Vientiane,Laos

[ChaYen]

Just got back into Laos this afternoon, will be here until mid of next week.

Anyone around these parts?

[pendragon_sg]

Originally Posted by ChaYen

Just got back into Laos this afternoon, will be here until mid of next week.

Anyone around these parts?

For your reading pleasure ..... http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/li...st-hell-994621

and no i am not in Laos now

[sohbuckkong]

Originally Posted by Ganesha

Laos airlines have direct flight but when I browse their website, majority of the time,no flights available, guess its only available on certain dates. So end up, I did a hanoi to luang Prabang with laos airline which cost me USD139. Altenatively, u can take a bus to laos too, its very lenghty but it cost maybe 45- 50 USD from Sinh Cafe in vietanm.

how long it takes to travel fm sinh cafe in HCM to laos. tks

[huanggua]

Originally Posted by pendragon_sg

For your reading pleasure ..... http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/li...st-hell-994621

and no i am not in Laos now

Interesting. Thanks for sharing. Would you be in Laos sometime soon?

[pendragon_sg]

Originally Posted by huanggua

Interesting. Thanks for sharing. Would you be in Laos sometime soon?

dont think so, wife will kill me before i finish asking her permission to go there

[huanggua]

Originally Posted by pendragon_sg

dont think so, wife will kill me before i finish asking her permission to go there

Hahaha. I am sure you had some good times there to arouse her suspicion. Care share some of them? Thanks.

[krypto]

I backpacked here a few years back, thought would be great to share.

Vientiane, just stay around the tourist area and rent a bike to explore around. Remember to secure a map. You'll be able to visit most of e interesting places on bicycles in a day. At night, u can hang out at bars along e coastline. Most places close by midnight. People drink Beer Lao btw, and it's really nice. The only place I know with action after midnight is Don Chan Palace, young people love to hang out there and they are more receptive to foreigners. Try scoring a local pickup if you can, but watch out for the LBs.

Vang Vien

4 hour bus ride from Vientiane. Just go there and find a hotel and start drinking away. I didn't do tubing though, did trekking. It was a full day trek. U pass by some padi fields and go on to trek an underground cave then upstream to a waterfall. At night it's just drinking yourself silly. Bars close by midnight but again, there is always some place that stays open until 4am. Just follow the crowd when the bars close. Wake up just in time for noon the next day and start drinking again! Pity I didn't do tubing, would like to try if I have the chance again. I wouldn't say find an FL here, u mite as well hook up some young traveller during the day and bang her. Most of them are there for fun anyway.

Luang Prabang,

Holy place, so please don't think too much. Visit the waterfall, temples and enjoy the peacefulness. There's a waterfall to visit and some really nice drinking places. There is one where they built a bamboo structure out into the river for u to drink there. Really nice. Again, pick up fellow travellers if you can. Good luck!

[finn2046]

Hi, Bro
it interesting reading your backpacked trip. in total how many days you spend on Laos (Vientiane, Vang Vien and Luang Prabang)
i was there at Vientiane last year Nov. so far been at Vientiane twice. will like to go Vang Vien and Luang Prabang but got no time as these 2 places was quite a distance.
maybe next time can join u along if u dont mind

cheers

Originally Posted by krypto

I backpacked here a few years back, thought would be great to share.

Vientiane, just stay around the tourist area and rent a bike to explore around. Remember to secure a map. You'll be able to visit most of e interesting places on bicycles in a day. At night, u can hang out at bars along e coastline. Most places close by midnight. People drink Beer Lao btw, and it's really nice. The only place I know with action after midnight is Don Chan Palace, young people love to hang out there and they are more receptive to foreigners. Try scoring a local pickup if you can, but watch out for the LBs.

Vang Vien

4 hour bus ride from Vientiane. Just go there and find a hotel and start drinking away. I didn't do tubing though, did trekking. It was a full day trek. U pass by some padi fields and go on to trek an underground cave then upstream to a waterfall. At night it's just drinking yourself silly. Bars close by midnight but again, there is always some place that stays open until 4am. Just follow the crowd when the bars close. Wake up just in time for noon the next day and start drinking again! Pity I didn't do tubing, would like to try if I have the chance again. I wouldn't say find an FL here, u mite as well hook up some young traveller during the day and bang her. Most of them are there for fun anyway.

Luang Prabang,

Holy place, so please don't think too much. Visit the waterfall, temples and enjoy the peacefulness. There's a waterfall to visit and some really nice drinking places. There is one where they built a bamboo structure out into the river for u to drink there. Really nice. Again, pick up fellow travellers if you can. Good luck!

[huanggua]

Backpack trip sounds interesting. Reminds me of the days as a student a ling time back. Now I can't do it anymore. I need a car with a driver to take me around. Any suggestion on this? Thanks.

[krypto]

I spent 2 nights at Vientiane, 2 at Vang Vien and 2 at Luang Prabang before coming back to Vientiane to spend a night before going over to Thailand via the Friendship bridge. No plans to go yet but if anyone has some sorta plans lemme know I will definitely consider.


As for driver, sorry bro, I don't have such high budget but you probably can get the tuk tuk driver to show you around. Remember to slash prices. Such tours are only needed is Vientiene. The other 2 places are small and can travel by foot easily.

[huanggua]

Originally Posted by krypto

I spent 2 nights at Vientiane, 2 at Vang Vien and 2 at Luang Prabang before coming back to Vientiane to spend a night before going over to Thailand via the Friendship bridge. No plans to go yet but if anyone has some sorta plans lemme know I will definitely consider.


As for driver, sorry bro, I don't have such high budget but you probably can get the tuk tuk driver to show you around. Remember to slash prices. Such tours are only needed is Vientiene. The other 2 places are small and can travel by foot easily.

Thanks for the response.

[maverick88]

Crappy place. Maybe I dont know the local scene. The tuk tuk is expensive ie 50k kips. St is 300,000 kips. Service dead fish no BJ at all. Any one out there please give advice where to go for ST.


One more thing where the hell is Mekong hotel??

[freezone]

Originally Posted by ChaYen

Summary:

1. Get bikes. The transport (tuk tuk) fares will kill you.

2. Get a tuk tuk the first evening and hit a farm. Remember the way there. If coming from the main tourist area, you would be heading past the bowling alley/swimming center.

3. Pay in kips.

4. Watch where you're staying. We had an actual hotel in the tourist area, felt safer leaving our belongings there. Spent the nights out of town where it's supposedly safer from the people who might be selling you out to the cops .

.

Good summary.

Just like some clarifications.

1) I assume you meant get a motobike. And what is the going rate for a motobike rental for a day?

2) Going to the farm, will there be a problem with language as I only speak English and not Laos or Thai.

4) Sounds like it maybe dangerous taking a girl back to hotel overnight as scams may exist with girls and cops setting you up for extortion. But I'm guessing its still ok getting one from a farm rather than a FL from a disco or the street.

Also, do the tuk tuk drivers get a commission for bringing you to the farms and you take a girl out--meaning the farm automatically charges you more?

Thanks

[silverboy]

at Laos now near Sisaket Village, 1st time here, any happening FL around here ?

[asiancigar]

Any Bro headed to Vientiane in Aug or Sept period...... i would like to tag along for the experience.

Cheerz
AC