Laos Summary

Luang Prabang (May 2 – 5)
Transportation: Flight. Lao Airlines QV645. Purchased at travel agent in Chiang Mai for 4400THB.
Accommodation:
- Muonglao Riverside Guesthouse. $22/night for single room, A/C, en suite. Great location in the heart of the old town. A bit over my budget, so I moved after one night.
- Muonglao Guesthouse. $15/night for single, A/C, en suite. Same owners as above.
Sights & Tours:
- Phou Si. ★★★★ 20,000LAK. Hill with great panoramic view.
- Royal Palace. ★★ 30,000LAK.
- Pak Pu Caves*. ★★★ 20,000LAK. "Buddha Caves" sounds better than it looks.
- Kuang Si Waterfalls*. ★★★★★ 20,000LAK. Too cold to swim, but wonderful scenery.
*Note: I paid 100,000LAK for transport (boat and minivan) to the caves and falls in advance. Arranged through my guesthouse.
- Night market. ★★★★★ Handmade souvenir heaven! Not to mention the food.
- Cooking class. ★★★★★ $25. Worth every penny. Includes trip to the local market to purchase ingredients for the day and whatever else your stomach may desire!
Yummies: Sandwiches sold on the street, tea, soya milk.
Notable Purchases:
- Small, handmade bags from market. 2 for $1. I felt bad negotiating...
- Big Mouse (literacy organization) books for 75,000LAK.
- Massages for 40 – 50,000LAK/hour.

Phonsavan (May 6)
Transportation: Bus. 150,000LAK. Winding, narrow roads.
Accommodation: ??? Don't remember the name; just picked one out of the many waiting at the bus terminal. 40,000LAK for single room, en suite with fan. Moldy walls. Since the hot water wasn't working in my room, I had to shower in another one downstairs. The water wipe in Alex's room exploded.
Sights & Tours:
- Plain of Jars. ★★★★★ 147,000LAK for transport and entry. Arranged private vehicle thru agency – the more people you can gather, the cheaper!
- Mine Advisory Group. ★★★★★ Free, but please make a donation.
Yummies: Fresh mangoes
Notable Purchases: None

Vang Vieng (May 7 – 9)
Transportation: Bus. 95,000LAK.
Accommodation:
- ??? Arrived past midnight in a thunderstorm. Since the hostel we wanted was closed, we had the tuk tuk driver take us wherever. It ended up being 50,000LAK/night for a single room, en suite, with fan. And LOTS of bugs.
- Pan's Place. 50,000LAK/night for the same type of room minus the bugs. Thank goodness! Very chill foreigners' hangout.
Sights & Tours: Tubing. ★★★★ 40,000LAK including tube rental and transport. Need to register passport in case of accident (I assume).
Yummies: Crepe stand near the tube rental offices, various shakes (coffee and mulberry for example), mango with sticky rice. Got Nicole totally hooked on those!
Notable Purchases: None

Vientiane (May 10 – 12)
Transportation: Bus. 60,000LAK. Overbooked and very disorganized!
Accommodation: RD Guesthouse. $14/night for single room, en suite, with A/C. Seems rather popular with Japanese and Korean travelers.
Sights & Tours:
- Pha That Luang. ★★★ 5,000LAK. Prefer to call it the Lotus Temple
- Buddha Park. ★★★★ 7,000LAK. Funky!
Yummies: None
Notable Purchases: Massages every day! 35,000LAK/hour. 2 hours on my last day here!