Job Discussion Forums

Steiner · Joined: 21 Apr 2003 Posts: 573 Location: Hunan China

Hello, I'd like your advice on some travel plans. This is an either/or question.

I'm going to be in Bangkok over Spring Festival, but I have a spare week Very Happy

to use travelling somewhere else. Right now the decision is whether to go to Cambodia or to Laos. If Laos, I'd take a train to Nong Khai, Thailand, and then cross by bus to Vientiane, Laos, and spend the five days or so just bumming around Vientiane and surrounding areas. If I go to Cambodia I'd take a bus from Bangkok to the Cambodian border (at Poipet) and then make our way to Siem Reap/Angkor Wat and spend my week there.

Have any of you been to either place? Has anyone gone there like we're considering--overland? If you were deciding, which would you do?

Thanks for the help!

NumberOneSon · Joined: 03 Jul 2003 Posts: 314

Haven't been to Laos or Cambodia, but I've been to Nong Khai.

It's just a sleepy little town on the Mekong, but if you go be
sure to visit the park (Sala Kaeo Ku) with all the weird giant
statues.

Deborann · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2003 10:57 pm Post subject: Cambodia

I haven't been to Laos, but spent a week in Cambodia - 2 days in PP and the remainder at Angkor. Angkor was an amazing experience. I hired a tuk-tuk for the days I was there, and the driver (who looked EXACTLY like the carvings at Bayon) picked me up each morning and we went exploring. The temples and the history behind them blew my mind. The work was incredible.

In PP I either walked or hired a moto and explored - again a good experience.

No comments on how to get there - I flew from Vietnam to PP, took the boat to Siem Reap, flew back to PP, and on to Thailand.

Have a good holiday.

senor boogie woogie · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2003 6:42 am Post subject: I've been to Laos.

Hola!

How much is your plane ticket to Thailand? I want to go! Now is a good time to go weatherwise, it is cool outside and not rainy.

I went to Laos last summer for a week. I started in Vientiane. Vientiane is a small city, and on the first day I rented a small motorbike for 5 USD. The city is small and after driving for about 2 hours (or less) one knows the layout of the city. The beer is called Lao Beer, which is very good, but there is no nightlife which to speak of. The government makes the bars close at 2330 every night. Ask about that motorbike rental. Then you can see the Mekong River, That Luang monestary, and the Arch of Triumph, which was built using American concrete during the Vietnam war. If you travel with a friend, there is a nice outside beer garden type place. Again, drink the Lao beer. It is very, very good.

Lao is the opposite of China. Few people live there. It has the lowest density of people in Asia. The people are decent and most of them speak some English. Lao people also make baugettes (from the French times) and the foreign food is delicious. People there spoke good English, so no problems there. If you pick up a few words of Thai, you can say them in Laos and they woill understand you. I know:

Hello-Saibai Dee and Thank You-Kop Die (as in COP DIE!)

If you go to Lao, use your Thai Bhat or USD if you have any. They will hapily accept both. The Lao money is called the KIP, and the exchange rate for KIP stands at about 10,000=1 USD. The biggest KIP is the 20,000 KIP bill which is worth about 2 USD or 16 RMB. Thats the BIGGEST bill there is. I sold a bank 100 USD and got some much kip back, I put it in my travel bag. A can of soda is about 5000 kip, that I remember. Taxis were more expensive, but not too bad.

The bus station is at a market, near the Arch of Triumph (you wont miss it). I went to a place called Vang Vieng for a couple of days, which is about 2 hours north of the capital. Vang Vieng had a lot of tourists, mainly Israeli and English.

If you are interested in Buddhism, opium/and or marijuana, Laos is for you. There is the "Plain of Jars" and a historical place called Laung Prabhang which maybe is worth a look. I just went to Vang Vieng, unscrewed my brain a couple of times, was bored and went home. I also missed my wife. Communication from Lao to China is expensive and it sucks. I called my wife once, the connection was bad and it cost my about 5 USD, and of course, my Chinese cell would not work.

Probably this summer, I will take a trip starting from Bangkok to Pattaya, then Chaing Mai to the north, then go over to Vientiane, Laos, take the bus to Vang Vieng, then go to Laung Prahbang then cross the Chinese border at Mohe (Yunnan), then take the train from there to Kunming, then fly home to Hangzhou.

If you are an American, no visa is required for Thailand, just go. Laos requires a visa, but I have read on the internet that one can be obtained at certain border crossings and at the Wattay Airport in Vientiane. If you go to Lao, just go to a consulate in BKK or another city. I'm itching for another trip, but I have only one more exit on my visa.

Verdict:
The Dude loves Laos (but he's high all the time)
The Senor found it to be Mamahuhu.

SENOR

ContemporaryDog · Joined: 21 May 2003 Posts: 1477 Location: Wuhan, China

Are you sure about lowest density in Asia? Lower than Mongolia?

Maybe you mean SE Asia...

Steiner · Joined: 21 Apr 2003 Posts: 573 Location: Hunan China

Senor, Deborann, and even you, NumberOneSon, thanks. It's a tough decision and I think I may try to do both--spend less time in Bangkok, go to Angkor, and then fly up to Vientiane before heading back south by train to a Thai beach.

If anyone decides to go to Cambodia overland from Thailand, be sure to check out http://www.talesofasia.com.

struelle · Joined: 16 May 2003 Posts: 2372 Location: Shanghai

khmerhit · Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2003 7:39 pm Post subject:

Steiner,

You can travel from Bangkok to siem reap, as im sure you know, in a day. It is a memorable journey-- I did it in the Spring of 98, the week that Pol Pot died. its cheaper than flying and more exciting.
Also,
You can now enter Laos from the Cambodian side of the mekong. If pressed for time you can even bypass Phnom Penh (which is not very tourist worthy anyway; it takes months to appreciate it) go to K Cham from S Reap, travel up the Mekong to Kratie, and be in Laos in a matter of days.
Whatever you do, be sure to get out into the villages in the countryside.
bon voyage! Wish i was coming along too!
kh
Very Happy

senor boogie woogie

Some questions,

How much is this trip going to cost? I want to do the exact trip soon. Flightds, hotel rooms, all that jazz.

How are you going to exchange your RMB into Thai Bhat, or possibly Cambodian riel and Laos Kip? I had some USD when I went to Laos.

On my Z visa, I paid for 2 exits, and I burned one going to Laos. How much would I have to pay for an unlimited visa, or a re-entry visa?

SENOR

Steiner · Joined: 21 Apr 2003 Posts: 573 Location: Hunan China

The trip is costing quite a bit, but we've been blessed with the funds. I'm not planning on using RMB, I'll use my ATM/credit card in Thailand to withdraw funds from a U.S. account. Flight from Changsha to Bangkok and then back to Hong Kong is about U.S. 350. It'd be a lot cheaper if I wanted to take a train to Guangzhou or HK, but I don't. I'm not doing the total budget thing in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos--I'll stay in $15 a night places instead of $5 a night places. If you're worried about money there are plenty of dorm rooms around. Add in visas and travel in-country, that can be a lot more or a little more depending on whether you like to go really slowly and uncomfortably or not. You can get from Bangkok to Angkor for about $5 or $6 but it's miserable and takes all day. You can get there faster but it'll cost more of course. All this is hearsay. Most of my info on how to get around has come from http://www.talesofasia.com and the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree. If you want to know how much we spent, PM me in February.

I've got no idea about the Z visa. I've got an unlimited reentry visa but the school paid for it.

Slim Pickens · Joined: 25 Nov 2003 Posts: 299

Minhang Oz · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 610 Location: Shanghai,ex Guilin

So my query on this thread regarding the possibility of overland travel Kunming to Laos got nuked too. WTF is happening in this place?

Steiner · Joined: 21 Apr 2003 Posts: 573 Location: Hunan China

ToraGal · Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Posts: 24

hi there, thought Id add- i loved both i really did- the people there are equally as nice- i ended spending more time in Laos, just because i fell in love with Luang Prabang spent 10 days there- the town is nice a chill, good eatsm a nice night market- the locals were great!

Cambodias Angor Wat was the most amazing thing ive seen in my whole life- i was completely overwhelmed by it. Once you see it, no other temple will ever compare... it has to seen in person to be appreciated.

good luck

StephPoet · Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 26

Just a comment about the marijuana and opium (referenced in an earlier post): it's not a smart idea to get involved in drugs abroad, let alone in Asian countries. I don't see why Laos would be an exception...unless someone has information?