand theycanorganise uptothree-Guest House; If it’s trekking you’re after, goto Sunrise ACTIVITIES & SIGHTS bursting river banks. little townwithhappylocalsand blossom- fishermen onthewater. Bydayit’safriendly to thecicadasandwatch of thelights the can eatataclutch of restaurants, tasty listen karsts, you ismagical.Bynight Nong Khiaw and positively towered over bylimestone Nestled onthebanksof theNam Ouriver rewarded thatgreets bythesight youhere. ney fromUdomxai,you’llfeel more than If you’ve suffered jour- thesinuoushighland Khiaw Nong return. US$10 cle. Túk-túkscanbechartered forabout also get toTat KuangSibyroadbicy- junkiescanfalls attheotherend.Exercise plus US$2forthetúk-túkridetoreach the Tat KuangSiforaroundUS$5perperson, kip. Pak Ouboatmendothereturn tripto ming hole. Entrytothefallssite is15,000 of butterflies, andhasapristineswim- usually very private exceptforthousands tier,which isthe fallstoanidyllicsecond theforestthrough alongtheleftsideof andfoodvendors.tables Atrailascends into apublicparkwithshelters, picnic ofThe lowerlevel turned thefallshasbeen ofinto aseries cool,turquoise-green pools. terfall tumblingover limestoneformations Prabang features awide,multi-tiered wa- This beautifulspot32kmsouthof Luang SI KUANG TAT and guesthouses tour operators. person. Tripscanalsobearranged through the WhiskyVillage costsaroundUS$5per tripincludingstopsat A six-toseven-hour toutingforPakace Museum Oupassengers. boatmen congregates belowtheRoyalPal- (rice whisky).Anenthusiasticcollectionof inproducinglargespecialises jars of lage’, anow-tourist-dominated village that Hai, orwhatboatmencallthe‘Whisky Vil- Xang the way.Quite popularisastopatBan 376 OTENLO • LagPaagPoic LAOS••Luang PrabangProvince NORTHERN lào-láo tached showers, mosquitonetsandflowered beautifully finishedbungalowswithfan,at- ing thebestviewsintownandaclutch of boast- hugsthemountainside, guesthouse the bridge opposite Phanoy, thisdelightful lounge are terrific, asis the service. son. Theviewsfromthesundeckandchill canvaryaccordingtosea- top end.Rates cabanasare prices;however, at affordable rooms here are available withoutsidetoilets a U-bend lane. Thetown’soldestguesthouse, hiddendown Phanoy Sunset’s GuestHouse, r 20,000-30,000kip) middle of nowhere?). Hubbard booksandromancenovels inthe of books(Q:WhydoyoualwaysfindRon in thecaféandread fromawideselection mended) plusthere’s agoodplacetolounge food ismainlyWestern (breakfasts recom- great adjoining restaurant andbakery. The fans, woodenfloors andmossienets,buta bungalows are fresh andcosywithnotonly the bridge ontheeastside,Phanoy’s seven GuestHouse Phanoy EATING & SLEEPING Guest House. Nearthecave is a waterfall. as youheadover thebridge pastPhanoy Prabang is one of the most dramatic in Laos; Prabang is oneof themost dramaticinLaos; of the bridge. The journeybyboat toLuang small office neartheboatlanding100msouth ous villages enroute. Tickets are ata bought tostopoff atvari- 11am and1.30pm. Expect Neua (15,000kip;onehour) If you’re headingupriver to Muang Ngoi AWAY & THERE GETTING pancakeBanana to die for! ing viewtomatch menu. aseafood-dominated withanamaz- a journeyintotaste andvista, side of theopposite river bank, NongKiauis from recovered timberandperched onthe thecandlelitrestaurantnight looks alluring. under theblossomtree inthelarge garden;by fan andhotwater. There’s anicespottoread wooden bungalows.Roomshave balcony, Chittavong hasninelovingly furnished to thebridge withfineviewsof theriver, upgrade in 2008. verandas. Dipandpourshowers dueforan Nong Kiau Restaurant Nong Kiau GuestHouse Sunrise Sunset GuestHouse&Restaurant Chittavong GuestHouse Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com First after the onyourright (r 20,000-30,000 kip) (r20,000-30,000kip) (mains 10,000-30,000 kip) (mains10,000-30,000kip)

(r 30,000-40,000kip)

(r 30,000-70,000kip)

boats leave at

( % Just over Over 253933; Next Next Built Built leaves at11am(ifyou’re returning from to 10people). as theboatmancharges US$75perboat(up afew youneed ofthat said youtocutthecost Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com by donation, willbecollected here byavol- area of forest. secondary Anadmission fee, thelargethrough schoolyard and intoan at Kaikeo then followthepath Restaurant, attractions. From themainstreet turneast Trekking ACTIVITIES & SIGHTS Prabang. Luang getfor anythingserious yourself backto couple of basicmedicines; pharmaciessell name,forunexceptional rates. A the same ofon themainroad,behindguesthouse can exchange USdollars atLattanavongsa Nangphonekeo.calls attheRestaurant You no internet butyoucanmake international and restaurants from6pmto10pm.There’s provideGenerators electricitytoguesthouses INFORMATION petitively commodity. sought years acom- makingtheguesthouse-dollar has over-mushroomed duringthelast few take amore-active trek. Accommodation relax supine inyourhammockorunder- thing of atraveller’s gem; youcaneither riversidesecluded village it’sbecomesome- a silkscreen painting.Sopeacefulisthis karsts you’llfeel asifyou’ve stepped into thejagged between Watching thesunset Neua Ngoi Muang full –arrive early. savan leave (75,000kip,12hours). These when (15,000kip,three hours),Nam Noen orPhon- vehicles forSamNeua(30,000kip,sixhours), (15,000 kip,three hours), where youchange s about 6pm. NongKhiaw through for SamNeuapasses to pickupabusthere. Thebusheading or catch as bus leaves at11am(31,000kip,fourhours), leave regularly whenfull.ForUdomxai,the of thebridge. S from outsidethepostofficeonwestside forLuangPrabang at8amNong Khiaw ally waitsfortheboat).Apublicbusleaves Muang NgoiNeuatocatch itthedriver usu- ǎ wngth If you’re headingeast,youcancatch a The busforLuangPrabang (32,000kip) isoneof MuangNgoiNeua’smain ǎ ew asfarMuangViengKham ǎ wngth ǎ wngth ǎ ew backtoPak Mong ǎ ew forPak Mong NORTHERN LAOS••Luang PrabangProvince NORTHERN ing onalovely decked area, theNing With itsfinepanoramicview,alfresco din- 15,000 kip)fromwhere youcanambleback. will take youuptheriver withatube(from overnightises treks (fromUS$10perday)or 1km). It’salsopossibletoorganise a (1½ hours) and here withadecent viewof themountain. galows, outside toilet,nofan. Goodrestaurant food (mains 15,000kip). They alsoserve fairy-lit decked area conducive forchilling. havehouse comfysprungmattresses anda Spacious roomsinthisattractive oldwooden most tasteful accommodationonthestreet. asthe definitely competes withLattanavongsa at thetopof theboatlandingsteps, thisvenue and spacious. Its three rustic-stylebungalowsare superior and Western (mains15,000kip). Thai, Lao is afavourite. Themenuisanamalgamof ous exceptions. restaurants. there Thatsaid are afew luxuri- cold-water bathrooms,squattoiletsandsmall mostfeaturestandard; bungalowswithshared the riverfront interms of guesthouses priceor There’s littletodifferentiate manyof between EATING & SLEEPING Travel Nam Ouriver. puttering of piroguesandkidsplayinginthe you’reThe onlynoise likely tohearisthe andfishingtrips(US$10). organise canoeing local villages (US$15),andhe’llbehappyto you. MrKongkeo takes treks tothecaves and the boatlanding–lookforsignsdirecting cated behind themain street, 300msouthof NgoiTourOffice Muang room attheinn. prepared towalkback againifthere’s no thisisalsopopularsobetouristy, although stay villages of thecaves youcancontinueontotheBeyond you arrive atanothercave, After anotherfive trail minutes onthesame Kang Tham fields youcometoastream runninginto After a5kmwalkalongpathpassingrice dawnanddusk).unteer fromtown(between Nixsa’s Place Nixsa’s GuestHouse Phetdavanh Run byaformerteacher, MrKongkeo, Ning Ning Restaurant &GuestHouse Ning Restaurant To theleftof theboatlanding is ifyouwanttoexperiencesomethingless

( h 7.30-10.30am &1.30-6pm) , apopularspotforspear-fishing. Huay Bo (r 20,000 kip) (r20,000kip) Ban Na (onehour,3km),

( h (another20minutes, Decent woodenbun- (r20,000-30,000kip) 7-8am &6-7pm) Tham Pha Kaew Pha Tham , which organ- (r20,000kip) Lao Youth Huay Sen islo- West village 377

.

LAOS LAOS LAOS and 1pm(15,000kip,onehour). leaveBoats toNongKhiaw at8.30am,9.30am AWAY & THERE GETTING can alsomake international callshere. foodandWestern fare.a goodturninLao You h sandwich. (buffalo?) 4pm), withaninteresting variationonsteak pancakes andfresh bread (baked at7amand lunch &dinner) a mixof andcushionedseating. tables to school, ball of stickyriceinhand).There’s (where youcanwatch localkidshurryingoff main intersection thisisagreat breakfast spot fast, lunch&dinner) Landing. Boat menu.Opposite thesteps attheThai/Lao 15,000 kip),offering avariedWestern and flowers. Therestaurant isalsogood(mains with abeautifulgardenof flametrees and views over theriver. Roomshave balconies immaculate woodenbungalowsoffering fine Definitely edgingoutthecompetitionwithits rio poster onyourwall. DiCap- getvalue –youmayeven afadedLeo side toiletandshower, thisisgoodshoestring front digsnexttotheboatlanding,without- rat forhisdinner! out forthelovely oldguyoutbackwhoskins restaurant isnondescriptbutfresh. Watch Ideal forponderingtheriver. Thefamily-run outside toiletandpour-and-scrub showers. lunch &dinner) 378 Kaikeo Restaurant Kaikeo Lattanavongsa GuestHouse Say LomGuestHouse &Restaurant Banana Café Restaurant Nangphonekeo Restaurant Bakery Sengala are roomsfullofmetal detectors justsittingthere. We’ve got more thanweneed.’ NGO said,‘thereUS sendsminedetection apparatus –lotsofit.As oneanonymousmine-clearance there wasalsothepossibility moneywouldnever finditswaytotherightplaces. Instead, the attempts tofinanciallysalve thewoundwere rejected bytheever dogmaticLaoGovernment – sum rumoured tobelessthanUS$5millionperyear. Whilstthismightenragethereader, historically, ‘boonies’ forest (more forslowanddifficultwork. than10% ofitstotallandmass),thismakes without considerableexpense(US$30 millionperyear).ConsideringLaosiscarpeted indense visits Laosforthree monthsayeartotryandrecover theinterred bones oftheirsoldiers,butnot waifs Instead, limping aroundbamboojunglecompounds(sorryRambo). theMIAprogramme recovery InAction) American MIA(Missing missions have long given uphopeoffindingbearded BOONIES & BONES breakfast, lunch&dinner) OTENLO • XegKun rvne Province LAOS••XiengKhuang NORTHERN In contrast,themoney theUSdonates toLaoshelpwith theUXOproblemitcreated isapaltry Simple balconiedbungalowswith Specialises inmouth-watering Specialises Acoupleof doors eastof the (mains 15,000 kip; (mains15,000kip; (mains

(r20,000kip) This friendly café does Thisfriendlycafédoes

5000-15,000 kip; (r 20,000 kip; (r20,000kip; (r50,000-60,000kip) (mains30,000kip; Generic river- Generic h h

h breakfast, breakfast, break-

need a few people to make thecostsmanageable. need afew peopletomake if youwanttocreate yourownsightseeingitinerary.You’ll ets backtoVientiane,andorganisestoursoftheprovince 7)Oppositetheoldbusstation;booksplanetick- .com; Rte positioned over three sites. conundrumofeerie large stonejars randomly theenigmaticPlainof Jars;War, ortosee an merits avisitforitsinvolvement inTheSecret andrestaurants. theplace houses Essentially collections of warscrapthat decorate guest- little aestheticappealexceptfortheubiquitous austere concrete shophouses, Phonsavan has A sprawlingcollectionof wide streets and % to Phonsavan byroadalotquicker. and Vang makingtravel Vieng)isnowsealed, withRte LuangPrabang 13between secting open totourists.Rte (inter- 7fromPhu Khun fascinatingsites relatingseveral tothewar the mysterious Plainof Jars, butthere are also paths isextremely inadvisable. walkingoff contaminated withUXOinLaos; grows. This remains theprovince mostheavily bomb craters, where little ornovegetation denuded hillsandvalleys pockmarked with and mountains valleys isovershadowed bythe and 1973.Todaytheawesomebeautyof the ProvinceKhuang 1964 wasbombedbetween townandvillageVirtually every in Xieng PROVINCE KHUANG XIENG advances (6%commission)aswellorganisingonward Indochina Travel along fromthepostoffice;hasslowinternetconnections. Hot Net Laos Diethelm Travel Phonsavan INFORMATION Most visitors come to Xieng Khuang tovisit Most visitors cometoXiengKhuang 061 /pop57,000 (Rte 7; per min 300 kip; 7;permin300kip; (Rte Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ( % ( 312409; Rte 7)offers Visa 312409; Rte % 213200; chansmon@laotel h 8am-10pm) A few doors 8am-10pm) Afew doors favourite withNGOs, thisnewvenue isboth Rte 7;r50,000kip) Rte option intown,KingKongprevails withhis Lao-Mongolian Friendship Hospital Friendship Lao-Mongolian guide).SpeaktoMrThong. lunch andEnglishspeaking totheJars(US$15perperson,including travel andtrips Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com and friendly staff. After Kong Keo,and friendly staff. probably modern and immaculate withfresh tiledfloors field. here. Rte It’s150moff 7,acrosstheoldair exposéwhich willenrichneeded yourstay aboutUXO.a documentary Thisisamuch café where youcanrequest towatch The gardenispeaceful,asthelittle lounge- areen suites. Roomsinthehouse cheaper. cabanasfeaturing hotwaterdelightful and .com; r60,000-80,000kip) fan. Doorsat11pm. close tiled floors are cool,androomscomewith ineachsatchels bathroom:very swish! The hot-water showers. hasshampoo Iteven good optionforitscleanliness andelectric kip) Nightclub). bag andearplugs(it’snexttoPhonsavan be arranged. yourownsleeping You’llneed can for 10,000kipperkiloandonwardvisas isavailable service and tiledfloors. Laundry main road,withhotwater insomerooms photos todisk. make internet phonecallsordownloaddigital soft beds.Youcanalsoget and onwardvisas storey hasreasonably GuestHouse Phoukham posite themoderntwo- theoldbusstation, Warparaphernalia.and Secret very atmosphericlobbywithrecovered UXO tion. Roomshave wallsplusthere rattan isa thisisbasicaccommoda- Nisha GuestHouse, 40,000 kip) zly crown. but there are afew gems driz- inanotherwise Accommodation here hasbarely improved, SLEEPING corner ofthetowntriangle. Post office Thailand. toVientianeforpossibletransfer to need tobetaken emergencieswill Hotel.Medical 500m westoftheMaly Kong Keo GuestHouse Kong Keo GuestHouse Phoukham GuestHouse Thong Vinh Nice GuestHouse Vanealoun GuestHouse GuestHouse Dok Khoun Despite thecell-like rooms,thisisanother Onastreet cornerlocated justpast (Rte 7; (Rte A well-run guesthouse onthe Awell-runguesthouse h ( % 8am-4pm Mon-Fri) Ontheeastern 8am-4pm Mon-Fri) Stilltheonlyinteresting 312454; Rte 7;r80,000kip) 312454; Rte (

%

( (

(

% % (Rte 7; r50,000kip) (Rte % 211354; www.kongkeojar 212622; Rte 7;r30,000- 212622; Rte 312070; Rte 7;r50,000 312070; Rte 312189, 0205634792; ( % NORTHERN LAOS •• Xieng Khuang Province LAOS••Xieng Khuang NORTHERN 312166) Bombies, Op- A

not staying, thisisagreatnot staying, placetoeatifyou tasty and thechickentasty soup, ifit’sacoldrainy up western food. Omelettes areTravel, serves phistication, thislittle eatery, westof Diethelm 40,000 kip) places. Nearthe falang ately desire Apopular somethingChinese. an excellentoptionifyourtastebuds desper- 20,000 kip) the leftasyouheadeast. Indian curriesare agiftfromGanesh.It’son morein these remote partsof thecountry, For vegetarians, whohaven’t manyoptions excellent rice-paperrolls. soaking uptheconvivialatmosphere. Trythe ing –whilesittingcross-legged oncushions bythefiresip abeer –inaformerbombcas- be errr…alittleforgetful, butyou’re inLaos: can fellowwant tomeet travellers. Theservice .kongkeojar.com; dishes8000-20,000kip) you vertical, mostof themalongRte 7. There are acoupleof placesthatwillkeep tasty – aren’t youmissing LuangPrabang now? Cuisine intownissomewhattwodimensional G N I T A E out theextracash. ifyoudon’tmindforking the bestplacetostay Craters Restaurant Restaurant Craters China Restaurant Nisha GuestHouse Kong Keo lf o details). for left GuestHouse(seemising docisKongKeo time. The surest placetoseethisuncompro- byUXO,withthefigure risingallthekilled people. More than10,000peoplehave been woundsleftbehindoninnocent smarting reminder oftheopenandstilla powerful are relegated tothearchives, the foreign policiesofoldadministrations tered throughoutthe countrytoday.While the unexplodedordnance(UXOs)scat- experiences ofthosepeopledealingwith the US-ledSecret WarinLaosthroughthe Jack Silberman examines thelegacyof documentary, aneyeoutforthecriticallyacclaimedkeep tory ofLaos but alsoitscontinuingcurse, To getagreater handleonnotonlythe his- SEE MUST hauntwithalittlemore life than some

( Chinese dumplings, spicy eel slices… dumplings,spicyeel Chinese Thenearest so- you’llget tobrasserie % 020 569 8140; Rte 7;mains10,000-30,000kip) 020 5698140;Rte Bombies dead

( ( % % centre of town. 312220; Rte 7;meals10,000- 312220; Rte 7805775; Rte 7;mains20,000- 7805775; Rte

(2001).Filmmaker ( % 020 5516365;www Even ifyou’re Bombies is 379

LAOS LAOS LAOS .com) time of research, departed fromhere buses above themaintriangleintersection. Atthe daily). (US$50, Lao Airlines 10 minutes’ walk. more sturdyconcrete building.It’sabout moved southafew blocksonRte 7,to a old drymarket has besidethebusstation and otherculinarytreasures alsoawait.The sticky rice-balls, slipperynoodlespringrolls fruit andvegetables, deep-fried bananas, for adeliciousandinexpensive meal.Fresh ideal withnumerousnoodlestands, section food market town toget apropercoffee. day, warmsthesoul.Alsoonlyplacein 380 GTIG HR & AWAY & THERE GETTING Located oneblocksouthof Rte 7,the The oldbusands clearing projects inLaosincludingthePlainofJarsclearing projects . Donationsare greatly appreciated. posite direction. before attempting tocross. suremake youhave yourVietnamese visa little scarce;beprepared towait. Vietnamese side)toHanoior Vinh isa ient. Public fromNamCan (onthe transport Hwy 1thatthisborderistotallyinconven- (almost toVinh) before joiningnorth–south road ontheVietnam siderunsso farsouth NeuaPass of the Kaew crossing,thenorth appear; even thoughyou’re alongway Phonsavan isnotasconvenient asitmay The bordereastof NamCan–Nam Khan VIETNAM TO GETTING Group Office rate more ofclearanceitwilltake thecountrysafe. than100yearstomake The andSalavanhasbeenremoved. ofamillionpiecesinXiengKhuang the quarter At thecurrent AdvisoryGroup(MAG)the BritishMines beganclearanceworkin1994,onlyatinypercentageof ofdailylife. livingwiththisappallinglegacyhasbecomeanintrinsicpart Sinceand Savannakhet), country littered withunexplodedordnance(UXO). US$2.2 millionaday.Around30%ofthebombsdroppedonLaosfailedtodetonate, leavingthe in history,flying580,344missionsover Laosand dropping twomilliontonsofbombs,costing Between 1964and1973,theUSAconducted oneofthelargest sustainedaerialbombardments LEGACY ENDURING AN fliestoVientianefromPhonsavan OTENLO • XegKun rvne Province LAOS••XiengKhuang NORTHERN See p838 ondoingthetripinop- The borderisopenfrom8amto5pmdaily; For peopleallover eastern Laos(themostcontaminated provinces are Salavan XiengKhuang,

(code QV; ( h ( % 6am-5pm) 312459; www.magclearsmines.org; Rte 7; 312459; www.magclearsmines.org; Rte % ǎ wngth 312027; www.laos-airlines hasanundercover ǎ ew station isew station fresh fresh Hmong insurrection inthisarea youmay ofcondition butbecause continuing see thepresence ofsee agun-totingguard on Thavieng (30,000kip)departsat10am. Udomxai (90,000kip,13hours). Abusfor the busleaves at6pm.There’s adailybusto ing at7pm. with anoptionalVIPbus(95,000kip)leav- hours),to LuangPrabang (85,000kip,eight hours, 7am,9.30amand4pm),plusbuses kip), viaVang Vieng(70,000kip,12to13 regular direct toVientiane(90,000 buses situated 13kmwestalongRte 7.There are then didapick-upatthenewbusstation, south of town,features 90jars spread across jars, but much better views. roadfromPhonsavan andhavesealed fewer project here. Unesco, onthejars andtheUXO-clearing prehensive informationboardsprovided by can buysnacksanddrinks–plusread com- undercover rest area atthissite, where you 600kgandonetonne. There’stween an be- andweighing 1mand3mtall between and isthelargest, featuring 250jars mostly cleared of UXO. to wanderaround,which have largely been ings. There are three main sites forvisitors gin are scattered aboutindozens of group- northwest where huge jars of unknown ori- around Phonsavan fromthesouthwestto The Jars isalarge area extending of Plain minimal. been board. Don’tbealarmed,recent have attacks h Two otherjarsites are accessiblebyan un- 1 Site routes areThe roadsonthese ingood hours)For SamNeua(60,000kip,eight 8am-4pm Mon-Fri) is10kmsouthwestof Phonsavan hasinformationonUXO- Mines Advisory Site 2 Site lonelyplanet.com , about 25km ceived glowingreports. Acarwithdriver and also knownasHai located Khai, about HinLat to thejars. ofbase walk thehills,thenit’sashort,steep two adjacenthillsides.Vehicles canreach the lonelyplanet.com Phonsavan toSite 1,10kmfromthecentre, It ispossibletocharter as AWAY & THERE GETTING your ownprovisions fortheday. fresh foodmarket where you’re expected tobuy on thesizeof thegroup.Thefirst stopisthe guide costsaroundUS$8perperson, depending ( Alternatively, tours from entrance fee tothesites andlunch costUS$15. 7) Rte in aUSbombingraid. 60km east,where 400localpeoplewere killed also bearranged totheThamPiucave, about for drugrunning,andhotsprings.Tripscan the USLimaS108airstripused supposedly VietCongbunkers,plane, aRussian tank, including acrashedUSThunderChief105 tended toincludeotherinteresting sites, English-speaking guides. Phonsavan, foritsexcellent which isnotable of tours available. Tours canbearranged in inconvenient, butthereseems are anumber the sites, meaning youhave togoonatour. It vehiclesOfficially, mustbe‘registered’ tovisit across ricepaddiesandupahill. aged inthewar. 2kmwalk Thesite isastiff theremainstaining of Buddhaimages dam- Di, where there’s alsoasmallmonastery con- hilltop nearthecharming village of Sieng Ban 10km southof Site 2.Thissite isonascenic TOURS TOURS % Speak toMrSawatat Organised tours tothejars are often ex- More impressive is150-jar these cultural artefacts isunknown. these cultural artefacts in oneofthejarsat Site 1,aswelltinystonebeadsin thearea. Todaythewhereabouts of were byavanishedpeople. funeraryurns carved Colanifoundahuman-shaped bronze figure page monograph, coffins orurns–maybeforstoring cal theoriesandlocalmythsuggestthe enigmaticjarswere usedforburialpurposes–asstone material –suchasbonesorfoodremains –there isnoreliable waytodate them. Archaeologi- The purposeofthesepossibly2000-year-old jarsremains amystery andwithoutanyorganic AGE STONE THE OF JARS 020 551 6365; www.kongkeojar.com; off Rte 7) 020 5516365;www.kongkeojar.com; offRte for info on their tours. Prices including for infoontheirtours. Pricesincluding In the1930s,pioneeringFrench archaeologist Madeline Colanidocumented thejarsina600- NORTHERN LAOS••HuaPhanProvince NORTHERN Mégalithes duHaut Laos (MegalithsofHighlandLaos), Lao YouthTravel Kong Keo GuestHouse Kong Keo ǎ wngth Site 3 Site ( ǎ , which is % ew from have re-

lào-láo 312409; 312409; (ricewhisky)orrice.

Hmong LaiFestival courtship gamesandfestivities duringa ethnic groupstake partinall-important goods are soldhere. Inmid-December, local as welltextiles, jewelleryandconsumer of freshly delicacies, slaughtered orharvested riverside market isfascinating–allmanner the townoffers littleinterms of the sights, touristy provincial While centres inLaos. It’soneofwith goodspassthrough. theleast crates of chilliorstripedbagsstuffed sauce withlocalvillagers,pick-up truckspiledhigh wrapped upagainstthemorningchill; and caps andjackets nurse coffees andcigarettes, to thetownof Sam Neua. Men inmilitary There ‘frontier’feeling isanunmistakable % Neua Sam over thecomingyears. visitornumbers increasewill hopefullysee border toHanoi, thisremote cornerof Laos With improved publictransportacrossthe the waybackalongthattwistingroadagain. you nolonger have toturnaroundandgoall border here toVietnamisopenforeigners, journey of amillionturns’.Nowthatthe scenic; itwasdescribedbyonelocalas‘a Road journeystoHuaPhan are memorably forested are mountains shroudedinmist. –andits inthehotseason be cool–even altitudemeanstheclimateince’s high can the influenceof Theprov- theVietnamese. and ThaiNeua,theprovince clearlyshows cluding Yao, ThaiKhao Hmong,Khamu, it ishometo22different ethnic groupsin- unlike anyotherprovince Although inLaos. Rugged andbeautiful, Hua Phan province is for uptosixpeople. for 50,000kipreturn, includingwaitingtime, HA HN PROVINCE PHAN HUA 064 /pop46,800 . concludingthatthey

381 LAOS LAOS LAOS r 35,000-40,000kip) open the same hours. its rear offers internationalcallsusingaphonecardandis oppositethebusstation.Atelephoneofficeat directly or double beds. with cleanrooms,twin ily-run guesthouse ning paralleltothe river, thisisanotherfam- bathroom 40,000-50,000 kip) inexplicable. little the rest andtheprice differences are a are thestandards Otherwise similar to Phatphousay isthebalconyoneach floor. this multistorey directly guesthouse opposite filling. and dishes thatare simple Lao hearty does taurant travelling businesspeople. res- Theattached a popularchoice forforeign travellers and tiled fan-cooledroomshere have longbeen to thebridge andopposite theriver, the 30,000-60,000 kip) roommate and have a quick shower. at amoderate pressure, sobekindtoyour bathroom provide onlyfive minutes of water floor. Theelectrichot-water ineach tanks come withshared bathroom–ontheground signing skills).Theroomsonthetopfloor (or this isyourchance yourLao topractise family owners speakalmostnoEnglish, so thisisthefirststation, placeyoucometo. The room 30,000-50,000kip) hardbedsto ably cleanalthough kip in. or withoutanattached bathroom,andreason- area andapotof tea oneach floor,roomswith multistoreylar standard: buildingswithasitting walking distance. Accommodationisof asimi- few restaurants canbefound,allwithinashort Xam iswhere thereputable anda guesthouses andtheNam thebusstation The blockbetween EATING & SLEEPING Post office Bank Lao Development Tang), Stonehenge. toBritain’s likened astonegardenoften (SaoHin province tomore remote sitessuchasSuanHin pamphlets onhandandcanarrangevehiclesaroundthe The staff,whospeakalittleEnglish,havefew dusty ofthebusstation. Located200mnorth 3.30pm Mon-Fri) Office Tourist Hua Phanh INFORMATION 382 on the left; exchangescashandtravellers cheques. on theleft; ofthebusstation Onthemainroad400mnorth Mon-Fri) Phatphousay GuestHouse Phatphousay Xam Khaem Bounhome GuestHouse Shuliyo GuestHouse OTENLO • HaPa rvne LAOS••HuaPhanProvince NORTHERN ( h

8am-4pm Mon-Fri) Inalargebuilding 8am-4pm Mon-Fri) Located on thecornernext ( Thedistinguishing feature of % Turning right fromthebus Turningright 312111; rwithshared bathroom

( ( Onadarklaneway run- % % ( %

( 312462; rwithshared bath- % 312171; (

% 312567; 312223, 0202348125; 312943; rwithshared h h 8am-4pm 8am- quently shrouded in mist. areXam valleyistricky;themountains fre- theNam Thedescentthrough twice aweek). and fromSamNeuaVientiane(US$70, Lao Airlines AWAY & THERE GETTING river, forthe adventurous diner! creepy-crawlies plucked fromthe straight wrapped currywithrice,noodlesoups,and all sortsof includingbamboo-leaf- delights offer for vegetarians. havebut unfortunately itdoesn’t much on foodforgoodprices, reasonable Lao does of thisrestaurant Phatphousay GuestHouse, 30,000 kip) der salad. beef excellent friedrice,fresh baguettes andten- menu alsoincludesWestern-style breakfasts, winning anygourmetawards.ThebasicLao this isthebesteatery inatownthat’snot way andafew doors westof Xam, Khaem meals 10,000-20,000kip) and warmingglasses of fried rice. It’spopularforbreakfast ordinner short menuof friedmeatandfish, soupsand and themarket isanothergoodoption,with a 20,000 kip) shelters of thePathet leaders and their Lao as theelaborate homesand caves thatserved Caves) Lao In a (Pathet narrow Xai Vieng valley of limestone peaksare Vientiane around 5am. leaving SamNeuaatmiddayand arrivingin option istheVIPexpress bus(130,000kip) Thethird trip, especiallyinthewetseason. at Pak Mong.Thisisa slow, uncomfortable take thisbusandchange toas Ifyou’remidnight. headingfor Udomxai, 15 hours), arrivinginVientianearound LuangPrabang(70,000kip, down through (60,000kip)and (30,000 kip),NongKhiaw 8am viaRte MuangViengThong 1through leaves road.Thesecond atwinding sealed hours),(50,000 kip,eight onagoodbutvery via thesouthernroutePhonsavan through rives inVientianeat6amthenextday,going hours). Thefirst leaves at7.30amandar- all headingforVientiane(120,000kip,24 There are three mainbusdepartures daily At lunchtime, themarket isasourceof Restaurant Mitsampanh Restaurant Xam Dan NaoMuang Chittavanh Restaurant Ontheriver thebridge roadbetween Inthelaneway,afew doors north

Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com (code QV;www.laos-airlines.com) Attheendof thelane-

( lào-láo

( % % 312151; meals10,000- 312265; meals8000- . ǎ

wngth ( % fliesto 314126; ǎ ew noon &1.30-4pm) 2000 kiptotake a camera. you tothecaves andletyouin.It’sanother kip, plus10,000kipforaguidewhowilltake tion, topaythecaves entrancefee of 10,000 r withshared bathroom10,000-20,000kip) the mosthistoricallysignificantcaves, named heavily poundedbyAmericanbombs.Today, bylandorair,buttheareaassailable wasstill victory in1975.Thecaverns are virtuallyun- followers formore thanadecadebefore their Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com mosquito nets. Leather armchairs line upmosquito nets.Leather Rooms with uptothreetanks. bedshave rooms comewith smallelectrichot-water in townbyasmall lake. Theshared bath- bathroom 10,000-30,000 kip) thermos. a nearby building.Hotwater isprovided in floors. Thecold-water bathroomsare ina rooms inarickety withlino woodenhouse Naxay Guesthouse EATING & SLEEPING out. hide up to3000Pathet rankandfilewould Lao ofis themostspectacular thecaves, where room. politburo meeting books, aportraitof anda Che Guevara original beds,clothing,office equipment, leader,hasthemosttolookat,withLao named after aformerpresident andPathet concreted asawarrelic. bomb neartheentrancethathasbeen the RedPrince,hasacrater froma500lb war and hardship. more like thanscenesof holidaygrottoes by magnificentgardens,makingthemlook Manytack. of thecaves are nowfringed oxygen of machines incase achemical at- doors andequippedwithlarge Russian and emergency roomsfitted withsteel ture multipleentrances,bedrooms,offices, two tothree hours. Theleaders’ caves fea- sites are openforvisitors andtours take English. Adozencaves atthree different Office TourCave Memorial of themarket features amapof Vieng Xai. spend adayortwoin.Awoodenboardinfront tourists. to after theleaders wholived inthem,are open Tham Than Than Tham At thetimeof writingtwoguides spoke Government Hotel Government You mustreport tothe This isafascinatingandpeacefultownto , a2kmwalkfromthebussta-

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( % 064-314336, 0205764729;

( Thebestlocation 064-314356; rwithshared % Tham Than Kaysone Than Tham Kaysone Phom Vihan Vihan Phom Kaysone Tham Than Khamtay Than Tham 064-314321; , namedafter NORTHERN LAOS••UdomxaiProvince NORTHERN

Clean h 8am- , nese troops supportivenese of the Pathet Lao. becamethecentregional capital for Chi- Indochina Warthere-During theSecond % Udomxai Yunnan. of as tradespeoplefromKunming,the capital labourers workinginconstruction,aswell intensify withtheinfluxof skilled Chinese presenceNeua. continuesto TheYunnanese Thai LüandThaiThai Dam,Khao, Mien,Phu Thai, ties, mostlyHmong,Akha, Province. Itishometo23ethnicminori- that shares aborderwithChina’sYunnan Bokeo andSainyabuli,withasmallsection Luang Prabang, LuangNamTha, Phongsali, This rugged province iswedged between 5pm. until Sam Neualeave themarket almosthourly afternoon. FromViengXai,s leave hourwhenfulluntilmid- almostevery 6am (7000kip,40minutes), ors A busleaves SamNeuaforViengXaiat AWAY & THERE GETTING bombshell out the front. style steamboat, heatingcoalsinanempty ( downstairs. is simplemeals,withnotice, serving taurant on thered-tiled veranda andasmallres- UDOMXAI PROVINCE PROVINCE UDOMXAI % Next totheNaxay,asmall journey inthereverse direction. Xoi inVietnam toHanoi. up. It’salongwindingjourneyfromNam thejourneythiswillpicktravellers making Vietnamese sidewasscarce,butwithmore can’t begranted attheborder. your Vietnamese visainadvanceasthey sure8am to5pm;make you’ve organised the way.The crossinghere isopenfrom three hours),passingthroughVieng Xai on fromSamNeuaat7am(20,000kip, depart Buses toNaMaewonthe Vietnam border VIETNAM TO GETTING 081 /pop80,000 064-314336; meals10,000kip) See p839 the forinformationonmaking At onthe thetimeofresearch transport does Korean- does ǎ wngth ǎ restaurant wngth ǎ ew for 383

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ew LAOS LAOS LAOS escape. canhelpyouplanyour the hillfrombridge; forward h a sunset tripupto a sunset massage perhourUS$1-3) atthe style massage there’s a Swedish- littletodoapartfromtaking sprawl of besidethe stalls checking outthe Besides ACTIVITES & SIGHTS Udomxai Travel Post office Office Tourism Oudomsay Provincial Bank Lao Development Lao Banque pourleCommerceExtérieur INFORMATION places to solace. seek happens, here areinevitable afew decent order tocatch aconnectingbusout.Ifthe a transporthub.Tryandget here earlyin lorrydriversChinese thetownas whouse of tradingtownareitants thisimportant here; manyof indeed that isLao theinhab- andThai-stylebuildings,therenese- islittle dusty amalgamof randomlyerected Chi- wouldn’t beallowedinthebuilding.A beauty contest forallitstowns,Udomxai were tohostaToday, ifNorthernLaos 384 Thai baht orChineseyuan Thai baht into kip. ( Chinese yuan into kip. h this travel agency, located next tothebusstation. this travelagency,locatednext O’Phetsanat find MrKenchan Reserve Houay NamKat suchasthe 1)Fortourstolocalattractions .com; Rte phonecard. international callsatthepostofficewitha can make on theirEnglish. the monks, whoare usuallykeen tobrush up % to organise oneinadvanceLuang PrabangorVientiane. Bien Phu. threeDien BienPhu timesaweekat7am.There (40,000kip) toHanoifromDien istransport eighthours.) abusleaves thetripcostsUS$6andtakes FromMuangKhua, to MuangKhua; for dailybusesalsotravel fromLuang Prabang two daily),setonthebanksofNamOu.(Two years ofrumoursitsimpendingopening. The borderatTay operatinginApril2007after started Trang(Laos)andDienBienPhu (Vietnam) VIETNAM TO GETTING 8am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noonSat)Locatedjustup 8am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-3.30pm) Also changes US dollars, Thai baht or 8.30am-3.30pm) AlsochangesUSdollars,Thaibaht 211260; Rte 1; 211260; Rte OTENLO • UoxiPoic LAOS••UdomxaiProvince NORTHERN See p839 forinformationontravelling fromVietnam toLaos. The borderisopenfrom8amto5pmdaily,butdoesnotissueVietnamese visas; you’llneed (US$4,fourhours,To crosstheborder,catchabusfromUdomxaitotownofMuangKhua ( h 8am-4pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noonSat)You 8am-4pm Mon-Fri, ( h % . Alternatively youcantake 8.30am-4pm) ChangesUSdollars, 212020; travel_kenchan@yahoo Wat Santiphap ( Lao Red Cross Lao Red % 312059; Rte 4; 312059; Rte Chinese market Kaysone Monument Kaysone ( tochat with %

( %

211797; 312269; , avast , kip) viewofa pleasant themountains. with 27m backfromSaylomyenGuesthouse, undistinguished yetpeacefulroomsonaroad building. main can beenjoyedfromthetopfloorof the bathrooms –allwithhotwater. Great views struction nextdoor,roomshave attached with shared bathroom.Inanewercon- posted. The mainbuildinghascleanrooms of Saylomyeniswellsign- thebusstation; at themainintersection about 800mnorth bathroom30,000/50,000kip) shared/private Saylomyen GuestHouse EATING & SLEEPING Wsen fare. Western ing is garneringplenty of frompass- praise thisunpretentiousHouse, little restaurant kip) food. menu of andLao Chinese another reliable placetoeat,withanextensive Located Pholay nexttoapetrolstation, is bus station. headingtoward the from LindaGuestHouse, armoire andTV. About 90montheleftup communal area plusenormousroomswith kip) owner. daily. Located besidethebridge. Friendly tine, coolaccommodationwithfresh linen pricesandamenities. ment, withthesame Linda 2,onRte 4,behindtheKaysone Monu- Iffull,there’spetrol station. anotherbranch, nate buildingonthemainstreet opposite the Keomongkoun Restaurant Keomongkoun Pholay Linda GuestHouse Saensabay GuestHouse Lithavixay GuestHouse GuestHouse Vivanh Has 14pongyroomsinathree-storey, or- Located onRte 1opposite LindaGuest Offering a pleasant internet-enabled apleasant Offering falang

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( (off Rte 1; r 40,000 kip) 1;r40,000kip) (off Rte % 211377; off Rte 1;rwith 211377; offRte

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commission forcashingtravellerschequesintoUSdollars telecom officeonthemainroad,thisplacecharges2% Udomxai are infaircondition(exceptforthe Chinese-built bitumenroadsthatradiate from Udomxai over toVientiane(US$80).The Airlinesrunsanirregular from flight Lao AWAY & THERE GETTING lonelyplanet.com BCL Bank INFORMATION most virginal forests innorthernLaos. villages; take atrek orkayakinsomeof the waterfall or Thai Lue,DamandKhamu fect Hire base. abike andexplore thenearby the NamHa NPA, Luang NamThaistheper- ecotourism. asameccafor status forgetting itsdeserved the amicablecharm of thelocals–andnot diverseits excellentcoffee houses, cuisine,or it adayandtheplacewillgrowonyou;be river tripstoHuayXai),some7kmaway.Give village neartheairportandboatlanding(for of restaurants andtheold andguesthouses, the newtown,inwhich you’llfindthebulk War, twotowns; Luang NamThaisessentially tothegroundduringIndochina Razed % Tha Nam Luang VIP 100,000kip,14hours). and Vientiane(ordinary90,000kip,15hours; hours, (50,000kip,eight Phongsali onedaily) Boten (23,000kip,fourhours, twodaily), (26,000 kip,three tofive hours, three daily), kip, fourhours, twodaily),LuangNamTha kip, three hours, onedaily),Pak (26,500 Beng five hours, (24,500 three daily),NongKhiaw toandfromLuangPrabang (30,000kip, buses minal atthesouthwestern edge of townhas land-transport hubinthenorth.Thebuster- road toPak andthecityislargest Beng) LAG A TA PROVINCE THA NAM LUANG With itsproximity tothebeguilingwildsof TIME If you YOUR want togetinvolved inimproving localliteracy, seekout LEND YOU CAN BROTHER (www.bigbrothermouse.com). being translated intoLao. Look outfortheminLuang NamTha, Luang Prabang andVientiane self-published books,plusgreat storiessuchas of colourful who attend; themore children. Orbetter still,hangoutatyourlocalBBMforacoupleofhoursand read tothekids materials, rarely getthechancetoread. Buyafew booksandcarrythemwithyoutodonate to grown initiative thataimstobringthedelightsofwritten wordtoinfants who,forlackof 086 /pop35,400 ( h 8.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri) Oppositethe 8.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri) NORTHERN LAOS••Luang NamThaProvince NORTHERN falang dropin,themore children will cometolisten. They have arange day. Your best bet, however, istheexcellent day. Yourbestbet,however, place has Skype and a super-speedy broadband connection. place hasSkypeandasuper-speedybroadbandconnection. 500 kip; take the take first right. thepostofficeoncornerthen after find it,turnleft To as wellexcellentbrochures onresponsible tourism. officehasinformationontrips day. Theprovincialtourism range fromonetothree days,costingaroundUS$10per [email protected]; There’s alsoaBCLexchangeboothatthebusstation. and5%(USdollars). and 4%forVisacashadvances(kip) not-to-scale local map for 3000 kip. localmapfor3000kip. not-to-scale tional phonecallsalsoavailable. KNTsellsaninformative Downloadingofdigitalphotosandinterna- connection. 11pm) on theoppositesideof the road. ChanGuestHouse oftheMany north Alittlefurther Fri) to Saikhonglongsack GuestHouse. to Saikhonglongsack Green Discovery Green .com). Project Ha Ecotourism for obvious reasons, but still linger. entering tribes-people’svillages are denied elephant, gaurandtiger. Rumours of tigers of large mammalsincludingcloudedleopard, and trekking possibilitiesinthe Most peopleare drawnhere forthehiking Post office Planet Online Project Nam HaEcotourism Lao Telecom office Bank Lao Development KNT Internet MountainInternet Green Within theEden-like junglelurk37species cash andtravellerscheques. toKNT.com; Next noon &2-3.30pmMon-Fri) exchanges neighbouring hill neighbouring villages. tribe andoffers decentmapsofthetowndetailing connection powered internetcaféon themainroadhasbroadband SGT & ACTIVITIES & SIGHTS Tours totheparkare organised by . One to3daytreks cost80,000kipper Opposite h Where theWildThings Are, ( 8am-8pm) Near Many ChanGuestHouse,the 8am-8pm) NearMany % ( (

% Green Discovery,KNThas slowinternet % 312007;

( Big BrotherMouse % 211066; per min 500 kip; 211066; permin500kip; ( 312435; per min 650 kip) Thissolar- 312435; permin650kip) h h 211484; www.greendiscoverylaos.com; (

% 8am-noon &2-5pm)Treks h 8am-noon & 1-5pm) Next door 8am-noon &1-5pm)Next ( % ( 312150; namhaguides@yahoo % 8am-noon &1-4pmMon- ( 312232; % 020 5197999;permin 312047; namha h , ahome- currently Nam HaNPA 8.30am- h 8am- Nam 385

. LAOS LAOS LAOS ing.com), serving up Thai, Lao and up Thai,Lao serving Western fare. hot water andanatmospheric balconied café modation. Rooms are generous withfanand kip) station. bus path there are acoupleof cafésopposite the friendly. Ifyouwanttoget off thebeaten Cuisine here isequallydiverse andWestern- commodation ispoppingupallover town. eco-rush, fresh andreasonably pricedac- trepreneurs eager forasliceof the Thanks toagrowingnumberof localen- roads through rice fields. Dam Thai past small Phuk Phum Khon wats, includetwo50-year-oldcycling distance US$30 aday.Placesof interest withineasy of thedramaticNamThavalleyforaround Landing GuestHouse paste, soapandbirosto give away. try andremember totake somespare tooth- directlygoes tothevillage visited. Ifpossible, print isworking;32%of themoneyyoupay tribes are visited. Sofarthelow-impactblue- its groupsandthefrequency withwhich careful tolimitthenumbers of travellers in enced localguides,Green Discovery hasbeen one-tofour-daydifficult treks withexperi- main road). 386 SLEEPING Many ChanGuestHouse Many For zeal topreserve theirnaturalheritage. Yourvisitcounts. receiving organised visitsfromtrekkers have seenareduction andarenewed inopiumaddiction tainable controlledway,hasimproved hygiene, educationandcommerce. Anumberofvillages thegovernmentthe fact haswelcomedinternational isencouraging eco-advice initself. tryingdesperatelyfair, Laosisstilloneofthepoorest tobecomeself-sufficient; nationsonearth, aiding withroad-buildingandtheoddstadiuminVientiane fortheAsean Games2009).Tobe Chinese, whoare munchingtheirwaythroughancientteak androsewoodforests (inreturn for nation –ifyouforget aboutthedestructive HEpowerdamsandlogging licensesgranted tothe ThailandUnlike whichseemstohave learnedtoolate, Laosisflourishingasaneco-conscious government toprotect itswildlife andforests fromslash-and-burnfarming,huntingandlogging. Nam HaNPA (NationalProtected Area) CRUSADE was thefirstof18ecoparkssetupin’93byLao GREEN THE Family run,consistently friendlyaccom- , neartheairfield;ahill-topstupa, Ban NamDee OTENLO • LagNmTaPoic LAOS••Luang NamThaProvince NORTHERN The environmentalblueprint,designedtobenefitbothtravellers andethnicpeoples inasus- waterfall Wat Ban Vieng TaiWat BanVieng mountain biking which runs one-tofour-day tours and Besides offering arange ofBesides easyto , about4kmwestof theairfield;a Thai Lü Thai about3kmnortheastof town ; plusahostof

villages dotted alongdirt ( % tours the contact ( and % 312398; www.theboatland 312209; r20,000-40,000 Wat BanLuang Khmu, Lenten, Lenten, Khmu, falang Boat That That

the old town and consider the steep pricesthe oldtownandconsidersteep ifyou wantthepeaceofgood placetostay kip) kip) tion, these secluded bungalowsoffer secluded hottion, these kip) water and fanare includedintheprice. size, andcoolthankstothetiledfloors. Hot sports 10fresh roomsthatare generous on Bounthavongroad neartheCoffee House, in theheartof oldtown Luang Namtha. is cleanandroomy,withhotwater andTVs Accommodationherea goodplacetostay. down theriver fromtheboatlanding,thisis kip) two klicks from here. College; afurther you’llfindthe guesthouse mention theTeacheris confused, Training the latter towardHuayXai. Ifyourdriver Tipphavanh is situated afew kilometres past beyondyourrange.of theBoatLanding bungalowswith seven hot water. southern edge of thestrip,thisplacehas bathroom 50,000kip) great laundry service next door. maculate bathroomswithhotwater anda fan andtiledfloors, deliver. really does Im- accommodation, comprising15roomswith next toMany Chan,thisnewandpristine on the walls). playingSpiderman hasbeen muddy shoes screaming foralickof paint(someone with water, andsome have TV. they’re Thatsaid Dalsavath GuestHouse GuestHouse Khamking Bus StationGuestHouse Bounthavong GuestHouse GuestHouse Luang Kham Tipphavanh GuestHouse Positionednearthemarket andbus sta- If you’re catching morningride anearly Peaceful offaside accommodationset Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Beside Lao Airlinesatthe Lao Beside

( ( (r 50,000 kip) (r50,000kip) % (r 50,000 kip) (r50,000kip) % ( ( 211090 r40,000-50,000 % 211299; rwithshared % 211888; r40,000 312256; r40,000 This isa Situated blocks eastof Panda thebusstation, has 50,000 kip) 50,000 kip) off the map by superior upstarts. Roomsoff themapbysuperiorupstarts. threadbare, thislastresort isbeingedged are basic and functional. Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com save a little money. localpeople and isaniceway tomeet light barbequed grubbycandle- Eating twilight. rant are which spring tolife foodstalls after before your eyes. dles are cooked upinabubblingcauldron food.Noo- eatery andChinese offering Lao of Palanh thisisanauthentic GuestHouse a long day’s trek. make thisoneof thebestplaces toeatafter andlow-litambienceall excellent service portions, the omnipresent Nazim.Generous 10,000-20,000 kip) matters. environmental if you’re interested infindingoutmore about owner, isalsoanecologistandworthachat have youcomingbackformore. Nithat,the shakes, plusafriendlyatmosphere will lattesfantastic andcappuccinos.Great fruit Thai menu,thisnew eatery with acomprehensive Western and mouth-watering. is andsourchickenand Western menu.Sweet Great fruit shakes andagenerally Oriental bands (andisdueforanotherrelocation). moved more timesthanLizTaylor’s hadhus- Panda Restaurant EATING in the lobby. clean withhotwater andinternet services arethe 11roomsinthismodern-stylehouse thanks toitsproximity tothemainroad, to theYamuna andalittlenoisy Restaurant in LuangNam Tha. is agreat restaurant. It’seasilythebestbet Within itstranquil,landscapedcourtyard with woodenfloors, hotwater andfan. of woodandbrickoffers large rooms Chan, thishandsomelybuiltguesthouse kip) Saikhonglongsack GuestHouse Saikhonglongsack Baytong Restaurant o Coffee House Palanh GuestHouse o Over the road from the Baytong Restau- the roadfromtheBaytong Over Tucked downaquietlanebesideMany Next to Lao TelecomNext toLao andalittle Zuela GuestHouse Zuela Yamuna Restaurant (mains 10,000-20,000 kip) (mains10,000-20,000kip) Delicious Indianfoodtorival (mains 10,000-20,000 kip) (mains10,000-20,000kip) ( (mains 20,000 kip) (mains20,000kip) % falang 312439; r60,000kip) ( %

magnet serves magnetserves ( % 312183; r60,000

( 211529; meals NORTHERN LAOS••Luang NamThaProvince NORTHERN % Just north An open 312257; r Next Two become dangerously low.Thefigures above mountainous bordertownoffersmountainous anauthentic ofWithin whisperingdistance China, this % Sing Muang andshops hirehouses bicyclesfor 10,000 kip. the Many Otherguest- ChanGuestHouse. rent at condition scooters (80,000kipperday)are for (15,000 kipperday)andnot-in-exemplary- bikes Bicycles (10,000kipperday),mountain AROUND GETTING tiane at8.30am(90,000kip, 20 hours). at 9.30am(70,000kip,ninehours) andVien- forLuangPrabangleaveBuses each morning ket andabout 400mwestof themainroad. isnexttothemorningmar-The busstation s u B misunderstandings. later agreed atdockiswritten downtoavoid any boats are open-topped.Alsoensure theprice sure youbringshade orshelter withyouasthe upto10people,butmakecan besplitbetween (Marchdry season toMay) Boats runallyearexceptsometimesinthe intheoldtown. GuestHouse Boat Landing atthe or HuayXai(US$110)canbecaught Charter boatsheadedforPak Tha(US$100) Boat Tha (four hours). and catch thebusheadedforLuangNam fromVientianetoUdomxai(US$80) flight for timeandwanttotrek here, take thedaily that maywellmean2009,soifyou’re pushed for refurbishment time until2008.Given Lao Currently LuangNamThaairportisclosed r i A AWAY & THERE GETTING the waynorth. large townandagoodstopover pointon ridetoMengla,thenearestto three-hour From Mohan,onthe Chineseside,it’satwo- Tha (onehour)andUdomxai(fourhours). are regular busestoBoten fromLuang Nam provided youhave yourvisaalready. There Crossing theChineseborderatBoten is easy CHINA TO GETTING 081 Yook Mai Yook Mai ( % 312183; h

when river levels 7am-6pm) , north of , northof

387 LAOS LAOS LAOS ing further northonthe main street isthe it happens! possibly be lookingforCol Kurtz,yourdaydream minutes intotheferal cathedral and you’ll into pristine,triple-canopiedjungle; afew nearby andoffers the intrepid an adventure ers, policeand agricultural workers. treks. Guidesincludeformerfarmers, teach- isbannedontheseto thetribe. Druguse directly paid,themoneygoes guide hasbeen required (costsUS$15 perperson). After the experience. Aminimumof five peopleis much of the‘humanzoo’guiltclouding your the mainstreet, little woodenbuildingthat’ssignposted off ices by the to anethnicallyfriendlyblueprintdeveloped ture isviewed withminimalinvasion.Thanks considerable troubletoensure itsethniccul- trekking. hasgoneto Unlike Thailand,Laos Most people ACTIVITIES come toMuangSingforthe & SIGHTS 10,000 kip per day. for rent 5000and aroundtownforbetween north of thepostoffice. Bicyclesare available ices is opposite themarket. ing USdollars, bahtandyuan.Thepostoffice the Muang Singhastwobanks,a INFORMATION justnorthofices Office, the post office. Visitor Information&Trekking GuideServ- tern. Amapof theoldcityisondisplayin possibly yourbestbetin . responsibleand environmentally tour,thisis keen tovisitethnicminoritiesonasocially Ha orlocalhilltribes.Ifyou’re ated forvisitstothejungleof thenearbyNam reputation asatrekker’s ideallysitu- paradise, market. isits Thetown’smaindrawhowever, whom you’re atthecolourfullocal likely tosee ThaiLu,LoloandDeu;manyofAkha, sity of ethnichilltribes,including Hmong, opium addict)andanextremely rich diver- ated occasionally bythebroken formof an atmosphere of wiltingshop-fronts (punctu- 388 The In abeautiful Lao-French wooden build- The Muang Singfollowsaquadraticgridpat- ( Lane Xang Bank Lane Xang ( % % OTENLO • LagNmTaPoic LAOS••Luang NamThaProvince NORTHERN Visitor Information & Trekking GuideServ- Information&Trekking Visitor Visitor Information & Trekking GuideServ- Information&Trekking Visitor 020 57080318; Nam Ha National Protected Area Area Nam HaNationalProtected (NPA) broken bytheroarof alocaltiger – 020 57080318;

you canvisitwithouttoo opposite themarket, chang- h h 8-11.30am &2-5.30pm) 8-11.30am &2-5.30pm) BCL branch and is just , a is the main house fromwherethe mainhouse toponderthe ambience,offeringhouse agreat rooftop in the Mountains’, isdedicated tothehilltribes the Mountains’, Guardiansoftographic exhibition,‘TheLast 10,000/30,000 kip) Muang Sing hospital, Anousoneisfresh,Muang Singhospital, if the room won’t. lady whowillmake youfeel welcome,even multilingualwat. Theownerisadelightful andcrumblingnearby mountains sunset pancake. rice falang with afriendlyrestaurant –thetown’smain and mossienets.Roomsoutfrontare best, bank onthemainstreet. hotwater Offering rooms inawoodenbuildingneartheBCL moreslightly vertical flophouses. fallingover.house Here are afew gems and no longer have toworryaboutyourguest- Thanks toaraftof newaccommodation,you EATING & SLEEPING located out the back. thatched building,withtheherbalsauna ily-run portraits. black-and-white of thearea, represented inhonestup-close h SingExhibitionsMuseum Muang boasts nine lovingly cabanas crafted rattan off thesouth endof the maindrag,Phouiou fantasies. Martin with akaraoke machine to relive Dean those of themainstreet. Alsohasarestaurant this istranquilaccommodation100m north two more intimate bungalowsouttheback, With ninelarge rooms,each withfan,plus floors. tiled of town.Roomsare spaciousandcoolwith new andwellworththefive-minute walkout accommodation. bungalow tion. Roomsvaryfromwoodentobrick hand-drawn mapsavailable fromrecep- here andYao toneighbouring Akha villages – travellers wishingtodotheirowntrek from isfavouredthis tranquilguesthouse among commodation 8kmnorthof MuangSing, bathroom40,000/60,000kip) private o Sangduane GuestHouse Anousone GuestHouse Adima GuestHouse Muang SingGuestHouse Muang LuGuestHouse Thai Next toSingCharean Hotel, asmallfam- 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30-11.30amSat). 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, nucleus–downstairs. Trythesticky traditional massage&sauna Phouiou GuestHouse Phouiou Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com has been set upinabamboo set hasbeen

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(r 20,000-30,000) % Comfortable ac- Comfortable 212376; r 50,000 kip) 212376; r50,000kip)

(admission 5000kip;

(r 60,000kip) (sauna/massage Next to Apho- Ageing Flop- Set

kip) two blocksup. (north)exhibitions buildingandthenright sop competition. sloppy dollarcomparedtion isworthevery tothe and friendlymanagement, thisaccommoda- With spotlessly cleanrooms,hotwater, fan placed inaflowered, landscapedgarden. Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ethnic diversity. onlytoLuang NamThafor groups, second the province ishometo34different ethnic spite Bokeo’s smallsize andtinypopulation, entry pointfortravellers fromThailand.De- and LuangNamThaProvince, isapopular the Mekong River borderwithThailand smallestprovince, wedgedLaos’ between journeys tolocalvillages. shopsonthemainroad,for day) fromseveral Xai (outsideof thedryseason). to charter aboatdowntheMekong toHuay 1pm and2pm.FromXiengKokit’spossible three tofourhours) departat9.30am,11am, border,s the Burmese hours). Heading southwest,forXiengKokon 8amand1pm(15,000kip,twoday between bound forMuangLongleave fourtimesa one totwohours). Heading west,s Tha at8am,9.30amand11am(20,000kip, front of themorningmarket forLuangNam S AROUND & THERE GETTING milkforbreakfast.rolls withcondensed uitous roamingbaguette vendors fresh sell ubiq- bustling earlyinthemorning,andLaos’ ( atthe delicacies canbebought after the bridge. You’ll finditatthenorthernendof town Restaurant menu atThaiLu,there’s onlythe yond thefriendly,reasonably comprehensive double asrestaurants; be- however, Laos, tion to Phouiou. peace barely equalledintownwithexcep- ofwater, asense andmostimportantly, tastefully-finishedcomfortable, withhot the ricepaddy.Thewoodenbungalowsare of MuangSingonahillsideoverlooking BKO PROVINCE BOKEO h ǎ wngth Bicycles are available torent (5000kipper Fresh fruitandvegetables aswell local Many of asisnormalin theguesthouses, GuestHouse Chieng Theung Thishiddengem issituated 5kmsouth 6-8am) ǎ . Toget here, turnleft(west)atthe

ew leave in fromthebusstation (mains 7000-25,000kip) F ŏ e (rice noodle) stands are (ricenoodle)stands ǎ wngth

( % worthavisit. ǎ ew (19,000kip, morning market 312085; r70,000 NORTHERN LAOS •• LAOS••Bokeo NORTHERN Hasina Indian ǎ wngth ǎ ew

tains atelephonetains office. 40,000-60,000 kip) 100m north of BAP Guest House. villa offering 14cleanrooms withfan.It’s fast 60,000-70,000kip) but expecttopay more. Rooms overlooking theMekong are thebest can organise onwardtravel anddaytrips. chat andanadequate restaurant. Theowner wood-veneered rooms,communalplacesto 70,000) have afan. arrange yourbusandboattickets. Allrooms individual, hisEnglish issolidandhecan place tohangyourhat.Theowner’sagenuine isagood rooms, theFriendshipGuestHouse andclean,spacious communal satellite TV a goodtrade. of traveller stalwart favourites are stillturning you canexpectforyourmoney,plusanumber improvement aslight hasseen inwhat houses A recent boominThai-Roman-styleguest EATING & SLEEPING Saytha. bined withvisitstothewaterfalls. Speakto day tours toThaiDuethnicvillages com- the hillfromslow-boat landing. Fri) The INFORMATION and fairylights. dusty street isaglowwithburningbraziers thelocalsaresaid, the friendlyandbynight hours LuangNamtha. That northtosleepy ifyou’reon aspeedboat amasochist) orfive to themajesty of LuangPrabang (sixhours two dayssouthonaslowboatwilltake you tocome;justHuay Xaiistheshapeof Laos arrived concernthemselvesfrom Thailandneedn’t freshly Travellers . Reserve Nature in tree-houses above perched high the Bokeo ence HQ of themuch talked about major border-entry point,aswellbeingthe ing Thailand’sChiangKhong, Huay Xaiisa thebanksofHugging theMekong, overlook- % Xai Huay , opposite Arimid Guest House, is200mup , opposite Arimid GuestHouse, Sabaydee Travel Phoudoi BAP GuestHouse GuestHouse Friendship The 084 /pop17,500

(www.gibbonx.org) Lao Development Bank Lao Development This oldtrustyoffers immaculate, post office ( % Withitsbreezy rooftop views, 020 548 4075; Th Saykhong; rinclbreak- 020 5484075;ThSaykhong;

( (

h ( % Well-situated Thai-style % , athree-day gibbon watch 8am-4pm Mon-Fri) 8am-4pm Mon-Fri) 020 5985732) 211083; Th Saykhong; r40,000- 211083; ThSaykhong;

( % (

h 211219; Th Saykhong; r 211219; ThSaykhong; 8.30am-3.30pm Mon- Gibbon Experi- offers one- also con-

389 LAOS LAOS LAOS Monday, WednesdayandFridayfrom vs (US$35). visa der you’llautomaticallybegranted a30-day charge 15Bsurcharge. Oncrossingthebor- borderguardsto 4pm it’snormalforLao Atweekends andafterarriving inLaos. openinghoursto 5pm;thesame applyto The bordertoThailandisopenfrom8.30am (US$50). Prabang Huay XaitoVientiane(US$90)andLuang Lao Airlines as isthewood-fired nan bread. chicken isparticularlydelicious tikkamasala Indiancuisine. Thecrisp, no-nonsense offersthe roadfromFriendship,Deen ingly. It’safew doors down from BAP. their storiesandplanyourroute accord- other the bestplacetomeet fruit shakes –electricityallowing.Perhaps arepizzas andlocalstaple fresh, asare the into anoldcoloniallivingroom.Wood-fired walls;youmayfeel likerattan you’ve stepped pheric dinerfeaturing reindeer ornamented There’s also a restaurant downstairs. fresh andnewwithfansinallitsrooms. themaindrag,Oudomphoneis off slightly haggle on price! advice–justdon’ttryandto dispense rant andmultilingualownerwho’shappy well constructed, there’s adecentrestau- get outof town.Thewoodenbungalowsare ifyouwanttois apeacefulplacetostay slow-boat complex landing,thissecluded Neua; r60,000-150,000) 390 GTIG HR & AWAY & THERE GETTING Deen Restaurant Oudomphone GuestHouse Armid GuestHouse The ferrycosts20B. ridetoChiangKhong Riverview Restaurant Riverview of yourLaosvisa,or you’llbecharged foroverstaying. crossing toThailand asdobuses fromLuang NamTha. sure So make you’re notonthelastday ‘overtime’ fee. Boatsfrom Pak Bengalmostalwaysarrive justalittletoolate theborder to make At orduringtheirlunchhour,Lao immigrationofficerscharge weekends anadditional10,000kip visas arethe Thai borderisopenfrom8.30amto5pm.Thirty-day issuedonarrivaleitherside. Xieng KokorbybusfromLuang NamTha. The and ferry costs10,000kip ridetoChiangKhong andChiangSaen.Huay XaiRai isaccessiblebyboatfromLuang Prabang,Luang NamTha and connecting busesors connecting Thailand, where crosstheborderatHuayXai toChiangKhong, Heading tonorthern there are THAILAND TO GETTING OTENLO • BkoPoic Province LAOS••Bokeo NORTHERN See p744

(code QV;www.laos-airlines.com) forinformation ontravelling inthereverse direction.

Located 200mfromthe (mains 30,000kip)

( (mains 20,000 kip) (mains 20,000kip) ǎ % wngth (r 70,000-80,000kip)

211040; BanHuayXai ǎ falang ew (smallpick-up truckwithtwobenches intheback)toChiang Justdown , absorb Atmos- flies Set prepared totake therisk.Consideringsome- there’sforbidden; however, alwayssomeone not totravel; boatsare officiallysanctioned are provided. it’sadvised Inthedryseason be yourideaof fun.Helmets andlife-jackets ing pillars of underwater rocks, this maynot mind beingcrampedandnarrowlyavoid- you love white-knuckle experiences,don’t at 11am.Thetriptakes sixhours andunless leave fromthelanding2kmsouthof town insurance, refuse pointblank;it’s a scam. bowels of yourcharter. Ifasked topayfor be unbearableifyou’re stowedawayinthe you’re heatitcan allowedondeck.Inhigh check whetheryourboatoffers viewsandif matic scenerytowardLuangPrabang, but a great waytotake intheincreasingly dra- with anovernight stopinPak andis Beng, trip takes twodaysbyslowboat(US$25), The yourguesthouse. onethrough purchase there theafternoon before tobuyaticket or end of town,costingUS$13perperson. Get 11.30am fromtheboatlandingatnorth leave at11amandtake aneasy five hours. andcost400B) and Friendship guesthouses (which canbeorganised atBAP, Phoudoi longer atortuousexperience;minibuses 3, thebusjourneytoLuangNamthaisno csig US$110. costing take upto10peoplewithatypicalcharter (ww.theboatlanding.laopdr.com). Boats Ecolodge at thenowfamousBoatLanding terminating (impossible inthedryseason), neys istheroute upriver toLuangNamTha that much of a hurry. it’s worthaskingyourself ifyou’re really in flimsyboatsalmostyearly one diesinthese One of themosttalked aboutboatjour- forLuangPrabang (US$40)Speedboats Thanks totheallbutfinishedHighway Boats forLuangPrabang leave ataround Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com to and from Vietnam and Cambodia. Most to andfromVietnamCambodia. handful of areas visited bytravellers heading thaninthenorth,withonlya southern Laos The touristindustryismuch in lessdeveloped LAOS SOUTHERN lonelyplanet.com te south. the onyourtravels arekhet alsomust-sees around waterfalls, andthefadedcharms of Savanna- anddramatic,plunging its coffee plantations fertile of highlands theBolaven Plateau, with thelush Islands).However, (Four Thousand andotherworldlySiPhanChampasak Don Heritage–listed ruins atWatPhu Khmer travellers make timetovisittheUnesco World SOUTHERN LAOS ὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈ THAILAND Mukdahan CAMBODIA Dong Natad Phanom Nong Bok Nakhon Ratchathani SOUTHERN LAOS •• SOUTHERNLAOS••Savannakhet Ubon Savannakhet ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ Saibuli Se BangFai Tha Khaek Ban Kengkok 13 Paksong (Xeno) Seno Lakhon Pheng Lak 35 Ban Ban Kanluang Chong Vang Tao Se Noi Lakhonpeng Mek Wat PhuChampasak Se Jam Atsaphangthong

phon KHAMMUAN Phu Xieng Phonthong Sai BuaThong Thong ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ Don Det& Don Khon Saphai Si Phan Champasak Xang He Ban Phu Don Khong Sedon Khong Muang SAVANNAKHET Kao Don Se Pon Pakse Bua LaPha Se Ban Nuan 9 Lao Ngam Namnu Hin Khun Hat Sai Ban Muang Muang Hua Sao 23 Se Pian been resuscitated.been tradehubhas asanimportant city’s status withThailand,the further connectingLaos to therecent openingof theMekong Bridge, cals are stillcuriousabout visitors. Thanks are abloomwithbougainvillea,andthelo- gentrification of LuangPrabang. Thestreets have charm lostinthe aghostly thathasbeen food vendors, others overgrown withweeds, crumbling colonialbuildings,somesheltering flat-topped Soviet-style the Indeed, houses. mansionsand beautifully fadedIndochinese Laos’ third-largest cityisaconfection of % Savannakhet Sepon SVNAHT PROVINCE SAVANNAKHET Ban Nakasang Bolaven Plateau Dong Muang Phin 13 Voen Kham 15 041 /pop120,000 Se Don Tat Fan ὈὈ ὈὈ 20 Tadlo 23 Tumlan Paksong Se Kong 9 20 Dansavanh CHAMPASAK Tha Taeng Siempang SALAVAN Vieng Dong Phou Dong Salavan Ban (Samakhi Xai) VIETNAM 0 0 16 Attapeu

Se Namnoy Phu Katae Nong Bua Tahoy (1588m) Dong Hoi Sanamsay Lao Bao ATTAPEU 18 Katamtok Nam Tok (Muang Lamam) Sekong Khe Sanh 16 Samouy Se Xap ὈὈ ὈὈ Se Kong SEKONG Dong Ha Ampham Se Dong

Ka Hué

Yalakhuntum m Gulf of Tonkin

an 60 miles 100 km

391 LAOS LAOS LAOS room onthecnrof Th Sutthanu. 4000 kip; proximity toeach other,have exchange The following twobanks, located in close SPS Internet teaand facilities, includingcolddrinks, instant coffee. hr 4000kip; Silconet Internet Nang Internet Access Internet INFORMATION kip totravel the2kminto the centre. town, youshould be payingaround10,000 activity isnear the river. cle. Mostof thetown’s(charmingly) limited streets itssleepy isonabicy- ander through and narrowstreets, andthebestwaytome- isagreatSavannakhet sprawl of boulevards 392 Money plenty of terminals. 12,000 kip; ORIENTATION 1 3 2 SAVANNAKHET From the bus station onthenorthsideofFrom thebusstation OTENLO • SvnahtPoic Province SOUTHERN LAOS••Savannakhet TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING a anahm...... B2 Wat Sainyaphum...... SavannakhetEcotourism Provincial TourismOffice& Banque pourleCommerce Friendship Shop...... Bike HireShop...... Xokxay...... Starlight Restaurant...... Mama's HomeRestaurant...... Lao-Paris Café...... Friendship Bakery...... Au Rendez-Vous...... Xayamungkhun GuestHouse..... Souannavong GuestHouse...... Savanbanhao Hotel...... Savan PhatthanaGuestHouse... Saisouk GuestHouse...... Leena GuestHouse...... Lao RedCross...... Dinosaur Museum...... Telephone Office...... SPS Internet...... Silconet Internet...... Project...... Post Office...... Nang Internet...... Lao DevelopmentBank...... ExtérieurLao...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION h h h 9am-10pm) Broadband connection inacool 9am-10pm) Broadbandconnection AC ( 10am-10pm) Oppositetheplazawith % 9am-10pm) Largeshopwithexcellent ( % ( 212888; Th Khanthabuli; perhr 212888; ThKhanthabuli; % 252066; Th Ratsavongseuk; perhr 252066; ThRatsavongseuk; 213560; Th Ratsavongseuk; per 213560; ThRatsavongseuk; 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 B2 C3 C2 C3 D3 B2 B2 C2 C3 C2 C2 C2 C3 D2 C2 B1 B3 C2 C2 C3 C3 C2 C1 C1

Mekong River B Provincial Museum Market To Savannakhet Night Market Night (100m)

Thailand (10km)

25 He Tha Th

To Bridgeto Th Tha He Tha Th 11 20 19 Th Sutthanu 9 8

Th SiMuang

7 4 Sainyamungkhun Khanthabuli Th

Chinese Post h ( to the immigration office. counters. Youcanalsoexchange moneynext Ecotourism Project Project Ecotourism & Office Tourism Provincial Information Tourist phonecard. callsare availablehere using office. Overseas a h Telephone office Telephone plaza. the noon &1-5pm)Thisissituatedcoupleofblockssouth Post office Bank Lao Development Lao Banque pourleCommerceExtérieur one- to five-day environmentally driven treks toNPAs environmentally driven to five-day one- ofnearbysites. It alsoruns and photos with descriptions & 1.30-4pm)Hashand-drawn mapsoftown,brochures ThRatsaphanith; [email protected];

Temple 23 5 %

Th Ratsaphanith Th

Kuvoravong Th Tatsaphanith Th Plaza Kuvoravong Th 8.30-11.30am & 1.30-3.30pm) 8am-10pm) Thisofficeislocatedbehindthe post Statue

212226; Th Ratsavongseuk; 13

10 Wat Phetsalat Th

Th Chaimeuang Chinese Temple

Th Udomsin 14 15 St Theresa's

Th Kha Luang Catholic ( Church

% Th Saenna Th Th Sainyamungkhun Th 17 3 6 16 24 212205; Th Khantabuli; 212205; ThKhantabuli;

18 22

( Th Ratsavongseuk Th % Vientiane (457km) ( Terminal (1.5km);

% Chao Kim St 2 1 200m 0.1miles 0 0 To Pakse

(229km) Th Mak Haveha Mak Th 212047; Th Khantabuli; 212047; ThKhantabuli; To Bus ( 214203; savannakhet 21

Th Tha Dan

% Th Phagnapui Th

Huay 12

h Savannakhet

212272; ThUdomsin; Longkong 8.30am-4pm) lonelyplanet.com h h D 8am-noon Savannakhet 8am-

Th Sutthanu

To PrivateBus Station (1km) Sisavangvong Th

Airport kip; Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com infected with HIV. workshops andcare in theprovince forthose tières andUnicef,helpsfund AIDS-prevention from thegovernment, Médecins SansFron- coupledwithdonations kip). Moneyraised, massages (25,000 kip) plusvigorousLao-style 9pm) at its base. is colourfullydecorated withasmallshrine turies-old trees; the onebythenortherngate grounds are large andincludea couple of cen- todayisfromthelastcentury.The stands mostofnally builtin1542,although what ern Laos, with an enthusiastic curator. sites. Thisis awell-presented littlemuseum Provincevannakhet ishometofive dinosaur childlike wondermentatprehistoric times.Sa- compound. Medicine in thesouthwestcornerof theSchool of –awoodenbuildingthe curator’shouse Togainaccesstothecollectiontrynakhet. who wasbornonly1kmawayfromSavan- to politicalleaderKaysone Phomvihane, 30 years. There’s alsoadisplaydedicated (one thirdof themchildren) over thelast that hasclaimedthelives of over 10,000Lao and inactive examplesof thedeadlyUXO warrelics,good placetosee artillerypieces admission 5000kip; The ACTIVITIES & SIGHTS English is solid. lady, workshere bothas aguideandinfoofficerher Nang,alovely with aminimumnumberofparticipants. in theregion, whichleaveondifferent daysoftheweek saur Museum Lao Red Cross Lao Red The oldestandlargest monastery insouth- The nostalgia-evoking exhibitsatthe The nostalgia-evoking price. friendly ladywhoseaffections comeata times followedbyanappointmentwitha shops, where abottleofdraughtissome- stumbled ononeofLaos’‘special’beer ormenu,youhave probablyof akitchen beerandthere’s nosignaround drinking rant, butinsidethere are onlymensitting arestau-If anestablishmentlookslike SHOPS BEER

h offers (15,000 traditionalherbalsauna Savannakhet Provincial Museum Provincial Savannakhet 8am-noon & 1-4pm Mon-Fri) 8am-noon &1-4pmMon-Fri) Wat Sainyaphum

( %

h ( 212597; Th Khantabuli; admission1000 212597; ThKhantabuli; % 8-11.30am &1-4pmMon-Sat) 214670; ThPhetsalat;

(Th ThaHe) (Th inspire acertain (Th Khantabuli; Khantabuli; (Th SOUTHERN LAOS •• Savannakhet Province SOUTHERNLAOS••Savannakhet wasorigi-

h 10am- Dino- isa a communalarea tocatch up withalarge TV clean andtheownerwelcoming.There’s also centre, thislarge isspotlessly woodenhouse Th Saenna; r 30,000-50,000 kip) Th Saenna;r30,000-50,000kip) off awidecorridor,are alittlemustyand you’re budget. on a tighter Therooms, if Souannavong isfull,or GuestHouse mains 2000 kip; mains 2000kip; atmosphere togo with it. uplocal food and serving in theevening) of street-side vendors (especiallybytheriver here,places highlighted there are alsodozens of the themajor placesyou’ll visit.Besides authentic feel toits gastronomythansome Western palate, hasamore Savannakhet With onlyafew restaurants catering forthe G N I T A E peaceful bougainvillea-bordered street. with fanandhotwater. Itislocated downa shady spotstoread withvery cleanrooms 60,000-80,000 kip) as far free contraceptives). obsessiveness (extending pride andsanitary with air-con of andfan.There’s asense roomsherehouses, are quiet andshaded 50,000-60,000 kip; agency to which used operate here. The restaurant asisthetour isnowclosed per day,more ifyouwanttoleave thecity. nondescript. Alsohires scooters forUS$8 alittleshabbyand electric hotwater, though 45,000-90,000 kip; full of books second-hand to peruse. phere. Thedownstairs sittingarea hasashelf wood-floored roomswithaninvitingatmos- hasclean Xayamungkhun as aguesthouse, last colonial-erabuildingsstillbeingused savongseuk; r35,000-80,000kip; sinks. without fans andattached cold-water bathrooms resident geckos are Allhave complimentary. locked at 11pm. gatescold-water only.Theguesthouse’s are air-con andprivate bathroom.Showers are on thenews(satellite). Oneroomcomeswith salat; r30,000-50,000kip) o SLEEPING SLEEPING Starlight Restaurant Souannavong GuestHouse Leena GuestHouse Savanbanhao GuestHouse Xayamungkhun GuestHouse Savan Phatthana Saisouk GuestHouse h Fresh accommodationoffering a a

breakfast, lunch&dinner) Hotel ) ) Plentyof rooms,allwith Afew blockssouthof the One of thebetter guest- (

%

( % ( % 213026; Th Sainyamungkhun; 213026; ThSainyamungkhun; 212404; Th Chao Kim; r 212404; ThChaoKim; (Th Semma; Semma; (Th a

212202; ThSaenna;r ( An OKoption %

( ) % Inoneof the 212207; ThPhet- 212426; ThRat- ( Situated in % % 214242; 212600; r

393 LAOS LAOS LAOS from thecentre butwellworththetrek. Mak Haveha;meals5000-15,000kip) Mak and theplace has atmosphere. indifferent butwhocares –thefoodisgood is and Frenchers bothLao food.The service red lanterns andstonefloors. Themenucov- decoratedhaunt isalow-ceilinged with affair road fromtheoldferry terminal, this 25,000 kip; you justhave to ask. news,orwatch afilm– on somecableTV of herkidsonthewalls.Youcancatch up ally inMama’s homereplete withphotos ifit’saftera torch dark.Liter- (flashlight) Follow thesignsfromcanalandbring Try the fried squid…umm! ofa handsomeselection Mekong seafood. steamboat barbequetoWestern, noodles and dazzlingly comprehensive menurangingfrom hasa an attractive colonialbuilding,Starlight 394 Mama’s HomeRestaurant Mama’s Lao-Paris Cafe Lao-Paris most nationalitiesonentry. Phanom runhalfadozenNakhon timesaday. (see fromSavannakhet to Tha Khaek opposite and fordetails),andboatsbetweenTha Khaek A touristbusalsodoes thetripevery otherday. where there are buses toHué(three connecting hours), Danang(sixhours)andHanoi(15hours). Hanoi ifyouwanted BusesgotoDong HainVietnam tovisitVietnam’s (ninehours), from north. ( the Provincial TouristOffice p392 ). Fromtheborder, you’re nearHué, butalongwaysouthof are toDansavanh;bustimesandtickets 3½ hourstotravel availablefrom fromSavannakhet to theDansavanh–LaoBaoborder;this isthemostpopularlandcrossingintoVietnam. Ittakes If you’re headingthroughLaosinahurrytoget toVietnam, youfromSavannakhet 9takes Rte VIETNAM TO GETTING in Thailand, althoughitisrarely usedby Phanom inLaostoNakhon youfromTha southtakes Khaek Another river bordercrossingfurther PhanomTo Nakhon night sleepertrainorVIPbustoBangkok. a free 30-dayvisaonarrivalinThailand. It’salongwaysouthtoUbon,where youcancatcha 8.15am till7pm.The borderisopenfrom9amto4.30pm;travellers are automaticallygranted the ferry toThailand. Public every Busesleave hourfrom Savannakhet’s BusStationtoMukdahan bordernowbuilt,younolongerhave tocatch With thebridgeatSavannakhet–Mukdahan Mukdahan To THAILAND TO GETTING OTENLO • SvnahtPoic Province SOUTHERN LAOS••Savannakhet See p757 forinformationondoingthetripfromThailand toLaos. The borderisopenfrom8.30amto3.30pmdaily,andfree 30-dayThai visasare granted to See p858 forinformationondoingthejourney intheopposite direction. There are frequent s See p756 forinformationondoingthejourneyinreverse direction. h lunch &dinner)

( % 212792; Th Si Muang; meals8000- 212792; ThSiMuang; ǎ Located acrossthe wngth

( Afew blocks % ǎ ew (smallpick-up truckwith twobenchesintheback)andbuses 231592; offTh falang falang

(foreigners). kip; kip; and international dishes. Sadly the service is and international dishes. Sadly theservice arange of Vietnamese Chinese, town, serving ventilated restaurant onthebusiestroadin 10,000-30,000 kip; fudge brownies,cakes and pastries. café hasafinearrayof alchemized chocolate now derelict SantyphabHotel, thisfresh, new 10,000-20,000kip; rants on the plaza. and southof theferry pier,plustherestau- riverside vendors thatare situated bothnorth breakfasts. Western food,and andLao with chiefly Chinese church, thisauthentic littledinerdelivers side of thesquare downfromtheCatholic afew from theTV yards away. lacking duetotheThaimusicchannel blaring Xokxay Rendez-Vous Au Bakery Friendship For a Lao-style dinneronabudget trythe For aLao-style h breakfast, lunch&dinner)

( % h 213122; Th Si Muang; mains20,000213122; ThSiMuang; h

( % breakfast &lunch) breakfast, lunch&dinner)

(Th ThaDan; (Th 213181; Th Ratsavongseuk; meals 213181; ThRatsavongseuk; Tucked atthe lonelyplanet.com % Nexttothe 213026; meals Open, Vetae (US$60). Vientiane .com) Lao Airlines AWAY & THERE GETTING lonelyplanet.com kong are mostof Pakse’s shops guesthouses, of town. Onandbelow Rte 13towards theMe- west. Rte thenorthernedge 13cutsthrough Don tothenorthand south andbythe Se Pakse isbound bytheMekongCentral tothe ORIENTATION dles toSiPhan Don are form. taking white-water raftingtripsandthree-day pad- branch Thanks totheopeningof a coffee-growing region of theBolaven Plateau. waterfalls Tad LoandTad Fan, upin the high and to ancientWatPhu, DonKho, sleepy easy charm andisagreat fordaytrips base haps notthemostphotogenic place,ithasan fresh out of headingnorth.Per- Cambodia lers enroute toSiPhan Donfurthersouthor generally viewedasastepping-stone bytravel- Rteand thecountry’smainhighway, 13.It’s south thankstoitslocationbesidetheMekong Pakse isvery much thetransporthubof the % Pakse House. Guest 6pm) perday10,000kip; 565 8379;ThRatsavongseuk; kip; Shop Friendship per person. Bicyclescanberented fromthe costs5000kip location aroundSavannakhet orjustabout any A túk-túktothebusstation 7.30am. at the Savanbanhao Hotel (US$12,ninehours) ist bustoDongHa inVietnamleaves from hours) departallmorningforPakse. Atour- outskirts of Tha Khaek. onthe heading northgoviathebusstation up thejourneytoVientiane. Allpublicbuses enabling youtostopforafew hours tobreak kip, twotothree hours) departallmorning, s frequent , Khaek Tha For hours) at9.30am. (70,000 kip,sixtoseven VIP express busleaves theprivate busstation north endof townfrom6amuntil6pm.A 10 hours) leave fromthebusterminal atthe GTIG AROUND GETTING Buses to Vientiane (55,000 kip, eight to toVientiane(55,000kip,eight Buses Heading south,regular (US$12,five buses h 031 /pop70,000 , flies twice weekly to Savannakhet from toSavannakhet fliestwiceweekly twodoors northof Xayamungkhun ( 8am-7pm) % 252908; www.greendiscoverylaos.com; Rte 13) 252908; www.greendiscoverylaos.com; Rte

(code QV; ora

( % SOUTHERN LAOS •• Savannakhet Province SOUTHERNLAOS••Savannakhet 213026; Th Si Muang; perday10,000 213026; ThSiMuang; bike hire shop hire bike % 212140; www.laos-airlines ǎ wngth Green Discovery Discovery Green ( % ǎ ew (20,000 213149, 020 h 8am- , have toheadover toThailandandhave your have nojoyhere andyourtimeisshort, you’ll a MasterCard symbolandoften runsoutof The ATM onlyacceptscardswith however, cashadvancesfromMondaytoFriday. does rvl Agencies Travel & 1-5pm) min 200 kip; min 200kip; canoeing trips downto FourThousandIslands. It canalso canoeing trips treks totheBolaven Plateau andthree-day water rafting, discoverylaos.com) Still findingitsfeet here, white- offering Money combination! the perfect sending customerstootheroutlets. if timeiscalculatedmore accuratelythanelsewhere –was Fast expenseperminute–even buttheextra connections, ises tourstotheBolaven PlateauandWatPhuChampasak. 21) AroundthecornerfromSabaidy2Guesthouse. Organ- Lankham Hotel, drinks available. Hotel,drinks Lankham inacoolroomannexed tothe Broadbandconnection kip) Green Discovery Discovery Green Diethelm Travel Post office Post 3.30pm) whileyoupopto stamped, the ATM). leave yourpassportwiththemwithoutgetting explanation toThaipassportcontrolyoucan driver waitwhileyoucrosstheborder(withan ( hefty commission,isat cheques orgetting acashadvance,allfor only optionforexchanging cashandtravellers cash attheweekend. Ifthelatter happens your 3.30pm Mon-Fri) Lao Commerce Exterieur There isone Service Vandersa Internet Internet Lankham @d@m’s Internet Police Hospital Emergency nent Access Internet INFORMATION % the opposite direction. andmarketsouthern busstation are 8kmin takes youtothenorthernbusterminal. The and restaurants. Heading Don westacrossSe Lao Development Bank Lao Development 212120; Rte 13) 212120; Rte ( Exchanges travellers cheques and cash. % ( % ( 212145; Th10) h % 212018; cnrTh10&46) ,

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395 LAOS LAOS LAOS % OuDone Clinic Keo distracted bypressing mobile-phone calls) you’ll have to letthepictures tell the story. exhibits have captionsinEnglish, forothers torical photosandethnologicaldisplays. Some ments thehistoryof theprovince, withhis- 13; admission3000kip; shrine initsgrounds. FaiTham woodendoors andmurals, carved Luang There are 20watsintown,thelargest are ACTIVITIES & SIGHTS Pakse Travel Indochina Tours competitive US$6,leavingat8.30amand11.30am(2½hr). toFourThrousandIslandsfora provide minibustransport 396 Some ofthestaffspeakgoodEnglish. toWatPhu,traveltickets. for advice;organisesvisas,trips 5,Indochinaisagoodplacetohead offRte to themarket tickets north andsoutharangeoftreks. north tickets Hotel, thislittleoutfitcanorganisevisas,forwardtravel 1 3 2 PAKSE PAKSE For a vigorous Lao massage (albeit slightly massage (albeit slightly For avigorousLao The Champasak Historical Heritage Museum Heritage ChampasakHistorical The 251895; Vientiane (659km) Don Kho(15km); Ban Saphai(15km); Northern BusTerminal(7km); To Airport(3km); OTENLO • SvnahtPoic Province SOUTHERN LAOS••Savannakhet INFORMATION Lankham Internet...... (see18) Indochina Tours...... Hospital...... ExtérieurLao...... Banque pourleCommerce Green Discovery...... Diethelm Travel...... Champa ResidenceHotel...... @d@m's Internet...... , featuring ornate concrete pillars and To Champasak 28 13 , which hasasmallBuddhafootprint

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23 Th 38 Th down the track. there of wastalk openinga small kitchen andatthetimeof researchoutdoor seating 10,000-kip túk-túk ride. Thenewish shophas (downhill onthe way home!)bike ride,ora towards Paksong. uphill It’s a 12kmslightly andfollow theroadtoleftbus station coffee. Toget here take Rte 13tothesouthern localwineand Bia(palmbeer), iced tea, Lao theFairthrough Tradenetwork. Tryjams, produceexported toEurope ings andsells 16; 580 0787;Km12Rte island. money fromyouonthenortherntipof the and motleygangof toddlers whomayextort has acoupleof wats,ahandicraftmarket forUS$2.Theislanditselfcatch alongtail paddy takes youtotheportwhere youcan emerald ridepastbuffalo-dotted A pleasant Xaphaiturnon your left.and take theBan out of townfollowingsignsforSavannakhet, easy 30kmdrive southof Pakse, headnorth fore theKm3marker eastalongRte 13. 100mbe- found downaroadoff totheright, For somethingdifferent, For thelanguidfishingislandof 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 16 D2 B1 A2 B2 A1 B1 a un...... A2 Wat Luang...... Sedon RiversideGuestHouse..... Sabaidy 2Guesthouse...... Phonsavanh GuestHouse...... Narin ThachaleunGuestHouse.. Lankham Hotel...... Hotel Salachampa...... Wat ThamFai...... SLEEPING Chinese Temple 0.3miles 0 0500 m

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29 A1 B2 D3 A2 A2 A2 B1 020 , an 13 170,000; unrivalled elsewhere intown.Free mapsare Mr Vong,extends awarmthandhospitality French buildingisatraveller’s rest. Theowner, r40,000-50,000kip) 20,000 kip, o SLEEPING Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Lao Basil Fawlty? Basil Lao theownerremindmended. Does you of a national dishes.Coconut icecream recom- andinter- decentChinese Ketmany serves 30,000 kip; Restaurant Ketmany EATING day. linen every also alovely lounge to sitandread in.Fresh expensive There’s roomsinthemain house. tuous outsidebungalowswithair-con ormore French villasintown,Salachampa hassump- – seriously! offers fineviewsof asouped-upMorrisMinor tion exceptfortheroomingarage, which Nondescriptaccommoda- Thai-style house. of ceilingsinamodern themcoolwithhigh 60,000-80,000 kip; and Baja motorbikes (US$18perday). shops. Alsorents bikes (25,000kipperday) Downstairs isoneoftain. Pakse’s bestnoodle back asyouget adramaticviewof themoun- some withensuite andTV. Tryforoneatthe hemoth isanoldfavourite, roomsare clean, 13; r50,000-80,000kip; ment isalittlesurlythough. some withensuites andhotshowers. Manage- adequate prospectwithsimplefanrooms, 70,000 kip) a strawinitonyourarrival. the ownermayoffer youafree coconutwith withthefriendlinessofcompensates itsstaff; Sedon shout about. Whatitlacksinfinesse, area. Roomsare large withfanbutnothingto views of theriver communal fromasecluded r from40,000kip) but it’stheatmosphere youpayforhere. couldbecomfierandlessitchy with fan.Beds others.to chill and meet Roomsare basic,all Bolaven Plateau. There’s arbour apleasant their mopeds(US$8perday)andexplore the available shouldyoudecidetorent oneof Hotel Salachampa Hotel GuestHouse Thachaleun Narin GuestHouse Phonsavanh GuestHouse Riverside Sedon Lankham Hotel Lankham a Sabaidy 2Guesthouse Tucked downadirtroad,thisisan h ) Oneof theprettiest remnant lunch &dinner) A tranquil setting withgreat Atranquilsetting a

( % ) This placehas12rooms,all

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( % % 212992; Th24;dm 212927; Th21;r 212735; Th10; SOUTHERN LAOS •• Savannakhet Province SOUTHERNLAOS••Savannakhet 5 and10,thisisanauthenticpavement joint Th 11; has several bus and has several and assuch itcan bealittleconfusing. Pakse There are fourdifferent in Pakse busstations Bus &S 8am andtake about11hours. 6.30amand leave between HuaKhong Ban cated. BoatsheadingbacktoPakse usually whereKhong plentyof are guesthouses lo- (1500kip)willtake youaroundtoMuang taxi (1000 kipperperson, 12km)ormotorcycle north tipof Fromthere DonKhong. atúk-túk asmallvillage nearthe HuaKhong, in Ban DonandtheMekong.Se You’llbedropped leaving at8amfromnearthejunctionof the south, US$5comingnorth,sixto10hours), (US$3going viaChampasak to DonKhong runfromPakse Regular localboatservices Boat visa. you’ve comethisfarwithoutaCambodian day andSunday(US$70)are agoodoptionif from Pakse toSiemReaponWednesday,Fri- and fromVientiane(US$100oneway).Flights Lao Airlines r i A AWAY & THERE GETTING moo andWestern foodonoffer.with Lao The Lao. Themenuiskeen toplease a coolBeer with kong rollingbyandsoakupthesunset theMe-From thislavish vantage youcansee restaurant isbothrelaxing anddramatic. 40,000 kip) dishes before youreyes.Street alchemy. andVietnamese cooking upsizzlingLao h may becomingbackafew times. sowelcomingyou cious andtheowner,Deen, wood-fired, envelope-thin nanbread isdeli- southernIndianfare.form withitstasty The no-frills backpacker hauntisconsistently on kip; Sabaidy 2.ThebestcappuccinoinPakse. this popularspotisafive-minute walkfrom Western breakfasts, andThaifood, Italian kip; Pakse Restaurant Cafe Mai Xuan Jasmin Restaurant Jasmin Restaurant

h breakfast, lunch&dinner) Delta Coffee h ispretty tasty.

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( ( % % 212252; www.laos-airlines.com; s Onthecornerof Rtes ǎ fliestoPakse dailyto 212131; Th5;meals20,000- 251002; Rte 13;meals20,000 251002; Rte wngth Beside Nazim’s,this Beside Offering decent Offering ǎ ew terminals. 397 lap

LAOS LAOS LAOS Kriangkai busterminal (akasouthernter- (US$18). mainbusterminal withKVT to Bangkok’s ticket (7pm),orbookathrough to Bangkok tocatchUbon trainstation thenight-sleeper earlier busifyouwanttoensure getting to headed over thebordertoThailand.Take the to Ubon(US$3,2.30pm,3.30pm),forthose angkai busterminal, runsawell-oiledservice (US$2.50, three to five hours). (US$2, three Kham tofourhours) andVoen (US$3,three Nakasang hours),Khong Ban (US$1,twohours),3pm forChampasak Don regularly about7amand bus station between and pick-uptrucksalsoleave thesouthern 8.30am, 10amand11.30am.S (US$2, three tofourhours)Khon at7am, forDonDetand Nakasang and Ban 10am; Tat Lo(US$1.20,twohours) at9am; (US$3,three hours)Don Khong at8amand at 10amandnoon.Otherdepartures include (US$1.30,twohours,buses twodaily)depart 5000 kiptúk-túkrideaway.ToChampasak minal), 8kmsouthof townonRte 13anda 16 to18hours). with amasochistic streak, Vientiane(US$8.50, toninehours)(US$5.50, eight and,forthose (US$3, fourtofive hours, 277km),ThaKhaek 6.30amand4.30pmforSavannakhet tween air-con) hourorsobe- rattlenorthevery 13) theyusuallyalsostopintown. though to10hours,eight evening, 677km)every tion; leaveVIP buses the 398 , agonisingly slow normal buses (without , agonisinglyslownormalbuses For transportsouthandeast,gotothe At the KVT 3rd class only); ensure you book ahead toguarantee3rd classonly);ensure aberth. youbookahead trains aswell,including overnight sleepersat5.55pm (1stclassavailable)and7.15pm(2nd and 1½ hours).Busesleave Ubonregularly (includingovernight) forBangkok,andthere are several town where anothers a s nationalities. Continueabout500mto the endofstall-linedstreet tothebusstationandfind office. building withthegreen attheexchange roof,where you’llbestampedinandcanbuyorsellkip between Talat DaoHeuangandVang Tao regularly. Whenyou arrive walkupthe hilltothe is openfrom6amto5pmdaily.FromPakse, s The crossingatVang Tao isthebusiestinsouthernLaosand (Laos)andChongMek(Thailand) THAILAND TO GETTING % OTENLO • SvnahtPoic Province SOUTHERN LAOS••Savannakhet See p755 thetripinreverse forinformationonmaking direction. Walk throughthebordertoThai immigration,who’llissueyouwithavisa; it’sfree formost ǎ

wngth ( 212228) % northern busterminal northern 212228) ǎ , offRte 13,forVientiane(US$13, ew toPhibun (B30,onehour).ItwilldropyouatChong Mek,asmalllively market ,

which operates outof VIP BusStation ǎ wngth ǎ

ew will soon pick you up for the trip to Ubon Ratchathani (B30,ew willsoonpickyouupforthetrip to UbonRatchathani ( % ǎ (Km 2BusSta- wngth

251508; Rte 251508; Rte

Kri- ǎ ew ǎ wngth coffee is grown. tivation andit’shere thatthedistinctive Lao AlakandKatuLaven, tribeshave revived cul- coffee, rubberandbananashere. Todaythe farmed intensively untiltheFrench planted March also (see opposite ). Thearea wasn’t perform yearly,usuallyonafullmoonin which sacrifice, they forawater buffalo Laos inacircle. Theyarehouses wellknownin Alak andKatu arrange theirpalm-and-thatch Ta-oy,the Alak,Laven, SuayandKatu. The ethnicgroups,including eral Mon-Khmer Theplateauplantations. isacentre forsev- land fortress of forests, rivers, waterfalls and kong valley–abeautifulclaw-shapedhigh- 1500mabove rises Bolaven inLao) theMe- The fertile Bolaven Plateau (Phu Phieng Plateau Bolaven .com; 13) Rte 24) hired from scooters (US$8toUS$10perday)canbe foot. Bicycles(10,000kipperday)and Pakse’s mainattractionsare accessibleon theboxedborder (see text, below ). Talat DaoHeuang (NewMarket) fortheThai the recent boomgives guesthouse thearea a riding andof course swimming.Although This isapopularspotfordaytreks, elephant and villages inhabited bytheKatu andAlak. River arefalls andSeset surroundedbyforests Cool andpeaceful,thebroad10m-high Tadlo TADLO GTIG AROUND GETTING and Regular s ǎ ew (8000 kip, 75minutes) andtaxisrunew (8000kip, Lankham Hotel Lankham . ǎ Sabaidy 2Guesthouse wngth ǎ ew andpick-upsleave ( % 213314; latchan@laotel lonelyplanet.com ( % 212992; Th Most travellers spendtheirtime Activities Lao. distinctly resort-like feel, thenearbylocalvillage isstill Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com the bridge earlytocatch aPakse bus. túk-túk ride) toTadlo. Tadlo, Leaving get to after thebridge, it’sa2kmwalk (ora3000kip (12,000 kip,1½hours). Fromtheturn-offjust They leave at7am,9am,10am,11amand1pm you attheTadlo (justaskforTadlo). turn-off From Pakse, heading forSalavan buses drop Away & There Getting fans. with the cheapest river viewsfromsimplehuts shared bathroom30,000kip) afternoon. the to 30,000kipforameal),ispopularspotin breakfast, lunch anddinner(15,000 serving building bytheriver. restaurant, Theattached a littlegloomy–roomshere, inawooden r 40,000-60,000kip) tion ina neighbouring hut. French-speaking owner hastravel informa- kip) andabookexchange. TheEnglish-and (1000 kip),transporttothemainroad(3000 kip). Tim’s alsooffers water-bottle refills fast, lunch anddinner(meals6000to15,000 break- internet facilities.Therestaurant serves ceiling fans,shared hot-water bathroomsand inTadlo,set-up bungalows, withcomfortable shared bathroom25,000kip) Tim’s GuestHouse&Restaurant Eating & Sleeping per hourtocycle local villages. hours. Tim’s alsohires outbikes for8000kip forest andstreams, costing50,000kipfor1½ organise Restaurant Both Tadlo Lodge andTim’s & GuestHouse For more informationandmapsaskatTim’s. Guided treks at30,000kipperperson. start tosurroundingvillagestaurant andwaterfalls. a popularlocal fishing spot. swimmingholeandisalso along, hasadeep waterfalls. Tadhang, afew hundred metres ing withthesoundsof tumbling constantly in thesurroundingforest, andgenerally relax- around Tadlo and Tadhang, reading, walking with aguidefromTim’s &Res- GuestHouse est eitheronyourown(sticktothetrack)or Saylomyen GuestHouse&Restaurant Sephaseuth Other activitiesinclude

Guest House There are five clean–although elephant rides Thisisbyfarthebest This guesthouse offersThis guesthouse (020 2275542;rwith trekking

( % SOUTHERN LAOS •• Savannakhet Province SOUTHERNLAOS••Savannakhet 214176; rwith through the through inthefor- ( swimming %

214185; temple sanctuary itself, which once enclosed a which once enclosed temple itself, sanctuary isthe for ritual ablutions. Theupper section used splitin twobyacauseway, pond, itself ace buildingsat the edge of alarge square pears tobevery slow. earmarked forrestoration, butprogress ap- take inthevalleybelow.Thewholesite is your calves abitsotake abreak halfwayand whichby asteepstonestairway, will stretch vided intolowerandupperparts isjoined sites in andwellworthvisiting.It’sdi- Laos is oneof themostimpressive archaeological leagueas not beinginthesame Angkor Wat, pasak theMekongOverlooking valley, SIGHTS wider theriver thestronger itgets. cool green water, butmindthecurrents; the locals. There’s abeach forswimminginthe faced islandof paddyfields andhorizontal your bike forablissfultriparoundthehappy- man topickyouupafter twohours andtake (3000 kipreturn) sorewarding. Ask yourboat- which iswhatmakes theshortferry triphere norrestaurantneither guesthouse tobefound, terly unblemished bythetouristtrail.There’s island of entertainment. alladdtothe comedy shows andcockfights and olddancetogether; andThaiboxing, play traditionalandmodernmusic;young prayingandleavingpasak, offerings; bands their wayupandaroundWatPhu Cham- festival (usuallyFebruary) worshippers wind Champasak Phu pilgrims fromnearandfaramassfor found nearthefountain. areWat Phu Guesthouses Champasak. mainly the ferry wharfand,attheotherendof town, and aserene atmosphere. Activitycentres on great viewsof theMekong’s riverside beaches on adaytripfromPakse. boasts Champasak theruins tosee somechoose ruins, although forvisitingthe thetownasabase visitors use side locationof WatPhu Most Champasak. and makes itswaytothedramaticmountain- road runsparalleltotheriver thenturnsinland isnowalazyone-streetsak town.Themain kingdom, ofOnce thecapital aLao Champa- % Champasak This town cranks it up every yearwhen This towncranksitupevery The lowerpartconsists of tworuinedpal- If you’ve gottime,visitthenearbyfishing 031

(admission 30,000kip; Don Daeng . Duringthisthree-day Buddhist ; secluded, sleepy andut- sleepy ; secluded,

h 8am-4.30pm) Wat Phu Cham- Wat Phu , while Bun Wat

399 LAOS LAOS LAOS buses or pick-uptrucks buses heading south. There, youcanflag downoneof theregular foodanddrink). sell small road-sidestalls onthemain roadwheresection acoupleof 30(aninter- Lak (3000kip)toBan cle taxi other sidehoponas Mekong Muang(2000kip).Onthe toBan Phaphin (2km northof over Champasak) the by road,catch amorningferry fromBan (onDonKhong) Det) orMuangKhong hours). two leave 7amand3pm(10,000kip, between From Pakse, regular ands buses AWAY & THERE GETTING bathrooms. shared havein town.Roomsthemainhouse the cleanest,mostmodernbudget rooms place, justsouthof theroundabout,has 20,000 kip) but cheap andpopular,with good food. Gloomyandcould-be-cleaner fountain. rooms, 248; r15,000kip) changes before nightfall. watch theriver adozencolour slidethrough views over and theMekong. Lao CrackaBeer foodwithfantastic upgood Lao area serving plain roomsandasmallbutsocialrestaurant A popularandfriendlyplaceontheriver with which have bedrooms with fans. strungalongitsmainroad,mostofhouses hasanumberofChampasak goodguest- EATING & SLEEPING ance of thisspirit. asamediumfortheappear- man whoserves blood of isoffered thebuffalo toalocalsha- Chao Tengkham, isperformedeach year. The rifice totherulingearthspiritforChampasak, February each sac- yeararitualwater buffalo of theMekong valleybelow. views spectacular The upperplatformaffords it!). The enigmatic crocodilestone(ifyoucanlocate tuary you’llfindtheelephantstoneand lintels. Justnorthof theShiva-lingam sanc- but originalHindusculpture remains inthe tuary wasconverted intoaBuddhisttemple, large Shiva phallus.Sometimelater thesanc- 400 ary islinedwith Vong Phaseud GuestHouse Vong Phaseud To get south to Ban Nakasang (forDon Nakasang To get southtoBan Guest House Khampoui Dokchampa GuestHouse&Restaurant As in wellasBunWatPhu Chamapasak, OTENLO • SvnahtPoic Province SOUTHERN LAOS••Savannakhet It’snotontheriver, butthisnew naga Onthesouthwestcornerof the stairway leadingtothesanctu- stairway dok jampa ǎ wngth

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to spendacoupleof days.Alittlemore isafriendly,easy-going placeKhong kilometresEighteen long,8kmwide, Don waterfalls. ern tipof plustwoimpressive DonKhon, atthesouth- which cansometimesbeseen is alsohometotherare Irrawaddydolphins, fro pastbathingwater buffalo. SiPhan Don of fromthemainlandglidetoand longtails and children in theriver, andasteady flow In themorningwomenwashtheirclothes palm-studded islandsare withfireflies. alight thelush, boats, whileduringthewetseason the river’s dotted of withthelights fishing tion ifyou’ve madeitthisfarsouth.Atnight of theMekong River, isarewarding destina- rocky islets,amidsttheteal-green expanse Si Phan Don,anarchipelago of sandbars and Islands) % Thousand (Four Don Phan Si there andbackforaround 30,000 kip. Atúk-túkwilltakePhu you Champasak. 10,000 kipperdayforthe8kmridetoWat Bicycles canberented for fromguesthouses AROUND GETTING 6.30am and 8am. ands eral buses and French). The thavy and DrSoubanhspeak goodEnglish a littlefurthersouth of thebank(DrBoun- island. Formedical problems,thehospital no credit cardadvancesavailable ontheis- prepared withkipfromPakse asthere are to comecommission andpoorrates. Better lars, kipandbaht–nosterling) fora high exchanges travellers cheques andcash(dol- cultural PromotionBank of townsquare theMuangKhong the One roadbackfromtheriver, 400msouth Information there’s little todohere but relax. ostriches), (one traveller seen she’deven said paddy fieldsandafew temples tocyclepast very decentfood.Whileinlandthere are from which togazeattheriver andeatsome bynight as wellastriplitbyfairylights some beautiful,aged villashere, Indochinese thanks to10years of electricity,you’llfind switched on thanitsneighbouring islands, DN KHONG DON For Pakse (15,000kip,twohours), sev- 031 Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ǎ wngth telephone office telephone (

h ǎ ew depart between ew departbetween 8.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri) ( h

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lonelyplanet.com SI PHANDON(FOURTHOUSANDISLANDS) Khamao Note: Islandsizesvarywith river height Ban Pakse Don Het CAMBODIA Don Don Koi SOUTHERNLAOS••SiPhanDon(FourThousandIslands) Hinyai Don Long Don Muang Saen Khao Kaew Wat Phu Airfield Ban Hua Phuman Khong Don Khong Ban Dong Tham PhuKiaw Don Ban XiengWang BanNaa Muang Khong Hat Ban Huay Ban Hang Ban Khong Loppadi Don Khong Laem Ban Hua Ban Hat Don San Ban Nalan Nokhok Hat Xai Tat Somphamit Ban HuayHai Khun Xang Ban Don Som Don Pakse To Bridge Don Det Wat KhonTai Ban Phonsa-at Ban HangKhon Ban Khinak Boat Landing Ban KhonTai (Dolphin Spotting) BanKhon 4miles 6km 0 0 Ban Nasenphan 13 To Pakse (120km) 13 Ban Nakasang Khon Don Don Tao Phapheng Sadam Don Khone To Cambodia(5km); Voen Kham(5km) To Cambodia Ban Thakho (30km)

401 LAOS LAOS LAOS rooms here are musty,but alittlepoky,tad kip) and kip) hasCanadian food. Lao lunch anddinner(mealsfrom5000to35,000 The attached restaurant, openforbreakfast, threaded withcoconutpalmsandbutterflies. riverside views.There’s alsoanicecourtyard aremain house basicwithwoodenfloors and location mayappealtoyou.Theroomsinthe more boat landing,thisguesthouse’s secluded kip; bathrooms. cold-water kip. Paint-parched, smallroomscomewith dinner, andmealscostfrom7000to15,000 Asian menu.It’sopenforbreakfast, lunch and this isagooddiningoptionwithmixed outdoor deckingoverlooking theMekong, r 30,000kip) a few goodoptions. finding abedshouldn’t beaproblem. Here are season, inthehigh not particularlybusyeven decent collectionof andasit’s guesthouses hasa less atmosphericforthat.Don Khong more upscalethanitssister islands,butno theislandiscertainly Accommodation-wise, Eating & Sleeping ( boat tickets, toTomat talk net, travel andbus information,visas the worldwidewebtoisland.Forinter- 100m northof brought Pon’sGuest House, Alpha Internet justsouthofHouse, the bridge. In2005 Mon-Fri) landing. The & 2-4pmMon-Fri) 402 % Phoukhong Guesthouse&Restaurant Phoukhong Souk SabayGuestHouse Guesthouse Mekong posite run toStungTreng, thenearest maintown. bargaining power. Fees tend tobealotloweronthe Cambodian sideandoncethere vehicles isnotanofficialcrossingyou don’treallyhaggle thisdown,butsinceVoenKham have much for anythinguptoUS$5in‘administration fees’ bytheguards. alotofpatienceto Itmaytake beasked Kralorborder(open8amto5pm),you’llalmostcertainly Once attheVoenKham–Dom CAMBODIA TO GETTING than waitingforone fromVientiane. in Cambodia. Manychoose toflySiemReapfromPakse where avisaisissuedonarrivalrather You needavisabefore fromthedayofissue,not thedayyouarrive youarrive andthesestart a Secreted downadirtlanenexttoPon’s, 030-5345262) OTENLO • SvnahtPoic Province SOUTHERN LAOS••Savannakhet Heading from Laos, guesthouses in Si Phan Don can arrange transport totheborder(seeop- Heading fromLaos,guesthousesinSi Phan Doncanarrangetransport See p115 ) is next door to Done Khong Guest isnextdoortoDoneKhong Bytheriver about 500msouthof the opposite fordetails).There are also busesfromPakse (US$2.50,three to VoenKham tofive hours). Next doortoPon’swithasimilar forinformation ondoingthe tripintheopposite direction.

isdirectly westof theboat opposite Hotel.Souksan post office (per min1000kip;

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( 213668; r30,000-40,000 h 214122; r50,000-100,000 8am-noon &2-4pm Lane Xang Travel Lane Xang

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mse potatoes. mashed homesick,afullroastdinnerwith seriously teak mansiononeblockbackfromtheboat can’t dobetter thanthisexcellent,well-run rooms. There are irresistible lounging areas floorboards plusattached cold-water bath- landing. Allroomshave smoothold-wood a fish. Mekong 8000and25,000kip.Trythegrilled between breakfast, lunch anddinner,mealscost excellentnoodledishes.It’sopenfor serves save US$9.Thedownstairs yourself restaurant rooms withensuites. Optforfanonlyand boasting fresh, immaculately house-proud r 50,000-150,000kip; dinner) 19,000 to53,000kip;openbreakfast, lunch & (meals looking theriver, Restaurant Souksan Opposite theothersideof thehotel, over- XangTraveland runsLane over theroad. knowing about travel toandfromtheisland worth The owner,Tom,knowseverything of sturdybungalowswith fan andensuite. 50,000-150,000 kip) owner, MrPon,canorganise dolphin-spotting lamps, allroomshave air-con. Thefriendly overhanging mossienetsandornate bedside Phoukong. Redolentof oldIndochina withits kip; A real sanctuary. ers andrustypushbikes are available forhire. inside andontheundercover veranda. Scoot- to rent atUS$1 per day. at 30,000kipwithoutatoilet.There are bikes have cool-tiledfloors. There’s alsooneroom Pon’s GuestHouse Khong Khan Villa GuestHouse Done Khong Souksan Guesthouse&Restaurant ) a Foratouch eleganceyou of affordable ) Charmingaccommodationnextto

serves good Chinese foodor,forthe goodChinese serves Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Thisisanupmarket complex a ( Cool,waterfront colossus ) %

( % 213539; r 60,000-70,000 kip; 213539; r60,000-70,000kip;

214037; r70,000-100,000 & Restaurant & Restaurant

( % ( % 212071; r 214010; light. Orderaheadforthemouthwateringlight. Mekong andthefishspecialitiesare ahigh- to 20,000kip),isondeckingoverlooking the breakfast lunch anddinner(meals8000 serves Therestaurant,day tripstoDonKhon. which lonelyplanet.com islands in 2008which willunavoidably im- for exploring by day. modation options, it’salsothebetter island value formoney in terms of qualityaccom- isbetter Don Khon want anearlynight). scene (avoid themainbungalowsstrip ifyou cycling. Don Dethasthebigger backpacker which make themidealforwalkingand and are traversed bynarrow shady paths, (the onlylinetheFrench laidinLaos) ever islands are connected byarailwaybridge trade ontheiridescentwaterways. Thetwo charm, villagers assarong-clad plytheir have managed toretain theirbeautyand steamy islands16kmsouthof Don Khong in anoversaturation of these guesthouses, Despite a major tourismboom resulting where thecar ferry departs. Huay,from andBan toMuangKhong Khong ortúk-túksrunirregularlytaxis Hua fromBan motorcycle cycles forUS$10perday.Buses, hasmotor-Alpha Internet. Khong VillaKhan alongtheriverfrom guesthouses road orfrom Bicycles canberented for15,000kipperday Around Getting skills). near thebridge toemployyour (you’llneed one way)ornegotiate withtheboatdrivers 40,000kip dolphins (tryPon’sGuestHouse, theIrrawaddy ing peopleonadaytriptosee transport totheborderfor 50,000 kip. Alternatively, arranges Pon’sGuestHouse bodia, thebusleaves at10am(180,000kip). (180,000 kip),whileforStungTreng , inCam- (50,000 kip).ForUboncatch the11.45ambus three hours), stoppingenroute atChampasak ataround11.45am(70,000kip, Xai Khun your minibus.ToPakse, thebusleaves Hat ing aboatfirst toHat topickup XaiKhun the islandtowherever togo,catch- youneed canorganise yourreturnGuest House from XangTravel, Pon’sandDoneKhong Lane Away & There Getting pai DN E & O KHON DON & DET DON Electricity is supposed to arriveElectricity issupposed on the For DonDet,organise arideonboattak- (steamed fish). SOUTHERN LAOS •• Savannakhet Province SOUTHERNLAOS••Savannakhet mak viewing area istojoinanorganised half- bridge thenfollowthe roadsouthwest for Somphamit south about1km along), orthedramatic northwest fromthe railwaybridge thenturn on theeastern edge of (head theDonKhon can alsovisittheFrench-built pier atthesouthernendof You DonKhon. walk home)takes youtoaFrench loading shocked ifyou get apuncture andhave to railway line Thedefunct crossing DonDetandKhon. the dirtpathwayscircumnavigating andcriss- walk from there theboxed see text, p404 ). Hang andasktheboatmantotake you Khon ternatively, walkorridetothebeach atBan Ngay (around25,000kipperperson). Al- Others charter aboatfromthepieratKong one of Blvd. thewhiteboards alongSunrise day trip(foraround50,000kip);sign-upon them appear within minutes. get wesaw luckyandviewthemup-close; either earlyorlate intheday.Somepeople isinthedryseason, cetaceans beak-nosed unusualThe bestchance these of seeing vironments you’ve place. cometotheright If youlike dolphin- Activities watching innaturalen- & Sights Speak to Mr Boun. thedolphins. andtours tosee wet season) tubing, kayaking,white-water rafting(inthe offers rate thesame plustravel information, around 100msouthdownthemainpath, Bungalows. per minandcanbefoundnearSouksan 584 1290) ifyoucan). your stay youthrough here moneytosee withenough commission (inotherwordscome and high lers cheques withpassportIDforapoorrate Souksan ontheisland. guesthouses several It’s possible tochange USdollars cashat Information idea. business barisagreatfeet ifanyonethinksaTV answer toVang Viengbyvotingwithyour tect theislands frombecomingthesouth’s enjoy atpresent; youcanhelppro- however, pact on the escapist, candlelit evenings you pact ontheescapist,candlelitevenings isto Another must-do-if-you’re-motivated, The easiestwaytoget bar tothesand orhire a

offers quickconnectionfor600kip ( % waterfalls (gounder therailway (alittlerockyonabike: don’tbe 020 2270414) Happy IslandInternet bicycle forthedayandexplore alsoexchanges travel- Khieo Internet Khieo concrete channels concrete

( % Bungalow 5494928)

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LAOS LAOS LAOS around theislands,eitherorganised for dne on. dinner also anice sundeckfestooned inflags,toeat looking forarelaxed environment.There’s keen toextend awelcome toanygaypeople commodation. The owner’svery friendlyand dition offering ac- spruceandcomfortable Det; r10,000-20,000kip) on naturalventilation to keep cool. and get onewithtwowindowssoyou canrely hammock (paramountforchilling). Also,try galow, make sure ithasamosquitonetand ultra basic resorts. aresuites asstandard, lookingtooustthe commodation, manyfeaturing fansanden newandfreshthe bridge onDonKhon, ac- south you’llfindsomesuperiorplaces.Over much of amuchness; byheading however, restaurants, which are andself-styled houses there’s an alleywithadozencabanaguest- price. NeartheboatlandingonDonDhet, two islandsvaryconsiderably inqualityand opportunitiesontheThe myriadsleeping Eating & Sleeping pass the day. tip of DonDetisanotherpopularwayto in atubebythesmallbeach atthenorthern for hire atanumberof Lazing guesthouses. Tubesareyou, ordo-it-yourself. available ary of dolphin-viewing day trips. and thefallsare often includedontheitiner- tovisit.Entryis10,000kip boast-worthy sight volume) inSoutheastAsia andistherefore a Somphamit, itisconsidered thelargest (by Phapheng per daytocross the bridge. around 2km).There’s acharge of 10,000kip 404 Tubing Admirers of waterfalls willlike River Garden GuestHouse Garden River If youdooptforastilted thatched bun- their othernemesis,isnolongeraroundtothrowgrenades inthewater. Rouge, awayfromtheirhabitatasmuchpossible. theKhmer fishing ispracticed Fortunately a dozen leftinthesewaters. toensure gill-net efforts Localfishermenandthe WWFare making Should youbeluckyenoughtoseetheseshycreatures consideritaprivilege;there’s lessthan themoneyalone. rockywaterway isworth two ofyou.The longtailtripthroughtheunearthly, and you’llfindafew boatmen.Tryandhagglethe pricedowntoUS$4perpersonifthere’s (admissionUS$1),thenfollowtheroadtolittlebeachofBanHangKhon bridge toDonKhon do ityourself. HireatSouksanHotel abike (US$1),meanderdownthepathover theoldFrench While toseetheIrrawaddydolphinsbyatouroperatorit’scheaper toyou canpaytobetaken DOLPHIN DIY OTENLO • SvnahtPoic Province SOUTHERN LAOS••Savannakhet and . Although lessdramaticthanTat. Although kayaking Recent sunrise-facing ad- are bothpossible

( % 030-5274785; Don Khone den towatch river-life go by. strung verandas. inapretty Allset littlegar- sturdy (vertical!) bungalowswithhammock- & Papas. Roomsare basicwithtwowindows erside digshassturdiercabanasthanMamas rant a decentstockof old books. randas. Nicerestaurant facingtheriver, plus for decentventilation, plushammocksonve- 7502; DonDet;r22,000-25,000kip) bathroom. attached cabanas –Rooms3and4are newwith French bridge this idyllicspotfeatures eight bathroom 20,000/50,000kip) competition butstill good value. breeze nicely.Losinggroundnowtothenew toiletandfanbutitcatchesattached theriver Don Det;r10,000-20,000kip) 233 7112;Don Det) and uses purified water. foodand a range of Chinese cocktails serves and speaksEnglish. restaurant Theattached once shedecideslikes you,isvery nice rooms initsflower-proud garden.Theowner, minimalist bungalowswithoutattached bath- ern tipof offers theisland,Souksan pristine, with shared bathroom60,000-120,000kip) menu withgreat shakes to boot. restaurant offers amixed ThaiandWestern head andshoulders over thecompetition.The fans andlovely cleanverandas. Definitely (avoiding themorningmicrowave have effect) finished bathroomsandsouth-facing rooms new riverside bungalows,withtheirtastefully r50,000kip) DonKhon; [email protected]; Miss Noy’s Guesthouse& Restaurant Miss Bungalow Souksan o Bungalows&Restaurant Mr Tho’s Restau- Santiphab GuestHouse&Mekong &Papas GuestHouse Mamas Bounphan GuestHouse

( % 030 5346233; Pan’s GuestHouse Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com The still dazzling Miss Noyis

( Don Det;rwithshared/private % Overlooking theold Overlooking Has cabanaswithout

(Don Det; r 40,000 kip) (Don Det;r40,000kip) 030-5345154; DonDet;s/d This popularriv-

( ( % Onthenorth- %

020 2274293; 030-5346939; ( %

( 020 656 % These These Has Has 020 mains 10,000-30,000 kip) mains 10,000-30,000kip) Lao moment as the sun sets over momentasthesunsets themossy Lao 15,000 kip) 15,000 kip) clude localgrilledfish withgarlicinan side.bridge Specialitiesin- DonKhon rooms, allenjoying westerly views. new,well-appointedblossomed witheight read gardenshould have thisherdelightful iscurrently Bythetimeyouhouse closed. building newaccommodationsoherguest- lonelyplanet.com north and farsouth,where it’sstill possible baht. kip andmanyalso acceptpaymentinThai usually advertise rates ineitherUSdollars or last few years, ashave prices. Guesthouses inthe of hasrisen The standard guesthouses oravillage option. homestay a guesthouse where thesmallesttownwillhave even Laos, There’s noshortage of accommodation in ACCOMMODATION DIRECTORY LAOS and of aseat some legroom. earlytobesure Nakasang get acrosstoBan so prepare to negotiate. a boattogofurtheraroundDonKhon, fewer tripsare beingmade,it’shardertoget fewer passengers). Whentheriver islowand more ifit’slate in the dayorifyouhave it’s a15,000kiptriptoDonDet(slightly four tofive hours). Fromtheboatlanding houruntil1.30pm(40,000kip, every Khon, jumping off pointforDonDetand the the southernmarket Nakasang, toBan From Pakse, ands buses Around & There Getting repellent! mossie fishermen driftbyinpirogues.Bringsome menu. Enjoythelocalcatch whilstwatching dash of élancombinedwithanearthylocal river. it’sdecked andhasa Bynight inlights leaningintothe you’llfindBamboo House, kip) setting. atmospheric array of fruit shakes. menuwithan work. DecentauthenticLao toriver fishermenset isletsandthenight Accommodation ischeapest inthe rural ands For buses Bamboo Restaurant Chanthounma’s Restaurant Seng AhlouneRestaurant Seng AlittlefurtheralongpastPan’s Guest A shadedlittlecafénorthof the LAOS DIRECTORY ••Accommodation LAOSDIRECTORY ǎ Ambient spot for a Beer Ambient spotforaBeer wngth

(Don Khon; mains20,000-30,000 (Don Khon;

( % ǎ ǎ ew backtoPakse, wngth (Don Khon; mains (DonKhon; 5345807; Don Khon; 5345807; DonKhon; ǎ ew leave the country’s adventure tour companiesare travel and someof hastaken root inLaos trekker’s dream. Fortunately, responsible endlessareas ofLaos’ wildernessare a Trekking in yourhomecountrytofind out more. expeditions inSoutheastAsia. clubs Contact rienced rockclimbers alsoorganise climbing aroundVangin thekarst cliffs Vieng. Expe- Discovery alsorunby climbing operationinLaos, Currently there is onlyoneorganised rock- Climbing Rock first stop for advice. ing outfitinthecountryandshould beyour is themostprofessional kayakingandraft- ment. pletely confidentinyourguidesandequip- unlessyouareduring thewetseason com- lated andyou shouldnotgooutonrapids the industryremains dangerously unregu- less challenging, waterways. Unfortunately, rapids, aswelllotsof beautiful, although world-class hasseveral here off andLaos Kayaking andwhite-water Rafting rafting have taken & Kayaking p371). (see Prabang from LuangNamThasee motorcyclist. Mountain-bike tours are run yourday-packtoapassingyou couldlose ifthe opportunitypresents itselfLaos, While theftisn’taparticularproblem in bag inyourbasket whenridingintown. rental totieyour shops.Note thatitiswise main townsallhave bicycle- a bus.Laos’ north gets toomuch, youcanflagdown inthetrip, andifcyclingupmountains ifyou’re onalong-distancecycle intoLaos for cyclists.It’seasytobringyourownbi- relativelyLaos’ peacefulroadsare ahaven Cycling ACTIVITIES with private bathroom. noted,Unless pricesare otherwise forrooms kip foraroomwithbathroomorair-con. with shared bathroomandaround80,000 expect topay50,000kipforabudget room PakseSavannakhet, andLuangNamTha, larger townslike Vientiane,LuangPrabang, like MuangNgoiNeuaandSiPhan Don.In to findaUS$2bungalowinbackpacker spots Green Discovery Discovery Green

( % 023-511440; www.greendiscoverylaos.com) (www.greendiscoverylaos.com) p386 ) and and p386 ) Luang 405 Green Green

LAOS LAOS LAOS introduction to the Lao language. introduction totheLao hottest, peakingat around38°CinMarch and lowlands of theMekong River valleyare the becomes almosttoo hotforthelocals.The hottest isMarch to May, whenSouthern Laos time of year isNovember toJanuary andthe wet andNovember toAprilisdry.Thecoolest May hastwodistinct seasons: toOctoberis Laos CLIMATE open until around midnight. by10pm andbars typicallyclose stay taurants hours andare often openonweekends. Res- to 4pmMondayFriday.Shops have longer hoursFriday. Banking are generally 8.30am 8am tonoonand1pm4pm,Monday Government offices are typicallyopenfrom HOURS BUSINESS War. Secret who flewjunglesortiesover duringthe Laos the brave, lunaticCIA-hired somesay pilots bins, isacompellingjourneyintothelives of the Secret Warof Laos, airports, in Bangkok’s Harder often totrackdownthough available lenge of solvingthemystery of hisdemise. by thePathet andtakes upthechal- Lao, before hewas removed fromtheroyalpalace into thelastdaysof KingSavang Vatthana Kremmer, presents a fascinating insight Kings: InSearch of Laos, outsider’s perspective. froman intoLaos experiences andinsights Brett Dakinshares hissometimesvery funny a lookat Planet alsopublishes the forextended Lonely travelyou’ll need inLaos. Planet’s Lonely BOOKS and SiPhan Don popular runners-up. oftal thecountry , withMuangNgoiNeua down ariver. Vang Viengisthetubingcapi- enormous tractortubeinnerandfloating simply involves yourself intoan inserting phenomenon,‘ Something of aLao tubing’ Tubing , Khiaw Nong Tha, Luang Prabang andthe Nam Bolaven Plateau Luang are trekking . dustry there. Themostpopularareas for on Thailand’shilltribesbythetourismin- keen toavoid repeating thedamage wreaked 406 For some light predepartureFor somelight reading have ASDRCOY • ok ••Books LAOS DIRECTORY Another Quiet American, Laos hasalltheinformation Stalking the Elephant The Ravens: Pilots of by ChristopherRob- Lao Phrasebook byChristopher where , an dangers aroundthecountry,however. Forthe most Western countries.There are significant are orassaulted assed much lowerthanin your chances of beingrobbed, mugged, har- exercise ordinaryprecautions but atnight, Urban isgenerally safe. Laos Youshouldstill ANNOYANCES & DANGERS apply. pornography usual prohibitions ondrugs,weaponsand 1L of distilledspirits.Ofcourse, allthe country withmore than500cigarettes or luggage. You’re toenter the notsupposed ing inmore thanamoderate amountof are very laxaslongyou’re notbring- Customs inspectionsatportsof entry CUSTOMS 2000mm. to getentiane andSavannakhet from1500mm less thanhalfthatamountof rainandVi- receiveLuang Prabang and XiengKhuang peaks get more than3000mmof rainayear. where theAnnamiteern Laos, mountain hazard. Never walk off hazard. Never paths.well-used Salavan UXOis a and Savannakhet, Khuang, while –travelling in Laos. abreast of thepoliticalsituationbefore –and the current administration,sobesure tostay exactly happilyandpeacefullygoverned by fected isnot tourists,thepopulationof Laos incidents of civilunrest serious thathave af- locals alike. While there have norecent been considerableanxietyfortravellerscaused and onpublictransport insouthernLaos attacks Phan province, bombingsinVientianeand Ambushes inandaroundSamNeuaHua carried bysome bus drivers. little Hmongactivityandgunsare againbeing Phonsavan, isrumoured tobesmartingwitha and the moment.RtePhu Khun 7,between pacificat itseems ’75 revolution, though Vang ViengandLuangPrabang sincethe ment travel advisorieson the internet. latest check travel govern- warningsforLaos, and even in the hot season itcan inthehotseason and even be pleasant. temperaturesnight-time candroptofreezing of andSamNeua,coolseason XiengKhuang Upinthemountains 15°C inthecoolseason. April anddroppingtoaminimumof around In theeastern provinces, particularly Xieng situationdeteriorated.In 2003thesecurity Shootings have plaguedRte 13between See theclimate charts, charts,See p916 . The wettest area of thecountryissouth- lonelyplanet.com Keg Vientiane) Kheng, Vientiane) 3226, CameliaHotel,154EastDongFeng Rd, 650041) Beijing 100600); ku, Tokyo) ku, 2A, Bismarckallee 14193 Berlin) Vientiane) Luang, Km 2,Ban Phonxay, Vientiane) Vientiane) Phonxay, AT 2606) ACT Ban Kheng, Phonsaat, Vientiane) Salakokthan, Vientiane) Stockholm) Vientiane) p1 o oe details. more for p411 embassyorconsulate. See theLao through Laos inyourhomecountry canbeobtained Visas in Consulates & Embassies CONSULATES & EMBASSIES lonelyplanet.com BE according to the Lao Buddhistcalendar.BE according totheLao soAD2006 is2644 lates yearoneas638 BC, BuddhistEra(BE) calendar calcu- The Lao EVENTS & FESTIVALS USA Sweden Japan Germany China Australia Abroad Consulates & Embassies Lao Vietnam USA UK Thailand Singapore Philippines Myanmar Malaysia Indonesia Germany France China Cambodia Australia 20008) Vientiane) Luang, Wat Nak, Vientiane) Vientiane Vientiane) 716 Paris) 75116 Vientiane) Sisaket, ( ( (Map pp352-3 ; % % (Map pp352-3 ; ( Beijing ( (Map p356 ; % (Map (Map pp352-3 ; 021-413610; ThNehru,BanPhonxay,Vientiane) % (

202-332 6416;2222SStNW,Washington, DC

(Map (Map pp352-3 ; ( (Map pp352-3 ; Pakse ( (Map pp352-3 ; % Mp pp352-3; (Map (Map (Map pp352-3 ; (Map (Map pp352-3 ; (Map (Map pp352-3 ; (Map (Map pp352-3 ; % % 03-5411 2291; 3-3-21 Nishi Azabu, 03-5411 2291;3-3-21NishiAzabu, Minato- (Map (Map pp352-3 ; ( 01-45 53 02 98; 74 av Raymond Poincaré, 01-45 530298;74avRaymond % 08-668 5122;Hornsgaten82-B1TR 11721, 02-6286 4595; 1 Dalman Cres, O’Malley, 02-6286 4595;1DalmanCres, O’Malley, Mp p396; (Map 030-890 60647; hong@laos/botschaft.de; 030-890 60647;hong@laos/botschaft.de; Kunming 01-532 1224;11SanlitunDongsieJie, % % LAOS DIRECTORY ••Embassies&Consulates LAOSDIRECTORY % % 021-215253; Th Setthathirat, Ban 021-215253; ThSetthathirat, 021-212581; Th Bartholomie, ( % % % % % 021-315105; ThWatNak,Ban % % % % % 413400; Th That Luang) % 021-214582; ThPhon 021-414203; ThThat Luang, 021-413610; ThNehru,Ban 021-312111; ThSokPa 0871-317 6623;Room 021-314991; ThSokPa 021-413900; ThPhon 021-314952; ThThaDeua 021-412477; ThNong Bon, 031-212058; Th24); 021-315179; Th A p r i l l i r p A usually closefor three days. businesses andVietnamese-run Chinese temples. Chinese- deafening nonstopfireworks andvisitstoVietnamese withparties, in Vientiane,Pakse andSavannakhet end of the three-month rainsretreat. end ofthethree-month te country. the in thecandlelitcircumambulationofwatsthroughout markthefestival,Chanting andofferings culminating summons.monks whocametohearhimwithoutprior orates aspeechgivenbyBuddhato1250enlightened on thefullmoonofthirdlunarmonth.Itcommem- and enlightenment considered thedayofBuddha’sbirth, thisis lunarmonth(usuallyinMay), 15th dayofthesixth M a y y a M get very, very wet. lots ofbeeranddowseoneanotherwithwater. to Expect tothestreets, drink whitened withtalcumpowder,take water. Laterthecitizens,theirhairdyedred, theirfaces and buddhaimagesare washed withspeciallypurified celebrates. Housesare cleaned,people putonnewclothes theentire countrycomestoahaltand and practically (the 15th,16thand17thare officialpublicholidays) Savannakhet. such asVientiane,Luang Prabang on theMekong, and Awk Phansaa. Boatracesare commonlyheldintowns September/October in a single monastery. tostationthemselves when Buddhistmonksare expected rainsretreat, beginning ofthetraditionalthree-month Bun Nam Awk Phansaa Phansaa Khao Bun BangFai Puja Visakha LabourDay International Pii Mai Year New Chinese Tet- Vietnamese y r Puja Magha a u r b e F orhistoric seasons Buddhist holidays. Festivals are mostlylinked toagricultural July houses. large woodenpenisesandsometimesafew incinerated cross-dressing, music,dance,drunkenness, rockets, Puja, involvinghugehome-made alongside Visakha rainceremony celebrated tivals inLaos,apre-Buddhist parinibbana (Lunar NewYear) Thisfestival beginsinmid-April (Water Festival) Held inassociationwith (Makkha Busaa;Full Moon)Thisisheld(Makkha (Visakha Busaa; Full Moon)Falling onthe (Visakha (passing into nirvana). (Awk Watsa;Full Moon)Celebratingthe (Rocket Festival)(Rocket Oneofthewildestfes- (Khao Watsa;Full(Khao Moon)LateJulyisthe 1 May isapublic holiday. 1May Thisiscelebrated

407 LAOS LAOS LAOS the RoyalLaowithparades and speeches. over oftheproletariat holiday celebratesthe1975victory likely toencounter some exoticmeats. Appar- mon than raisinganimals forfood,you’re fork and spoon. jâo container. often, Less foodiseaten with you’ve finishedeating,replace thelid onthe ball before dippingitintothefood.When using onehand,workitintoawalnut-sized container. Take asmallamount of riceand, upinasmallwicker rice), which isserved of chillies course, by the handful. palm sugar,landcrab ordriedshrimp and, sometimestomatoes, lime juice,fish sauce, of shredded green papayamixed withgarlic, hung specialityis Another famousLao juice, roasted groundriceandlotsof chillies. smallshallots,mintleaves,fish sauce, lime pork,duck,fish orchicken,beef, mixed with madefromminceda deliciousspicysalad other. the with chopsticks inonehandandaspoon ing italongtheway,before slurpingitdown thatmanynoodleshops make,sauces test- or oneof thewonderfulspecialityhotchilli lime juice,driedchillies, mintleaves, basil, peoplewillstirinsomefish sauce, and Lao of yourchoice. Thetrickisintheseasoning, bland brothwithsomevegetables andameat floatingina dles), which are usuallyserved dishestotry. some excellentLao pancakes, muesli,fruitshakes…) Butthere are lers’ fare’ thathassweptSoutheastAsia (fruit noodles, friedriceandtheubiquitous‘travel- foreigners often limitthemselves toadietof cuisinelacks thevarietyof Thaifoodand Lao Food DRINK & FOOD Lao NationalDay LuangFestival That November 408 December and Wat Si Muang. processionbetweenPhaThatLuang There isacolourful votives earlyinthemorningonfirstdayoffestival. Hundreds ofmonksassemble toreceive almsandfloral place atPhaThatLuang inVientianeearlyNovember. The standard Lao breakfast is Lao The standard In ruralareas, where huntingismore com- foodiseaten with Most Lao Làap (plain white rice),which iseaten witha (knownas ASDRCOY • od&Dik ••Food&Drink LAOS DIRECTORY is the most distinctively Lao dish, isthemostdistinctively Lao Heldon2December,thispublic som tam (Bun ThatLuang; Full Moon)Takes in Thailand), a salad inThailand),asalad khào nío f ŏ e t ą (rice noo- m màak (sticky khào eaten with condensed milkorwith eaten withcondensed popular breakfast food.Sometimesthey’re offending the spirits. must take atleastoneoffered drinkorrisk is first offered spirits,andguests tothehouse of chaser. water is usuallytaken neat,sometimeswithaplain Sticky Rice,which isof course legal. to care. Thegovernment distilsitsownbrand, speaking, popular drinkamonglowlandLao. Strictly tinctly antique-looking label. insmallbottleswithadis- and centralLaos ing brew andissoldmostlyaroundsouthern –isaninterest- madeinSavannakhet palm beer Bia–adark,sweetish available incans.Lao Lao. Imported beers areand excellentBeer also Brewery Coproducestheubiquitous The Lao Drink superb. they’re pâté andvegetables. Whenthey’re fresh, Lao-style inasandwich thatcontains (eggs) take somegettingbush ratmight to.used wild dogandsquirrel. Monitorlizardand areently these delicious:wildboar,fowl, hâwn coffee andisusually referredLao toas erners placesas isusuallyfound inthesame in restaurants. Theblacktea familiartoWest- weak, refreshing free tea traditionally served usual ingredient in coffee). (black milk,askfor ened condensed clench. Ifyoudon’twantsugarorsweet- tomake enough yourteethand sweet are sold everywhere. will bepurifiedandbottlesof purified water fered tocustomers inrestaurants orhotels whether it’sboiledorfiltered. Allwater of- simply called ing and after fermentation. since unboiledwater isoften addedtoitdur- straws. It’snotalwayssafe todrink,however, drunk fromacommunaljarusinglongreed orvillages.by households láo Chinese-style green orsemicuredChinese-style tea isthe very strong coffee isusuallyserved Lao Water is purified fordrinkingpurposes In ruralprovinces, aweaker version of Lào-láo In maincentres, French baguettes are a In a Lao homethepouringanddrinking In aLao lào-láo knownas (hot tea). takes onritualcharacteristics –it lào-láo (Lao liquor, or ricewhisky)isa (Lao lào hái nâam deum is not legal but no-one seems isnotlegalbutno-oneseems nâam sáa (jarliquor)isfermented (drinkingwater), Lào hái lonelyplanet.com or k sáa láo ą a-fáe d isusually Lào-láo –the khai lào- sáa ą m

tion andnews, witha slick design. of the country. Anencyclopaedicoverview -world-factbook/geos/la.html) Gay couplesare unlikely tobegiven frosty tive attitudetopublicdisplaysof affection. butaverytowards homosexuality, conserva- Like Thailand, TRAVELLERS hasavery liberalattitude Laos LESBIAN & GAY lonelyplanet.com Laos-Travel.net (www.uxolao.org) Laos NationalUnexploded OrdnanceProgram Lao communityfrommanyonline news services. aboutLaoPDRandtheoverseas site compilesnewsstories Laos Globe Factbook World –The Agency Intelligence Central RESOURCES INTERNET (where internet canbe slow and expensive). andmostrecentlyDon Khong onDonDet Luang NamTha;plusPhonsavan, Udomxai, PakseLuang Prabang,Savannakhet, and outside Vientiane,includingVang Vieng, ternet wasavailable inmosttourismcentres become. Atpress time,reasonably pricedin- the slowerandmore expensive connections minute. Thefurtheryouget fromVientiane, places withrates 100kipper atastandard In Vientiane,there are dozens of internet ACCESS INTERNET Lao NationalDay Labour Day Pii Mai ing holidays. February. in Tetduring Vietnamese NewYear andChinese forthree days close businesses namese-run andViet- public holidays.MostChinese- trouble themselves withweekends and donot businesses manyLao post offices, Aside from government banksand offices, HOLIDAYS with nationals. Lao town. See right forinformationonrelations gay prideflagflyinginafew placesaround openly gaybar,withtherainbow-coloured first LuangPrabangryone else. boastsLaos’ whoopingitupwitheve- of younggayLao plenty Vientiane’s late-nightclubsyou’llsee nothavedoes anobviousgayscene,butin treatment anywhere. Unlike Thailand,Laos clearing work clearing in Laos. Most businesses areMost businesses forthefollow- closed (Lunar NewYear) 15,16and17April (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the 1 May 1May (www.laosguide.com) Thiswell-organised

Information regarding ongoingmine- (www.laos-travel.net) Travelinforma- 2December LAOS DIRECTORY •• Gay &Lesbian Travellers ••Gay LAOSDIRECTORY was puttogether student byahigh-school authority site,butmore helpfulthanmanyof authority its offices! the Gateway toDemocracy,says the Gateway it all. ated withthenewspaperofsamename.Itstag-line, 20,000 kip notes. tions of 500,1000,2000, 5000,10,000 andnew all three, aspayment. Kipcomeindenomina- US dollars orThai baht,orcombinationsof much willacceptanyof anywhere kip, inLaos are quoted inkiporUSdollars, butpretty US dollarandThaibaht.Pricesinthis chapter three currencies are thekip, use: ineveryday kip,but The onlylegalcurrency istheLao MONEY features. and sometimesrunsinteresting cultural listingsin the1960s,buthassomeuseful cafés frequented byforeigners. Nation, language dailies,the minimarts inVientiane. Thailand’sEnglish- the French newspapers, theEnglish for manyLao. Twoofficial foreign-language the mainsourceof uncensored world news andCNN,is which alsorunsBBC ellite TV, proximityLaos’ toThailandmeansThaisat- MEDIA Ltd Rider by motorcycletourcompany Muang SingandLuangNamTha,isproduced of Vientiane,LuangPrabang, Vang Vieng, withcitymaps An excellentroadmapof Laos, MAPS deported. romance couldresult inbeingarrested and ried. Travellers shouldbeaware thataholiday to have relations sexual unlessthey’re mar- limited. be itcanprovide theassistance though may strife, yourembassyinVientiane, contact Ifyouget inlegal yourself inLaos. services There isvirtually nothinginthewayof legal MATTERS LEGAL Laos Visit TimesVientiane Library Laos WWWVirtual art, governmentand art, political issues. .html) Comprehensive site withfeatures onLaoculture, Lao Airline’s Lao It’s againstthelawforforeigners andLao are and alsofoundinguesthouses (www.gt-rider.com) (www.visit-laos.com) Nottheofficialtourist Le Rénovateur, (www.vientianetimes.com) Notaffili- Laos Magazine Bangkok Post . (www.global.lao.net/laovl Vientiane Times are available at Golden Triangle Golden Triangle lookslike it andthe

409 and LAOS LAOS LAOS offered pour le CommerceEx- byBanque dollars. Australian baht, Japanese USand yen,andCanadian, Prabang change UKpounds,euro,Thai inVientianeand Luangthan cash.Banks andattract abettervincial capitals rate cheques canbeexchanged inmostpro- all over the country. US-dollartravellers US dollars andThaibahtcanbe exchanged Money Exchanging regional centres butnot all so plan ahead. cardsarevances onVisa available insome Amex are ad- much lesscommon. Cash in touristareas acceptthem.MasterCard and upmarket restaurants guesthouses, andshops daysandmanytravelcepted these agents, cardsareVisa becomingmore widelyac- Cards Credit rates. will change dollars andbahtcashatbank andmanytravelmost guesthouses agents rates are usuallyavailable inbanks,though eychanging are over andthebestexchange The daysof favourable blackmarket mon- Market Black being dramatically ripped off. worth getting angryabout, unlessyouare pricedifferencesgenerally are inLaos not on, particularlyamongtúk-túkdrivers; but concept of overcharging touristshascaught more!). Inmore heavily touristed areas the ties, soit’snotjusttouristsbeingasked for are charged upto10timesmore forutili- thanlocals(foreign residentsand services and foreigners often paymore forgoods than arm-waving melodramatics. bargaining technique worksmuch better ally aggressive hagglers andaquiet,gentle gest analternative. peopleare notusu- Lao shops have fixed hurtstosug- pricesitnever bargained over more andalthough upmarket canbe inLaos forsale Almost everything Bargaining a MasterCard symbol. Pakse) are onlypartialtocredit cardswith Prabang andPakse. in Some(asisthecase ATMs inVientiane,Vang Vieng,Luang There are agrowingnumberof 24-hour ATMs 410 There isa two-tier pricesystem inLaos The best overall exchange rate isusually ASDRCOY • ot ••Post LAOS DIRECTORY Sat) % post home,there isa so. Ifyouhave valuableitems orpresents to slow butgenerally reliable, theprovinces less fromVientianeare painfully services Postal POST attracts aminimum 2% charge. no commission, but changing intodollars changing cheques intokipthere isusually US-dollar travellers cheques. Ifyouare inallprovincialBanks 6871 centres willexchange Cheques 13,360 Travellers NZ$1 €1 Vietnam 10,000d USA US$1 5932 UK UK£1 Thailand 10B New Zealand 9627 Japan ¥100 3008 Euro zone 19,335 Canada C$1 Cambodia 1000r 8,358 Australia A$1 2389 9348 Country Unit 8117 Kip Exchange rates are as follows: moneychangers islonger openinghours. térieur Lao. Theonlyadvantage of licensed and caution before you up. light alittle respectyou US$500 infines.Exercise In Vang of Viengpossession ajointmaycost north youcanexpect three months injail. escape. smoking opiuminthefar Ifcaught trouble fromwhich theyhave little meansof a negative influenceand drawing theminto ishaving as wealthyandcoolbyyoungLao, bytravellers,juana use who are often seen feeling that widespread opiumandmari- juana are notvery liberal.There isastrong for theelderly,attitudestodrugslike mari- only sanctioned hastraditionallybeen use for-all drughaven. Itisn’t.Whileopium tourism, itgainedareputation asafree- tourism concernsover and over again. Travellers twomain andlocalsbothraise societyalittlebysurprise. ity hastaken Lao the rapidgrowthincountry’spopular- In terms isvery of youngand tourism,Laos TRAVEL RESPONSIBLE pound in Vientiane. The first openedupto isdrugs.As Laos office insidethemainpostoffice com- 021-223278; h 8am-noon & 1-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon 8am-noon &1-5pmMon-Fri, Federal Express lonelyplanet.com Mp p356; (Map

the countrypress from LuangNamThatownandMuang Nam Ha EcotourismProject tobeasimplesolution:theThere seems trekking business isspillingover intoLaos. ploitative andintrusive Thai-stylehill-tribe lonelyplanet.com hl-rb villages. hill-tribe destinations such as visiting out-of-the-way is notcommon. The exceptionisifyou’re Unlike Thailand,thehole-in-the-floor toilet TOILETS phonecard. international can bemadefromfixed landlinesusingan in provincial towns. International calls at theincreasing numberof publicphones at telephone andminimartsforuse offices Phonecards fordomesticcallscanbebought Phonecards prefix possible. is andPakse,khet where international SMSing tiane province, LuangPrabang, Savanna- of research coverage waslimited toVien- credits.and thenpurchase But atthetime providers such asTango foraroundUS$5 youcanbuyasimcardfromGMS Laos If youbringanoverseas mobilephoneto Phones Mobile countrycodeis Laos’ TELEPHONE sons are advertised in Vientiane. language les- andinformalLao in thecapital sity. Short courses incookingare available a research yourhomeuniver- topic,through ting upyourownstudyexchange, ordevelop learn more aboutthiscountry,considerset- butifyou are passionatelyin Laos, keen to There are noformalopportunitiestostudy STUDYING tourism Project ( p392 ). Eco- &Savannakhet vincial TourismOffice experiment isbeingconducted bythePro- it’s aproject worthsupporting.Asimilar Green Discovery. Sofarthesignsare good; nomic benefitsof trekking tovillages, ashas theeco- to limittheimpactandmaximise uptreksSing, hasset withstrictguidelines Many are alsoconcernedthattheex- Mobile phone numbers in Laos haveMobile phonenumbers the inLaos h 020 followedby digits. seven LAOS DIRECTORY ••Studying LAOSDIRECTORY % 00 first. % 856. Todialoutof Map Map p356 , run .miusa.org; POBox10767,EugeneOR,USA) very regulations fickleaboutitsvisa and day over thevisa’s expiry date. upon departure. Thefine isUS$10foreach pay afineatthe immigrationcheckpoint you are. Ifyouoverstay youmust yourvisa, days dependingon howfarfromthecapital toVientiane,soitcantake uptofivesent US$2 toUS$3perday.Yourpassport willbe foraround tres offer extension services visa andtravelhouses agents in provincial cen- to amaximumof 30days.Elsewhere, guest- migration officeinVientiane;Map p356 ), up tension costingUS$1perday(fromtheim- latest border crossing situation. onthe andwillbeable toadvise issue visas and Thailandall Vietnam, China,Cambodia consulates andtravelcountry. Lao agents in current situationbefore tryingtoenter the without warninginthepastsocheck the prices. Ithascancelledallautomaticvisas Luang Nam Tha. Pakse andtheBoten in borderwithChina the ThaiborderatHuayXai,Savannakhet, FriendshipBridge atNongKhai, Thai-Lao Pakse International Airport,aswellatthe Luang Prabang International Airportand InternationalVientiane’s Wattay Airport, with twopassportphotos)are available at (US$30toUS$35 from 14days)touristvisas On-the-spot 30-day(recently upgraded VISAS disabilities. with sources, informationandtipsontravelling USA Mobility International Many international organisations, such as will require considerableforwardplanning. port isoften cramped.AnytriptoLaos ments are fullof hazardsandpublictrans- of travellers.needs disabled Urbanpave- the hasvirtuallynofacilitiestomeet Laos DISABILITIES WITH TRAVELLERS speakers. English lent sourcesof information,often by staffed XangTravelDiethelm andLane are alsoexcel- and tourcompanieslike Green Discovery, Travel agencies Laos. throughout offices tains NationalTourismAuthoritymain- The Lao INFORMATION TOURIST Once in Laos it is easy to obtain a visa ex- avisa itiseasytoobtain Once inLaos government theLao However, canbe ( % 541 3431284;www , have re-

411 LAOS LAOS LAOS the above - ‘Do the right thingwithourcontent.’ the above -‘Dotheright thetermsandconditions onoursiteforalongerwayofsaying youknow,orresell it.See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inotherwords, pleasedon’tuploadthischapterto apeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseitforpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasier foryoutouse,accessthischapterisnotdigitally Tomake unravelled thespiritualmysteries of existence male travellers (youknow,theoneswhohave to betroubledbyaggressive Western ‘guru’ occur.but itdoes Infact,youare more likely Women travellers rarely get hassledinLaos, TRAVELLERS WOMEN box(see p385 ). and spendsometimeatBigBrotherMouse Prabang, LuangNamThaorVientianetry can join.Ifyou’re Luang passingthrough way, askaroundforideasorprojects you to contribute tothecountryinanysmall Ifyou’retourist offices orguesthouses. keen advertise at Prabang ortheorphanage inPhonsavan, will eigners, such astheteachers’ college inLuang fromfor- assistance sionally groupsseeking Organic Farm ( p365 ) inVang Vieng.Occa- walk inoffthestreet isthePhoudindaeng oneplaceyoucan however, work inLaos; It’s noteasytofindshort-term volunteer VOLUNTEERING 412 © LonelyPlanetPublications ASDRCOY • outeig ••Volunteering LAOS DIRECTORY falang hang-outslike restaurants, are often hiring. Ask around. is alwaysanoptionandschools inVientiane for info. of Theoldstandby teaching English www.directoryofngos.orgemployment; see count), where foreigners withskillscanfind (160atlast opment organisations inLaos There are aninordinate numberof devel- isrelativelyfinding workinLaos simple. Compared toothercountriesintheregion, WORKING group and alert. stay best waytocombatthisthreat istotravel ina larly thebustoVietnamfromVientiane. The hassledonovernightbeen bustrips,particu- chances of trouble. Somewomen have also run bywomenwilldramaticallyreduce your Pickingaguesthouse buses. and long-distance main potential danger areas are guesthouses darkened streets of aloneatnight the course, men.Apartfromwandering you are byLao change toyourroom)than foraninvitation and are willingtoshare themwithyouinex- lonelyplanet.com