Vientien, Laos

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Vientien, Laos

Here’s my report for my two-day vacation in Laos. Vientien is the Capital City along the Mekong River. From Bangkok, I took Lao Airways, 6900 Baht (about $172) Round Trip. Taxi from the airport to the hotel is about $5-$6. There are many hotels and guest houses anywhere from the $15 to $35 range.

I stayed at the Inter City Hotel, $30 per night for a nice room, but they may also have rooms at $20 and $25. The Inter City Hotel is recommended as it’s modern, has nice architechture, and the entire building is a museum as well. Even the rooms have some nice art peices.

Money: Make sure you have a fair amount of US cash. You need $30 for your Visa at the airport and make sure you have a photo. I’m in Laos now leaving in about 1 hour and I beleive it’s a $10 airport fee when you leave. They take Thai Baht also, but US cash is better as they do a lousy currency exchange. In Laos, I didn’t bother getting or exchanging any Laos Kip (the currency here). I just paid for everything in Baht and got change in Kip. The Visa, Hotel, Airport Taxi, etc. I paid in USD and everything else I paid in Baht and got change in Kip, then used the Kip until it ran out. Although there are many exchange places, as long as you use the method above, you won’t need to bother with ATM’s, Banks, or exchange places. Try to bring $1 and $5 bills as well. Also, they don’t take coins here at all, including Thai Baht coins. Make sure you get rid of any excess Kip when you leave as you cannot exchange it in Thailand.

The sunset along the Mekong river is beautiful and I hear you can watch the sunset about 300 days per year. Patuxay Monument Visited and took some pictures. Highly recommended. Laos also has many temples. Very similar to Thailand, but visit a few.

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