From Vientiane to Luang Prabang, and back

(November 2009)

There are 2 options for the direct route: the less scenic route by plane or the more scenic route by bus.

Other differences: 35 minutes and approximately US$85 by plane vs. 8 – 10 hours and approximately US$15 by bus.

Obviously, the plane option is a straight-forward affair on a Fokker from Wattay International Airport in Vientiane to Luang Prabang International Airport serviced by Laos Airlines.

For the bus option, you journey starts at the Kiew Lot Sai Nuan bus station.

The first 2 hours of the bus ride from Vientiane to Vang Vieng is uneventful along a relatively straight stretch of paved road. The subsequent 6.5 hours of ride is challenging to say the least. The picturesque mountainous region coupled with the poorly paved road at times made for a bumpy and windy ride.

This is why you are provided with a bottle of drinking water and a small plastic bag before the bus departs the station. The plastic bag serves both as a trash bag and a sickness bag.

The bus configuration is not standard as some buses are with 2 + 2 seats in a row (2 on the left of the center aisle and 2 on the right), some with 2 + 1 seats in a row, and some with a combination of the two. The 2 + 1 seat configuration is logically the most comfortable as the seats are wider.

Most of the buses have a tiny toilet with just enough room for a medium-sized person to fit in.

If and when the toilet is not in a usable state for various reasons, the bus driver normally makes a quick stop in the middle of a deserted stretch of the road The frequent travelers automatically get off the bus to find a convenient location to relief themselves. It’s actually quite a sight :-)

The bus does stop for a half-an-hour lunch break 5.5 hours into the journey at a rather spacious and clean restaurant in the highland area.

 

The lunch, provided as part of the bus fare, is a choice of either a bowl of rice noodle in broth or a plate of steamed rice with your choice of 2 of the 5 – 6 available vegetables and meat dishes displayed on the serving counter. Note that some Laotians do not practice lining up in a queue.

  

Take the opportunity to enjoy the view of the mountain range behind the restaurant. It takes about 3 hours to reach Luang Prabang from here.

 

For the bus journey from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, the lunch stop is in a village restaurant about an hour before Vang Vieng.

 

The VIP bus fare from Vientiane to Luang Prabang is 115,000 Kip. If you book from a guest house or hotel, the cost is around 160,000 Kip which includes a tuk-tuk ride to the bus station. (US$1 is approximately 8,000 Kip.)

The VIP bus fare from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, however, is slightly less at 95,000 Kip.

The standard bus is air-conditioned but is less plush and is slower. The luggage compartment is ON the bus.

Note 1: The bus makes some stops to drop off or pickup passengers along the journey.

Note 2: Prepare something with a strong but soothing aroma, such as an ointment or an aromatherapy oil, to mask the contagious air in when a sickness bag is in use.

Note 3: When you get off the bus in Luang Prabang, there are tuk-tuk to take you to your intended destination. If you are looking for accommodation, there are numerous guest house staff ready for your patronage.

Eating in Vientiane

(November 2009)

Other than the usual tourist attractions and lodging,  most Western travelers normally look for a place for coffee and beer as they generally don’t require anything other than some simple Western food or the typical fried noodle/rice to keep the stomach happy.

The majority of Southeast Asian travelers, however, place more importance on food rather than alcoholic beverages. Most prefer local food in a family restaurant or a roadside stall.

 

The cafes, bakeries, restaurants, and food stalls in Vientiane are clean, presentable, and well-maintained.

 

Compared to Thai dishes, Lao dishes contain less chili peppers, less salt, less sugar, and less MSG but this doesn’t mean less flavor. The flavors are more suitable to the more health conscious majority of Malaysians and Singaporeans. The cooking style is not unlike Khmer dishes but Lao cuisine appears to have more varieties.

         

How Safe is Laos for Travelers?

(November 2009)

This is the next question I normally get from those interested to find out more about this potential travel destination.

Regardless of where you are around the world, you should always avoid poorly lit and/or deserted areas, particularly back alleys.

In Vientiane, I feel completely safe and at ease walking alone even after midnight. There is always a convenience store, a pub, a guest house, a food store, or an internet cafe that stays open well beyond the usual bedtime within a few steps away. There is the occasional ‘sir, you want massage’ or ‘sir, you want lady’ enquiry but the offer is always proposed in a courteous and unobtrusive manner.

One of the restaurant proprietors told me that normally, due to the low traffic volume and low crime rate, I would not see any police officers in the city. However, with the upcoming Commonwealth Games in December 2009 which is held in Laos for the first time, the authorities dispatched all the police officers to be stationed around the city to be trained in directing the traffic, answering tourist enquiries, etc. I thought that was funny.

With the exception of Vientiane and Singapore, no other ASEAN capitals gives me that ‘safe’ impression.

How ‘Backwards’ is Laos?

(November 2009)

That’s the first question I get from everyone who learns that I just returned from a trip to Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

Like many Westerners whom I met thought Malaysians lived with Orang-utan in tree houses, many Malaysians and Singaporeans think that Laotians live in villages without modern amenities and facilities.

  

Most are often surprised when they learn that modest guest houses costing US$10/room/night and fancy hotels costing a couple hundred US$/room/night are available with cable TV, wireless broadband, etc. They are even more surprised to learn that one can easily find Western-style cafes with good to great coffee and pastries, and the numerous French bakeries and restaurants all over Laos.

The capital, Vientiane, with its size and buildings, exudes a feel like one of the many towns in Malaysia, e.g. Ipoh, Seremban, etc. However, the roads in Vientiane are more organized, cleaner, and in a better surfacing condition than its neighbors, including Malaysia. You certainly won’t find chaotic traffic with blaring honks, trash-lined streets, and dust-polluted roads. Honestly, I find Vientiane cleaner than all other ASEAN capitals, with the exception of Singapore.

Banks, licensed money changers, ATM’s, internet cafes, and convenience stores may not be as heavily populated as Thailand but are again more tourist-friendly than many other ASEAN capitals.

One can easily travel anywhere with the readily available tuk-tuk’s and taxi’s. If you are more environmentally, health, and wallet conscious, you can rent a bicycle which is a safe form of transportation in this low-traffic and low-crime city.

In terms of tourism infrastructure, Laos is still behind Thailand but not by a wide margin. In fact, I think the tourism-related information, transportation, accommodation, and activities in Laos are more accessible in a less stressful manner than many of its neighbors, such as Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and yes, even Malaysia. This observation is made by comparing the respective capital cities.