chuckwoww Posted May 7, 2004 Report Share Posted May 7, 2004 A lot of people like Laos because it is quiet and undeveloped. I think the Lao government understands that and of course they also need the tourist dollars. I got to know a middle-class Lao family quite well when I was in Luang Prabang. They had lived and worked in Thailand and they had relatives in the U.S. Most Laos have a pretty good idea of what life is like outside Laos. Many have been to Thailand and they all watch Thai TV. One daughter & her husband had just opened a small restaurant by the river. Just a few tables for tourists. They explained the problems they'd had because of bureaucracy and the fact that most Laos do not know how to run a Western style business. I asked them if they would like to see more tourists and they said yes and no. They liked the money but were unhappy about some of the changes that were happening in Luang Prabang. They definitely did not want it to become like Thailand they said. They found Thailand much too commercial. I think they may have just being saying that because they thought I wanted to hear it. I wouldn't be surprised to find them driving a BMW next time I go back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted May 7, 2004 Report Share Posted May 7, 2004 I go regularly, great place, dont have the same trouble as others it seems! Go and have fun, be carefull, but not too careful JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted May 7, 2004 Report Share Posted May 7, 2004 and they all watch Thai TV May God have mercy on their souls :: I shall petition the Australian Embassy immediately - we have scores of reruns of such classics as Neighbours and Home and Away that we need to flog off to those who havent seen enough crap TV to know when they are being taken for a ride. Seriously, even Indonesian TV is better than the Thai soaps - the horror, the horror ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted May 7, 2004 Report Share Posted May 7, 2004 Remember that locals will get free where you have to pay and that plane tickets, unlike Thailand, have a 10 fold mark-up for foreigners. 50 $ Vientiane-LP was 5$ for laotians in 2000. In case this sort of things annoy you, as it does to many on the board.... Try to hit the road, Most of Laos, except Vientiane and LPrabang, feels like a wild forsaken frontier. Worth experiencing, as it gets rarer in this world, at least without getting shot at . Though Laos has its rebellious discontents too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooNoi Posted May 7, 2004 Report Share Posted May 7, 2004 Thanks Fly, August '05 I'm afraid August you'll be fine! The rains will have been there by then! Someone mentioned mobile phone usage there... Up until recently, it was a horrendously huge amount to by a Laotian SIM-card. (A couple of hundred dollars US! ) Jing Jing! Now, you can by a Laos sim-card relatively cheaply, (I believe about $20-30USD - someone might be able to confirm exact price), which will give you coverage in all the major places - Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Pakse etc etc. Beware though - international calls on the mobile are VERY expensive! And yes, be careful when sanukking there. You wouldn't be the first farang to wind up in jail for having a "relationship" with a local... and a Laos jail is NOT somewhere you want to be! Good luck! Fly P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted May 8, 2004 Report Share Posted May 8, 2004 Laos has international roaming that works perfect with AIS - so phone should be no problem - mine never is! JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Encore Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 naiv said: >Some infos, based on the experience of my trip to Laos: 1) It seems to be very difficult to rent a bike or a car outside of vientiane. (at least in Savanakhet)< Via your hotel or guesthouse, you can usually hire a car with driver, hardly anymore than without. They know the road conditions, and the way. In Pakse, Luang prabang, vientiane and Luang Namtha, I had no problems renting a 110 cc bike, all you'll need. >2) Bus travel takes at least 2 times more time than in Thailand (and more expensive)< Depends on route. Route 13 from VTE to Pakse and south is now improved, and almost as fast as thaialnd. IMHO, the prices are not too different. >3) Laos is more expensive than Thailand.< Sorry, disagree. A 0.7 liter bottle of BeerLao in a cafe will cost you 8000Kip, about 30 Baht. You can find guesthouses from US 4 to US 25, and a few hotels more expensive. Like in LOS, depends where you go, what you know >4) You can only change dollars or thai baht. You can pay with thai baht everywhere.< Some banks in major towns will take Euro, or Aus $ as well, but at worse rate than the equivalent in US $. Usually, no credit cards are accepted, even in banks for cash. Exeption may be Vientiane or big resort hotels (What, Where?) >5) the people are very friendly and invite farangs spontaneously for a beer. (You can refuse to drink out but you should take a sip)< For people in the countryside and little villages, beer is an expensive drink. you're more likely to be offered a LaoLao (rice whiskey) can be very nice, but watch it, it packs a punch. If you accept a drink of LaoLao (Almost obligatory if you get invited to someone's home, don't turn it down, that's considered impolite. And you alway have two, the proper way to welcome a guest. >6) the elite speaks french (very well)< Increasingly rare in my experience >7) english level is low 8) e-mail is very, very slow 9) no mobile phone connections Near of the thai border you might though use your thai mobile phone, at least for SMS. 10) It is difficult to find good restaurants in the countryside< Re 10 The best food in the countryside is in the littel local restaurants where falang don't go, avoid most of the 'touristy places. Just a simple local dish at a roadstall or market is usually great, and very cheap. Just get used to eating sticky rice. Laos is a great place, especially if you go beyond Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Encore Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 artiew said:and they all watch Thai TV May God have mercy on their souls :: ............ Seriously, even Indonesian TV is better than the Thai soaps - the horror, the horror ..... The main reason they watch Thai TV is because they can receiev it, and understand it, lao is resonably close to Thai as a language. But I agree about thai soaps! My ex GF used to watch it 4 hours a night if i let her, and then complain becuase me reading a book looked so boring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Encore Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Nervous_Dog said:Laos has international roaming that works perfect with AIS - so phone should be no problem - mine never is! JB HI JB, Where? in my experience, only in Vientiane, or elsewhere near the border. Yes when you're in Savannahket, you won't have a problem, but away from the Thai border, they die quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli13 Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 funny how the world never changes right? when I travelled around lao in '98 & '99 I belive no GSM or at least not roaming with any foreign SIM's, but these days hardly any 3rd world country would be without their own or several wireless systems & so is Laos LaoTel & 1 more gsm900/1800 listed as live 2003 in gsmworld regarding credit/debit/atm card advances I did that on my visa back in '98 from one of the banks near the river & walked away with a huge bag of kips sure baht is accepted for major purchases especially from the girls as they can be favorably exchanged so no worries, but maybe also still no ATM's or just 1 at airport as in cambo LOL? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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