Get money at the ATM
by li-anne
Don't worry about getting no money. There sure is 1 ATM at Luang Prabang.
The ATM is at Sisavangvong Road, just opposite the Luang Prabang Bakery, a little further than the Royal Palace.
You can see from far if the ATM is operational, you'll notice a large queue of people. If the ATM is not working, they will shut the wooden doors in front of it.
You can get 700.000 kip at one time, and you are allowed to get 6x 700.000 kip a day.
That's also the reason of the queue; almost all the people get the money out of the ATM 6 times at a time.
The Cheeky Monk
by richiecdisc
On leaving, we spotted some monks in particularly photogenic situations and lingered to try and capture some of their essence on film but soon realized they seemed to have a six sense for people sneakily taking pictures of them. Two such subjects soon made their way up to us and surprisingly initiated a conversation, wanting to practice their language skills. Not only were they very open in explaining their lifestyle, they were very curious to ours, especially seeing how we were not married and from different countries. Their English skills were excellent but one of them even spoke quite a bit of German. Doreen enjoyed this, as we had not met any Germans on the trip up to this point. The linguistic show-off asked if I spoke German. It seemed an innocent enough question and I replied, just a little. So, he continued to talk to Doreen as I fended with the mere English-speaking monk. After quite a lengthy conversation with them, we explained we had to get on our way. We bid them farewell, and the cheeky one slyly offered up a parting in German that Doreen smiled about as we walked away. Once outside of the compound, she explained that he had told her she was very beautiful. It appeared that his question about my knowledge of German was not so innocent after all. I guess boys will be boys, even if they are monks.
Slowboat for local people
by Willettsworld
The slowboat not only takes westerners from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang but is also used by local people who travel between small villages that the boat calls at. As well as people, the boat also delivers goods, food and livestock - we had some chickens clucking away in cages on the roof of our boat!
License Plate
by Animas
There are many color of License Plate but you will usually see two colors
WHITE for business vehicles and
YELLOW for private vehicles.
Some come with an expiration date on the bottom line means that plates are temporary.
Jungle Trekking
by sieffron
The mountains surrounding Luang Prabang provide excellent opportunities to trek through some of the finest scenery in Laos. The outdoor adventure companies in town have your ticket to visit welcoming hilltribes subsiting in the rugged jungles.
Possibilities range from day trips to multi-day hikes with overnights in villages. I did my trekking through White Elephant Adventures. I went on a three-day tour; the first day was mountain biking, the second was nearly nine hours of trekking from one village in a valley to another up in the mountains, and the third day we trekked for about four hours down to the Nam Seung River, where we transferred to kayaks and rafts for a few more hours before riding back to town in trucks.
The cost of the tour was $90 and it included all meals, water, use of equipment, two overnights in villages, and motorized transfers.
The day of hiking was the most physically taxing thing I've ever done. The mountains of Northern Laos are incredibly steep and the heat and humidity were, even in mid-October, unrelenting. We bushwacked through vertical cornfields and pumpkin patches, and crawled through thick brush tunnels. Our reward was an overnight in a bucolic Khmu village that was having only its second contact with Western people. For more details, please see my Luang Prabang travelogue. I wore my Tevas throughout the three days. They held up well for each portion of the excursion. I would recommend that you wear convertible pants (the ones that zip away to become shorts) and a moisture-wicking shirt. Bring socks and a light jacket for the evening as it can get cool in the mountains. Insect repellent, sunblock, and hand sanitizer are also recommended.
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Wat Xieng Thong
Front porch of guesthouse
Dara Market, Luang Prabang, Lao.
View from Ban Xieng Mene
