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This information was current for when we moved through these places between February and July 2007.
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Luang NamTha
Quiet town with a nice feel, lots of local villages to go and explore, rent a motorbike and get a map.
Hiking - Official hiking office beside the post office is recommended
over any foreign outfits as they give an exact breakdown of where your
money goes. A substantial proportion is given back to the villages to
promote their development.
Eating - Panda Cafe serves great meals also has cheapest dark Beer Lao.
Transport- Buses leave daily to destinations from the bus station, ticket can be bought on morning of departure.
Accommodation - lots of guesthouses, cheap rooms near bus station 20,000 to 30,00 kip
Zuela Guesthouse - excellent hostel, helpful owner, cheapest Beer Lao in Laos 7,000 kip. Motorbike rental 50,000-60,000.
Double room with bathroom, hot water, 60,000kip
Nong Khiaw
Pleasant little riverside town can be used as a stepping stone to going up river to Mong Ngoi
Transport
Luang Nam Tha to Nong Khiaw take a bus to Pakmeng (46,000 kip) and a
tuk tuk to Nong Khiaw (should be around 18,000kip if you have a full
truck)
There is a daily boat to Luang Prabang leaving at 11.30am costing
100,000 kip per person. Get there early to reserve your spot and bring
something soft to sit on.
Eating - There are a couple of restaurants on the right when you cross the big Chinese bridge.
Accommodation-
Head over across the bridge to Sunset Bungalows which is signposted on
the right, on the way down the lane there is a good place opposite
Bamboo Guesthouse. Clean and basic. 20,000 kip double room.
Mong Ngoi
One of our personal highlights - very easy to while away a week.
This village can only be reached by boat 18,000 kip from Nong Khiaw.
Halfway up river you have to get out and hike for about 20 minutes due
to rapids - wear appropriate footwear that can get wet.
There are no banks and no internet in Mong Ngoi come prepared - the tourist office will change dollars.
If you walk up river after the pier and around the corner you will come to a lovely beach for swimming and sunbathing.
Hike past school into local village (entrance 5,000 kip) - it's possible to stay in the village.
It's possible to arrange river trips, hikes and fishing trips from the village.
Eating -
Some good restaurants over the water around the pier - lit by lanterns at night.
Phoneka Restaurant had good food - their baguettes were particularly good..
Accommodation -
lots of options all have basic bungalows with hammocks high overlooking river (shared outside bathroom)
Banana Cafe - bungalows on the left have good views 20,000 kip.
Riverview Bungalows - also good but balconies are small 20,000 kip - owner has ice cold Beer Lao 10,000 kip.
Niksas Bungalows - Has the best views. Room No1 room is the best room in the village 30,000 kip (triple room)
Luang Prabang
Beautiful city - great place to spend a few days. Riverside restaurants, french colonial architecture, monks, wats....
Eating - Rolls from the ladies in the market are fantastic 5,000 kip/10,000 kip small/large roll.
6 pack of local water 6,000 kip
Martin's bar has movies each evening.
Maylek Bar has Happy Hour each evening until 9pm 8,000 kip Beer Laos.
Vietnam Embassy-
Avoid $5 commission charge by going direct to consulate.
Address is 427-428 That Bosot Village (any guesthouse will point it out on a map).
Opening hours Mon- Fri
7am - 11.30am
2.30am-4.30am
You need 1 passport photo. US$40 next day, US$35 day after.
Transport - bus station is located a few km outside Luang Prabang.
There seemed to be no problem purchasing tickets early on the morning
of departure 95,000 kip including commision.
Accommodation-
Book in advance, there was an unbelieveable squeeze for accommodation.
Rooms free up each morning so you only need to book one day in advance.
Jaliya Guesthouse has four 80,000 rooms fan with TV.
Vang Vieng
Town gets mixed reactions from people, it's v.touristy and full of backpackers - if you can get over that you'll enjoy it.
Tubing is worth doing for a day $3 - river can be quiet slow at times
you need to leave the busy bars by 3pm ish to make it back by 6pm. When
you get into the water you'll float down to the first group of bars
with swings..... a few hundred metres further down river are more bars.
The last big bar before home is here, it's a busy bar with a DJ that
starts after 1pm. From here it's about 2.5 hours back to Vang Vieng
although there's always a tuk tuk on hand to take you home if you don't
fancy floating.
Eating - Near the Wat in town there is a lady selling great fresh
spring rolls. Opposite Dokkhoun2 there is a lady with great skewers.
Lots of traveller friendly restaurants in town.
Transport - bus tickets can be bought at the bus station day of departure. Bus to Phonsavan 75,000 kip.
Accommodation- lots of competition you can opt for basic bungalow near
river or guesthouse with TV etc in town. The best huts were at "Other
Side" the last bungalows up river. RHS of town if coming from bus
station.
Lots of standard guesthouses located short walk from bus station:
Nanas Guesthouse - Double room, bathroom, fan, tv $6 USD Air con rooms $8
Dokkhoun2 GH $6 Double room, bathroom, fan, tv, fridge.
Phonsavan
Town used as base to explore the Plain of Jars. You need to get a group
together organise for a tour operator to bring you out. The jars are
located in three areas, some tourists like to see all three sights,
others mix it up taking in one sight and going to see a village or a
waterfall. By getting a group together you pay for the van rather than
per person so if you have enough people it is cheaper.
Cost for the van seeing Plain of Jars site 1&2 plus local village $50 for the day. Van can hold up to 10 people.
From prices listed in agencies the cost of 1 person going to all three sites was $12 USD.
Transport-
Bus station is 4km out of town, buy tickets for all departures including Vietnam on the same day as departure.
Bus to Vihn, Vietnam 110,000 kip.
Accommodation Sabidee Guesthouse double with bathroom 3 USD/30,000 kip
Laos to Vietnam - crossing the border
Bus leaving Phonsovan does not make any stops before the border. Lunch
stop is on the Vietnam side where you can pay in small US dollars. At
the border there is little hassle lots of forms to fill in, you will be
asked to pay 2,000 kip for a "health voucher". Scenery on Vietnam side
is impressive coming down into the valley.
Vinh
Bus from Phonsovan in Laos terminates here at the bus station. From
here you can connect to buses going north to Hanoi. People in this city
are extremely friendly and welcoming.
ATM - located on same road as bus station, come out of bus station turn
right cross traffic light junction. If you look down the road about 200
metres you'll see a green bank sign ATMs are under it.
Eating - Lots of local stalls serving Pho (noodle soups) 10,000 VND.
Transport - Bus station is located about 3km away from train station about 20,000 VND in a taxi.
Bus to Cau Lo beach departs from the yellow sign about 100 metres to the right of the train station entrance 15,000-20,000 VND.
Accommodation
Thanh Binh Hotel, 120,000 dong double room with bathroom. Come out of
bus station turn right cross junction walk 20 metres hotel located
beside beer garden.
There are a couple of hotels at the junction in the 150,000 VND region.
Cau Lo Beach
In the off season this area can be extremely quiet, lots of restaurants
are closed. In high season it's probably best to hit it during the
week. The beach itself is nice and there are lots of guesthouses in the
area.
Eating - Lots of restaurants along the beach open in high season. You
can also buy fish from the local ladies and bring to it to a restaurant
to be cooked for a small charge 20,000 VND
Seems to be lots of Bia Hoi (fresh draft beer) beer gardens open in high season.
Transport - Local bus back to Cua Lo leaves from main area of beach. There are lots of motos and taxis around.
Train station - book tickets in advance Hanoi 108,000 VND soft seat.
Accommodation - Lots of guesthouses, 1 swanky hotel that was closed.
Duong Chi Hotel Double room,fridge, bathroom, fan 80,000 VND
Hanoi
Eating -
Beer junction Tahien Luang & Ngoc Quyen Streets - cheapest beer in
the world, packed with travellers. Sit on a plastic chair on the street
corner.
Some great Phos in around
King Cafe on same street.
Quan An Ngon Restaurant at 138 Nam Ky Khoi Ngh - excellent food .
Halong Bay Tours -
Myriad of options available from agencies. Best to go for middle of the road tour.
ODC Travel were to be recommended. Offices in the Camellia Hotel. 3 day 2 night tour.
Transport -
Taxis - taxis that don't have their meter in a glass box will rip you off.
Train - Easy to book sleeper tickets at train station to Sapa on morning of departure. (Hard Sleeper 277,000 VND)
Buying a soft sleeper ticket south to Hue is impossible to do
independently (even 5 days in advance) we were told there were no
sleepers left at all. Unfortunately if you walk into any agent up in
town you can easily pick up a sleeper for the following day - after
been told there were no sleepers we bought five from an agent. You can
even choose your bed. In short it's an annoying racket that forces
independent travellers to fork out commission to agents.
Accommodation-
Dong A Hotel 50 Ma May St
Double, bathroom,fridge, tv, air con $11 USD/ 176,000 VND - we worked out a week stay rate.
Sapa
Take train to Lao Cai and then mini bus to Sapa 25,000 VND. When you
get to the Lao Cai you will be nabbed by the mini bus drivers.
Transport-
There is an official train station in Sapa town that allows you to book
a small selection of soft sleepers back to Hanoi i.e. the most
expensive ones. From talking to other travellers it seems there is a
scam in operation at Lao Cai station. If you go to Lao Cai the day of
your departure and try and buy a hard sleeper for that night you
will be told to come back at 4pm in the afternoon when those tickets go
on sale. When you get back at 4pm you will be told the hard sleepers
are sold out. You will then be approached by someone who can sell you a
hard sleeper ticket ... plus commission.
Motorbike- a good way to see Sapa rental through guesthouse 80,000 VND per day.
Eating - lots of restaurants, look in market for some really cheap food cooked to order.
Accommodation -
Luong Thuy Family Guest House $5
Guesthouse opposite Queen Hotel - double, bathroom, fan $5 USD/ 80,0000 VND
Hue
Tours to DMZ - we checked out multiple tours, most seem to get
consolidated. Prices average at $10 USD. Trekking Cafe had a good
guide. It's a very long day in a bus!
Transport - the train station is outside town, book guesthouse in advance to get free pickup.
Eating - Mandarin Cafe - great food, cheap eats.
Didn't see any food stalls in the market as per Lonely Planet.
Accommodation-
Orchid Hotel - flashpacker but extremely good, rooms $26-$30 USD.
Thanh Bien Guesthouse - double, bathroom, tv, fridge, aircon $9 USD.
Hoi An
Top spot in Vietnam - allocate plenty of time for it. Eat in the great
restaurants, get clothes made, do a cooking course and chill out by the
pool or on the beach.
Transport -
Bus station 2 km out of town.
Train station in Danang 30km away $8-$9 USD transfer
Motorbike rental - 60,000 VND per day.
Train tickets can only be bought from agents in Hoi An. Danang to Nha Trang hard sleeper $17 USD (incl commission)
Eating
Lots of restaurants here are our favs
"Red Bridge" - out of town can get there by riverboat.
"Mango Cafe" - great salads
"Blue Dragon" - good white rose dish, cheap beers.
Restaurant next door to the left of Blue Dragon "Soi Mai" I think it is called.
"Cafe Hai" - good bbq food
"Cargo Club" - all round good food.
Tailors - For the best results bring items with you that you want reproduced.
Ty Ty Cloth Shop 56 Le loi Street - we got suits, shirts, pants and blouses made here. Excellent value.
Costs - suit, shirt, blouse, pants $13 USD.
Thu Thuy 60 Le Loi
Good for making outdoor clothing i.e. zip off travel pants.
Yali - more upmarket.
Accommodation -
An Phu Hotel - good location, swimming pool, good rooms double,
bathroom, fridge, aircon 11 USD (better rooms available $15USD-$30USD)
Glory Hotel- big rooms, swimming pool, not too far out of town. Approx $30 USD
Nha Trang
Diving courses - cheap location to do Padi (280 USD) and ISS (220 USD) diving courses - Angel Dive.
Eating - lots of restaurants good local food check out tips from this site StickyRice
Sailing club- good international food.
Micro Brew beer place Louisana down by the beach
Transport - Train station outside town - cheap taxi ride.
Bus - An Phu, Sinh Cafe etc are all in the centre of town. Bus Nha Trang ->Mui Ne-> Saigon 120,000 VND
Accommodation -
Nice Hotel - big blue hotel in the centre. Brand new, very clean, lift, good value.
Double room, bathroom, fan, fridge $7 USD.
Mui Ne
Resort strip very spread out.
Eating -
If you stay near Sinh Cafe walk north past Watering Hole resort about
500m up the road on the right you'll come across a small restaurant lit
by red lanterns.
Lap Thao Family restaurant opposite Dynasty Resort - great food.
Accommodation-
Watering Hole Resort 150 Ngygen Dinh beside Sinh Cafe.
Double room, bathroom $7
Saigon
Mekong Delta -
We did 3 day 2 night trip through Mekong Delta ending up in Phnom Pehn
through Delta Adventures. It was a holiday weekend and an extra levy
was added by all tour operators. Sinh Cafe is the cheapest option (and
in hindsight may be the best) but their levy was huge. Trip with Delta
Adventure was good, days are very long, accommodation was only ok. All
meals were extra. It's a long bus, boat and bus journey to get to Phnom
Penh.
Eating - Quan An Ngon - 138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia // excellent food
Accommodation -
Hotels at "Little Saigon" end of Mini Hotel Alley are ok, avoid other
end especially later in the day as there are accomm sharks everywhere.
"Hai Duong Hotel" 47 Do Quang Dau - great guesthouse on quiet street, top tip for Saigon.
Double room, bathroom, tv $10 USD
Vietnam to Cambodia border
Easy crossing, visa available on arrival.If you are coming via a boat
from Vietnam they may offer to do your visa application for you for a
charge of $2 saying that it expedites the process. Don't bother with
this it can all be done at the border for no additional charge.
Cost of visa $20 USD you also need to have a passport photo.
Phnom Penh
Restaurant around the corner
Really cheap spirits.
Bus - shop around for bus tickets prices vary.
Bus to Kampot $5.
Accommodation
Kings Hotel
$7 US double, fan, bathroom, cable tv.
Kampot
Nice little riverside town. Base for exploring Bokor National Park
tours in the back of a pickup including lunch cost $7-$8, $10 tours
include ride on the river. Shop around, best to find someone who has
cover over the back of the pickup or a bar down the centre to hold on
to. You get thrown around on the way up and need to duck overhanging
branches the whole time. Bring hat for protection... and sunscreen the
sun beats down.
Taxi to Sihanoukville
In our experience it was more expensive to try and book through
guesthouse. Go to taxi rank and you'll be rushed by lots of drivers
willing to take you. It's a handy hint to try and find the
Sihanoukville drivers going home for the day. Taxi should be no more
than $3 per person .. although they'll pile the people in.
Eating - Rusty's Keyhole - very good fish and chips and huge ribs
Range of other restaurants offering good value and nice foods
Accommodation
Blissful Guesthouse - large range of DVD's
$5 US double room with bathroom
There were also some other new guesthouses that were good value in the area - may be worth checking out.
Sihanoukville
Lots of seafood BBQ and happy hours on the beach.
Bayon restaurant by the water at the end was good.
Seahorse restaurant at top of road leading from beach to golden lion roundabout had great food and cheap beer.
Accommodation
GST Guesthouse Serendipity Beach - best value around.
$5 US double, bathroom tv.
Siem Reap
We were met on the bus from Phnom Penh by a gentleman assuring us that
a tuk tuk ride into the centre or our hotel was "included" in the price
of our bus ticket. The actual situation is that he and the tuk tuk
driver use the time to talk to tourists and try and secure a day out in
Angkor Wat the following day. It's a harmless scam as their day price
for Angkor Wat is a reasonable 12 dollars US - you may chose to avoid
any pressure by either paying the driver a dollar for the ride to town
or booking a guesthouse on the internet and having them pick you up. It
didn't bother us as we were taken to a cheap accommodation and
organised our trip to Angkor Wat without too much effort.
Food
Round the corner from GH pizza restaurant had good burgers.
Buffet $3 US also great value
Accommodation
Good Kind GH $5US double, bathroom, TV. Close to HW 4
Siem Reap to Bangkok
4 companies offer this service to Poipet border then a connection on to
Bangkok on a VIP bus - price ranges from 10 USD to 14 USD so shop
around. Best bus is <Insert name here>
Buses all depart @ around 8am from Siem Reap and take an appalling bad
road to the border. It's very common for punctures to occur and the
four companies seem to help each (by way of lending muscle or wheels).
No matter which company (or price) you chose in Siem Reap you all get
the same VIP bus at the same time from Thai border to Bangkok. If your
bus gets a puncture resist the urge to pay extra and get on one of the
other buses. You're not saving any time everyone has to wait at some
stage.
Bring insect repellent for the bus ... we'd some nasty mossies on our bus.
Bangkok
Place to stock up on cheap visas, eat some western food and wander around enjoying the air conditioned shopping malls.
Transport -
Bus 15 to Siam Centre 7 baht
Bus 53 to train station to connect with MTS 7 baht
Bus 3 to big weekend market
River boat express orange flag brings you to Central to connect with Skytrain close to Myanmar embassy.
Eating -
Lots of restaurants, food courts in Siam and Emporium are excellent.
Embassy information:
Chinese embassy:
Visa applications until 11.30am
Normal cost:1100 baht ready in x days
Express cost: extra 800 baht
Myanmar embassy:
Visa applications 8am-12
Normal Cost:810 baht, 48 hours
Express Cost:810+500, same day service.
Take a number system no longer exists, queue on orange seats. Bring two
passport photographs and a copy of the first page of your passport (can
be done here for a charge of 10 baht). Form has basic questions no need
for a detailed itinerary while in Myanmar. On same street as embassy
there is a travel agency called "Orient Travel" who specialise in
Myanmar. Possible to book internal flights etc and pay in Thailand.
Owner Paul has lots of good information.
Transport South to islands.
Avoid VIP buses at all costs, if you must take one buy and extra seat
for your big bag, sit at the back of the bus with a torch on the ready
and stay awake, do not leave any valuables on the floor of the bus.
Expect locks to be picked and money to go missing. Expect to wait hours
for connections from Surattani to next destination.
Accommodation
Thanh Hotel on river double 6th floor one room
250 baht double w/bathroom & cable t\v
New Siam Riverside - flash packer, hotel rooms, swimming pool.
890 baht room without view
1190 baht riverside view
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