Nong Khai - Vientiane help

[SiLeakHunt]

I wrote a trip report about Laos here.

 

Cheers

[Julian2]

Thanks to everyone for their replies.

 

I won't be taking a Thai lady with me. But, I was considering some sanuk with a Lao lady.

 

However, not having $5,000 to spare and hearing nasty comments about Lao guys, may not be a good idea.

 

Any contrary opinions or experiences?

 

I lived with a Lao girl for a year and all the farangs I knew in the city also had Lao GFs. I never heard of anyone being arrested for this.

What I was told was not to share a room with her if I was traveling in the more isolated regions, the local police often enforced the laws. Once again I never heard of it actually happening to anyone.

You have to realise that if you piss the government off in these sort of places they are going to get you for something and illegal cohabitation is as good as any.

Try the SamLo Pub Bar for freelancers or even try chatting up the barmaids, there were a couple of nice ones last year and they don't get paid much. The Kop Chai Der Bar usually has a few nice girls hanging around as well. The river front bars and restaurants were great at night too.

[CTO]

Day Inn doesn't allow joiners - Suphisophone just around the corner fro the fountain does.

 

Any talking about farangs getting arrested is copying from their lonely planet, great little city - I'll be there in a few days time for work.

[Tiger Moth]

Thanks again for all the replies and help!

[Flashermac]

The tuk-tuk drivers may offer to take you to a bar ... if you can understand Lao. Maybe I looked like I should (or just randy), since several did so to me. Expect to hear something like "JEU SAO BAW"(Meet a girl?) ... accompanied by a grin.

 

p.s. Don't expect a lot of English to be spoken there. But everyone speaks fluent Thai, since they spend their time watching Thai TV or listening to Thai radio statons. The major Thai banks are all represented there and the Thai presence is strong. Except for the currency and the flag, you'd think you were in Isaan. I was in Wiengchan the irst time in 1974. The next time was in 2003. The city hadn't changed all that much - just more paved streets and higher prices. Even the supposedly communist civil servants may well have a Buddha clipped onto their uniform.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Flashermac]

 

Lao

[koow]

yeah, and someone above says don't expect the girl to smile (or something like that, because its "not the lao way", as if laos and isaan are such different cultures.

[Julian2]

Lao

Funny, in Vientiane they say boh, very properly, but you come over here where they don't speak Lao, only Northern Thai, and they yell BAWWW... in a real southern American accent.

[Torneyboy]

Great report BTW... :thumbup:

[Flashermac]

My Mrs was born in Chiang Rai, but from about 14 on lived in Chiang Mai. I asked her if she could tell what province someone was from. She told me that CM speaks Kham Muang rather slowly. In CR it is spoken very fast.