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When you want to buy something as clothes or anything, you should always try to lower the original price. When the seller say a price, you say a lower price than this, and go on like this until you both accept a price. As a Swedish it was very hard for me to do bargaining. In Sweden we always pay fixed prices, we pay what is on the price label. So it was a very culture different to bargain!
In Laos temples are not just tourist highlights but living places, around which you will often see monks coming and going.Inside the temples you have to take off your shoes. In most of them is forbidden to take pictures. But if you go to rural or small ones, you can seat discreetly at a corner and watch people come to pray, monks arranging things, sticks being burnt... a lot of daily activity!You are allowed to take photos in these small ones, but try not to disturb, be silent...
While it is common to see young Lao people (girls and guys) shaking hands back with you, it is uncommon and unnecessary to extend your hand (if you're a male) to Lao ladies. They would instead do the 'wai' (with both hands held together) practised and well known throughout Indochina, especially Thailand.
When I stayed in a small and beautiful village called Muang Ngoi Neua near Luang Prabang, I saw a family in the village was making some kind of metal screw propeller by themselves. This village is just located by the Nam Ou river, so the screw propellers are much needed to equip the small boats.Firstly they make the fire burn hard by a kind of blowing machine, and then boil raw metal material into liquid. At last, they put the liquid into the mold by a spoon-like tool. After some time, the front part of a screw propeller comes into being.It was the first time that I had had the chance to observe the process of making a screw propeller by hand. I have to say people can really make a lot of things without so much machinery.
This was shared to me by two Lao university girls. They noticed it was very common among foreigners to ruffle kids' heads, or among each other as a gersture of affection. This practise however, is not considered polite as the head is considered a high point in the body and needs to be treated with respect.On the same token, feet are considered the lowest point of the body and so should not be pointing towards the head or on anything above the ground (well generally). Our students once did a library project for a Lao school in Vientiane. They painted the exterior walls which carried footprints as are common on comic books and children's story books. A week later when we went to see the school, we realised the footprints were painted over. The footprints were painted on a low wall of abt 2 feet above the ground, but it was considered impolite.
it's possible to get an entry visa to Laos right on the spot at the Friendship Bridge if u come overland from Thailand. It's the only land border where you can get a visa on the spot. All u need is 2 photographs and 30 dollars in cash (or 40, I'm not too sure). Then you just have to fill in the application form and pay the bridge overtime tax.. which u'll have to pay most of the times - a small bribe in fact - but it's only a few cents anyway. COming in from toehr border crossings you need to get a visa beforehand: it normally takes 3-4 working days, but for a small fee, it's possibly to have an extress visa in 2 days.
Again something I learnt from the 2 university students here in Singapore on exchange. They commented on how common it is to see young people in Singapore openly kissing, hugging, being intimate on the trains, buses here. And how it is considered rude in their society as it is still conservative in these matters. They advised our youth to refrain from holding hands, kissing in public places. It would attract the 'wrong' kind of attention.
Let's start with the official currency: the kip. The larger note around is 5000 kips, which is a ridiculous sum. Officially they have issued 10000 and 20000 kip notes - I have even seen pics of them on old newspapers - but they don't seem to be circulating. 5000 kips are about 50 cents - so for 50 $ one gets half a million... definitely not a handy currency. US $ and baht are accepted everywhere. Rough exchange rates: 10 $ = 100000 kips, 100 baht, 10000 kips = 500 baht
Beerlao has been pruduced in Laos since 1973. It's a delicious light and refreshing beer. Its taste in somewhat peculiar, due to the ingradients used: the usual water, malt, hops, yeast and -hear, hear -polished or broken rice! Most of it is consumed in Laos, but I heard it's readily available in Cambodia, too.
Trust the local dodgy-looking medicines. In spite of the heat i got a vicious cold... so well, off to a ridiculous pharmacy I went, looking for a remedy. The pharmacist turned out to be a 10 year old girl. For the record she spoke no English so we had to use sign language. Once established what the problem was, she took out of a box some bright yellow pills and instructed me to take a few with water: 6 hours later my cold had disappeared. Someone I met along the road got some blisters on her lips (a sort of herpes i think)..We went to the same pharmacist who gave her a tiny bag of some weird brown powder that looked very much like mud to put on her lips. Within 12 hours she was much better, and 12 hours later she had healed. Thank you baby-pharmacist -you are the best of the lot.
La Residence Phou Vao Luang Prabang
4 Reviews and 281 Opinions TOUGH MANAGEMENT While this facility may be nice, I know the management is tough and does not have...
Settha Palace Hotel Vientiane
5 Reviews and 132 Opinions Settha Palace is a small luxury family owned hotel.It has its importance as a historical example of...
Ban Sabai Riverside Bungalow Vang Vieng
84 Opinions
Reviews and photos of Laos attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Laos sightseeing.
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Q: do any VT have any experience with the VIP overnight sleeper bus from Vientiane to Luang Prabang??? is it reasonably...
A: I took the VIP bus from Luang Prabang to Vientienne in 2010. There is a toilet on the bus. I was on the upper deck and the airconditioner was very weak. So it was a VHB...
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