6 Months Travel Expenses

Actual Expenses

On February 21 2016, our travels reached a milestone. The half-way point of our trip. It had been 6 months that we had been travelling. I was curious about what our expenses were and how much it had cost me for 24 weeks (1 month being 4 weeks for our budget purposes). Here is what our expenses turned out to be:
Total for 6 months of travel : 11 749$ Canadian or 9151$ USD. Here is a month by month graph showing the monthly totals.

(Month 1 : Peru \ Month 2 : Bolivia, Chile, Peru \ Month 3: Philippines \ Month 4: Vietnam \ Month 5: Laos, Thailand \ Month 6 : Thailand, Myanmar)
But this is just totals, let’s dive into the individual totals of some sub categories:

•  Accommodation:
  • Air bnb and hostels: 2 631$
    • Total: 2631$
•  Communication
  • Sim cards: 34$
    • Total: 34$
•  Transportation
  • Intercity bus: 678$
  • Taxi fares: 415$
  • Local transportation: 121$
  • Intercity train: 249$
  • Motorcycle rental: 248$
  • Gas for motorcycles: 74$
  • Boat travelling: 78$
  • Airfare: 398$ ( not including the pre-bought tickets for south America and Philippines of 1200$)
    • Total:2261$
•  Food
  • Groceries: 296$
  • Dining out: 2203$
  • Booze: 131$
  • Snacks: 256$
  • Ice cream:46$
  • Coffee\tea: 360$
  • Non-alcoholic drinks: 127$
    • Total: 3420$
• Banking
  • ATM Fees: 75$
  • Bank monthly fee: 150$
  • Exchange fees: 6$
    • Total: 232$
• Personal Care
  • Medication: 142$
  • Washroom access: 5$
  • Clothing: 233$
  • Laundry: 3$
  • Hygiene products: 61$
  • Shoes\ sunglasses: 30$
  • Hair cuts: 4$
    • Total: 479$
• Entertainment
  • Entrance fees: 276$
  • Trekking: 479$
  • Movies: 28$
  • Theatre: 34$
  • Tours\ classes: 429$
  • Spa: 97$
  • Books: 100$
  • Arcade\games: 26$
  • Museum: 17$
    • Total: 1485$
• Miscellaneous Expenses
  • Souvenirs: 237$
  • Visa pictures: 13$
  • Visa fees: 360$
  • Tips: 55$
  • Donations: 266$
  • Shipping\post: 191$
  • Random stuff: 50$
  • Luggage Storage: 14$
  • Dahn: 20$
    • Total: 1206$

Dahn and I worked really hard on our budget. We wrote down all or expenses daily. I was hoping that showing the numbers would help fellow travellers know what to expect.

Budgeted Expenses

Our initial goal was to spend 50$ Canadian per day which we based off a book we read on how to survive with 50$ USD per day. What we had not realised is that when we left Canada the Canadian dollar had plummeted. Due to the oil crisis, the Canadian dollar was only worth about 70 cents to the USD dollar. Meaning that instead of having the recommended 50$ USD per day we had budgeted 35$ USD per day. Seeing how our 6 month daily average was 69.94$ CAD per day, we can say we failed our goal. However, converted to USD we managed at 54.47$ USD per day which is great. Considering that we lived quite well in 8/10 + rated hostels, guesthouses or hotels, that we ate out every day, that we did some awesome activities and that we travelled quite a bit in those 6 months.

I am confident in saying that 50$ USD per day is a very realistic budget. By avoiding tourist traps and tourist restaurants, by going to bars rarely and by planning your transportation ahead, it is very easy to accomplish this target. Many travellers will even say that 50$ USD per day is too much and that can be true if you plan on doing some HelpX, Workaways or WWOOFings. Doing any of these 3 options can easily bring down you daily budget to 30-35$ USD. Even less if you just plan on just working, eating and sleeping.
Dahn and I lived a luxurious backpacker’s lifestyle and yet we managed to stay in a reasonable daily spending. There is no excuse for those who say travelling is impossible because it is so expensive. If you are able to save 1000$ before leaving, it is quite feasible that you can travel for months. With work exchanges, some occasional craigslist jobs, hitchhiking and some courage and will power, it is very possible.
I hope that this horribly wrote article will help motivate some people to travel. Stop finding excuses and get out there! It is really worth the effort and you will not regret it.

Boat from Luang Prabang to Huay Xai

Visiting Laos is still a new thing. The small country was for a long time forgotten and has only recently seen a large increase in tourism. This contributes to the lack of information out there about Laos and especially travelling within Laos. Even for one of the most popular boat trips, we had issues knowing exactly what is what. We therefore decided to make a little post about it.

For those who are like us, who have plenty of time and who like to save money, avoiding air travel is a must while travelling. Plus you get to pollute less and see much more which is great. That is why when we decided to go from Luang Prabang to Thailand, we hopped on a boat heading for Huay Xai in Laos. From there we would cross the border into Chiang Khong and take a bus to Chiang Mai.

The adventure started in the early morning as we booked a tuk tuk to bring us to the port which is no longer in the city. It cannot be accessed by foot so you might be tempted to buy your tickets pre-arranged at an agency but that is not necessary at all. The morning of your departure, simply hail a tuk tuk around 6:30 am in the morning and ask for the boats to Huay Xai. The trip should cost no more then 60 000 KIP. Once you arrive you will see a large ticket office were you can buy the ticket to Pak Beng for 110 000 KIP by slow boat. You can no longer buy tickets for the full trip. You will be given the choice of the slow boat or speedboat at the kiosk but because the speedboats are so dangerous and not recommended, the slow boat would be the ideal choice.

The boats leave at around 8 am in the morning and the journey is rather pleasant. The seats are old vans seats that are not screwed in so you can move them about freely. Some people turned them around so they could face each other, some people made beds with the seats, other adjusted their leg room. The scenery during the 9 hour long ride is absolutely stunning. You will encounter naked kids jumping in the river and rolling themselves in sand, water buffalos and cows cleaning themselves in the river, stunning limestone peaks, rolling hills, banana farms, cloud shrugged mountain tops and cute traditional villages. The boat is noisy but if you sit near the front of the boat you can easily speak normally and be heard.

The slow boats come loaded with enough seats for 40-70 people, a small counter that sells instant noodles and beer, a toilet or two and enough room to store large luggage. You can easily walk about the boat when your butt gets numb and make some friends. As sometimes the boat is not moving at all while climbing the strong rapids, you will have enough time to get to know your fellow travelers or to have an awesome dream in your nap. It was quite funny at times as we seemed to be stuck at the same place rocking side to side but not moving an inch up the rapids. This was during the dry season mind you. I can’t imagine how slow the voyage must be during the wet season. That being said, you will have made it to Pak Beng by dusk and will now spend a night here before leaving in the wee hours of the morning the next day to take the second boat.

There are plenty of hotels in Pak Beng but all the good hotels were all booked up in advance. If you don’t mind staying in a shabby hotel, that is fine but booking the day before might be a wise thing to do if you would like to pay a good rate and have a good place to stay. There are also many restaurants and bars in the small town to keep you busy for the night. If you are low on cash there are two ATM machines up the main hill.

After some O.K. food and an average night of sleep we woke up early to catch the second slow boat to Huay Xai. Going down to the boats, there are plenty of stalls selling sandwiches for you to bring on board the boat for your lunch. Some are better than others so ask around for the best. After getting our sandwiches and other snacks for the 8 hour long journey we headed down towards the dock in search of the kiosk to buy the tickets. There is no kiosk. You simply need to head down to the boats and say your destination, either Huay Xai or Luang Prabang and the captains will usher you on the right boat. Double check to make sure you are on the right boat as at least four people were on the wrong boat with us.

The fare from Pak Beng to Huay Xai is the same as the one from Luang Prabang to Pak Beng. The boat is as slow on the second day, the scenery as beautiful and the voyage as relaxing. About 8 hours later and we arrived in Huay Xai.

From there, to cross the border we needed to get a Tuk Tuk from the docks to the border crossing. We were charged per individual. Around 25 000 KIP per person but I am certain you can get much cheaper than this. After we paid our fee we arrived at the border which was really quite empty. After 6 pm they have an after hour fee of about 10 000 KIP to process you leaving the country. Then to cross the bridge of friendship, you will have to pay a bus to cross you to the Thai side. That is another 10 000 KIP. There is no fee to enter Thailand, but they do force you to take the borders tuk tuk into the city of Chiang Khong. We were dropped at our hotel for a flat fee of 100 BAHT per person.

From Chiang Khong, travel to Chiang Mai can be easily arranged with hostel, hotels or travel agencies. To save a bit of money you could walk to the bus station and pay there but the difference in cost, was the same as taking a tuk tuk. We opted to choose travel provided by our hotel.

I hope this helps clarify the voyage for anybody hoping to do the same as we did. It was really a great adventure and we truly enjoyed our two days on the boat. The voyage can be done from the reverse. Xuay Xai to Luang Prabang. It is quicker but a bit more expensive and much more crowed.

 

Bus from Hanoi to Vientiane A.K.A. “bus from Hell”

The bus from Hanoi to Vientiane, often named the “bus from Hell”, is known by many travelers as one of the worst bus rides in South East Asia. Wanting to get from Hanoi, Vietnam to Vientiane, Laos as cheaply as possible, I convinced Dahn that the internet likes to overreact. That the “bus from Hell” is simply a made up term by frustrated travelers who always want to be in maximum comfort. Travelers who think everything is about them and do not consider others. Well, as I soon learned, either I was one of those travelers now or it is actually the bus from Hell.

Having convinced Dahn, the next step was to buy the tickets for the bus. You can either go to the bus station in Hanoi that is 30 mins away from the old center and buy the tickets for between 450 000 VND to 500 000 VND or buy from an agency or hotel for around 650 000 VND. We decided that getting the transport to the bus station would probably come to around the same price and be a lot of hassle. We therefore went to the trusted Sinh Cafe Tourist agency to buy our ticket and hoped this would assure us good seats. The agent confirmed that we would have middle of the bus seats on the lower bunk beds. Dahn began to feel better as everything seemed really convincing and seemed to be going well. That lasted only until we got out of the office.

We realized that we went to a copycat Sinh Cafe (See our blog post about 11 Things to know about Vietnam). Our hearts dropped as we ran inside to get a refund. The agent refused and insisted that he is selling a quality product. After some polite arguing we left with fear in our hearts and empty wallets containing only some sketchy looking bus tickets.

The next day we did not feel any better when the bus that was supposed to pick us up at 5 PM did not show up until 6 PM. We then were driven away to the bus station and due to heavy traffic we arrived at 7 PM. The departure time of our bus. That did not stop our guide from taking his time while handing us our real bus tickets. After confirming with him that we had reserved middle of the bus seats on lower bunk beds he gave us our tickets and we headed out in the rain to board our bus. Luckily it was still there waiting for our group and some other Vietnamese.

Wet Bus station

Under the rain, we ran to and attempted to board the bus. For some reason, the bus driver refused to let us on. The bus was already half full with Vietnamese clients, why were we not allowed? We then ask a Vietnamese young lady who had a British boyfriend to ask the bus driver why we could not get on. He told her that she could board now, that he was letting the Vietnamese clients board first. Wet and confused, we watched and waited another 10 minutes in the rain until the last Vietnamese client arrived and we were then allowed to board.

We boarded the bus expecting to find our seats in the middle of the bus on the lower bunk beds. They were all occupied already. When we finally found our seat, it was in the back of the bus as the internet told us it would be. All foreigners were at the back of the bus as expected. Knowing that arguing was futile, we sat in our capsule like seats and were happy that at least there was no luggage beside us or sleeping people in the lanes like the internet had told us. That was true, for the first few hours.

As the night go darker, the bus stopped more and more picking up people from the side of the road. The already full bus got fuller and fuller with people laying in the allies as predicted by the internet. The pile of sometimes stinky luggage grew bigger and bigger in the back of the bus. So much so that I could barely get out of my seat by now. Luckily for me however, the person laying in the ally beside me was a small Vietnamese boy.

This young boy was curious about me and especially my smartphone. I spent a good time of the bus ride showing him pictures, videos and games on my smartphone. It not only helped pass the time but it also brought my spirits up a bit. A few hours of gaming later, the boy and I fell asleep and spent a rather usual night bus ride. In and out of sleep, cold and uncomfortable but not bad. We then arrived at the Laos – Vietnam border in the early morning before the border actually opened. We got a good two hours or so of motionless sleep which was nice. At around 7 or 8 AM the gates opened and we got off the bus to stamp-out of Vietnam. Unsurprisingly there was an unannounced 20 000 Dong exit fee to pay, so make sure to have at least that much left in VND. After we were cleared, we were told by the bus driver that we had to walk to the Laos border. Arguing being useless, all foreigners walked in the morning misty rain for a kilometer up and down a muddy road while the Vietnamese people were comfortably dry inside the bus.

The British guy with a Vietnamese girlfriend realized mid-way while speaking with other foreigners that the reason we were supposed to walk and not the Vietnamese was because we needed to get an entry-visa. Having prepared his visa ahead of time he ran back to the bus to not get too wet. While we were filling our Visa on entry form that cost us 43 $ USD because we are Canadians (list of visa costs), the British guy came into the Visa office out of breath and dripping wet. He had been refused access to the bus and had to run back! I could not believe it. He just waited there wet and shivering while we got our visas.

After everybody got their visas, we crossed the Laos gate and were officially in Laos! We were excited and sad of leaving Vietnam but could not wait to discover Laos. We now were expecting a smooth 5-6 hours bus ride arriving in Vientiane in time for dinner. Obviously, that was not about to happen.

A few hours into the beautiful scenery of Laos, our bus stopped mid-way a hill. Not sure what had happened, we waited in the warming bus for about 30 minutes until people started to get out of the bus and saw the workers pouring dozens of water bottles in the engine cooler. We waited another 20 minutes for the bus to cool down as it seemed to have overheated due to a leak in the engine cooling system. We were then on our way! For another 200 meters until the bus came to a halt again…

We were now only 5 hours away from Vientiane but had to wait for the bus to get fixed. The workers who did not speak Vietnamese did not even try to communicate with the foreigners but thanks to the British guy’s girlfriend, we found out that the bus needed to be fixed with a part that would have to be driven over from Vientiane. Meaning we would have to wait at least 5 hours plus the time to fix the bus. Thankfully, for some, a bus stopped beside us and started to take people for around 10$ USD in KIP. Problems was, us and many others did not have any KIP yet. Thus, we had to wait. And wait we did.

The bus was not fixed until 7 PM. The bus broke down around 11 AM… It was a long wait for sure. Thankfully however, we had made friends with the British guy and his Vietnamese girlfriend. We got to know a lot about them, Britain and Vietnam. While speaking with them, we also learned that the bus driver and his assistant were laughing at the foreigners at the border crossing and that they actually enjoyed seeing us upset. We were quite shocked and angry but not surprised, not at that point.

5 hours later, we made it alive in Vientiane, frustrated but alive. Obviously we did not get any type of apology or compensation and we had to pay inflated prices for the tuk tuks in Vientiane as it was pass the curfew time in Laos. The bus station being located quite far from the old town, expect to pay up to 70 000 KIP per person. We had gotten it down to 35 000 KIP each because we walked to the street and we were four people.

So all of this being said, I can’t honestly call it a “bus from Hell”. Will it be an unpleasant journey? Yes. Will you feel like you are not equal to Vietnamese people? Yes. Will you get frustrated but won’t be able to express your feelings? Yes, or else you will get double the unpleasantness. Will you momentarily feel like all of Vietnam is a horrible place? Yes probably, for a few hours after you get off the bus. But as time goes by, you will miss Vietnam and its people. And you will not have regretted having taken the “bus from Hell”. We made some new friends and got to see some amazing scenery. We got to experience new feelings we never had before and we were maybe even humbled by the “bus from Hell”. If you need to travel from Hanoi to Vientiane, do take the bus. You won’t be visiting Hell. But you might just feel like your knocking on the first gate…

Dahn staying happy by showing her unhappiness

Anyway, Good luck and good travels! It’s really not that bad, Dahn always like to remind me how dramatic I am so no worries!

Luang Prabang’s alms-giving ceremony

The alms-giving ceremony, known as Tak Bat in Laos is not unique to Luang Prabang. In fact, it is a daily Buddhist ceremony. It occurs every morning at dawn everywhere in Laos and in many Buddhist countries in South East Asia. But why is it especially popular in Luang Prabang and should you go and visit it? Before we answer these questions, what is the alms-giving ceremony exactly?

The alms-giving ceremony consist of local monks walking barefoot towards their Wat (temple) in a line and in a show of poverty and humility accept food offerings (usually rice) by local Buddhists who in turn gain spiritual merit through the act of giving. At the end of the procession line, monks will give some of the food back to poor people in need. During this ceremony, there are many rules to follow as to not cause offence to the monks or fellow Buddhists.

So what makes the ceremony in Luang Prabang so famous? Well part of it is lucky marketing thanks to many travel shows showing this ceremony in Luang Prabang. Mostly however, it is because of like most things in life: location, location, location! Luang Prabang is beautifully set between the Mekong River and the Nham Khan River with steep beautiful mountains surrounding the city. There are also many beautiful temples packed in a small amount of space which makes it easy to see many monks in a small area. With the morning mist and UNESCO heritage houses and temples, Tak Bat in Luang Prabang is absolutely stunning.

Beautiful temples of LP

So obviously, with this being said, the answer to should you visit the ceremony in Luang Prabang is yes. But, please continue reading as the next part is very important!

Because Tak Bat is so special in Luang Prabang, many tourists like myself arrive in the city and flock in masses to watch the ceremony. This has led to many problems. Mainly, people being disrespectful and affecting the ceremony. Tak Bat is not a show for tourist. It is not a theatre show. As such, tourist should:

• Stand as far away from the monks as possible, usually across the street;
• Limit picture taking and definitely not use the flash;
• Be quiet and not speak loudly or laugh;
• Not participate in the ceremony unless you are Buddhist or you are a spiritual person who believes in gaining spiritual merit through respectful giving.

 

O.K. the last one is my opinion only but I saw so many tourist performing the ceremony while not following the rules and almost all of them doing it for that sweet Instagram picture.

Girl standing while giving alms in a short skirt, uploading her sweet instagram pic

If you really want to participate in the ceremony, you should:

• Bring high quality rice (kao kai noi) in a rice-basket cooked by your guesthouse or bought at a morning market stall, not a street vendor;
• Dress respectfully, fully covering your body (long skirt for women and pants for men);
• Wash your hands before giving;
• Kneel shoe-less on your knees sitting on your legs on a bamboo mat (especially for women, men can stand);
• Not make eye-contact with the monks;
• Not take pictures while in the ceremony.

You would be surprised at how many people would participate in the ceremony while taking pictures of them or their friends. There were also many people talking very loudly, some laughing. Many tourist turned into paparazzi’s, sticking their flashing cameras in the monks face. There was even a dude trying to get an up skirt picture of the monks.

Tourist using flashes up close on monks and following them closely

So please, follow the above guidelines as to respect this beautiful and peaceful ceremony. Help try to preserve this ceremony by informing your friends and fellow tourist who might just not know.

P.S. The ceremony occurs every morning around 6 am in the streets of old Luang Prabang.

10 Things to know about Laos

I only spent 16 days in Laos so I am definitely not an expert on the country. This being said, during this time Dahn and I got to experience quite a bit of the country as we lived a more touristy life in Laos than in other countries. Instead of just always lazing about, we actually went out and explored the country. A part of it anyway. During this short time, here are some of things I noticed and think you guys might appreciate knowing about Laos.

1. Traffic: Or the lack of it. There is very little traffic in Laos, if any. In Vientiane, the capital city, we walked around many times during rush hour and never saw more than 10 cars lined up at a light. This means the air is much cleaner than most of its neighbors and your life is not always in constant danger. Drivers here are very relaxed and will even let you cross the street before them. They will rarely go at high speeds in the city and in other cities then Vientiane, there are so few vehicles that you can often cross the street with your eyes closed (not recommended). This being said, highway driving is quite similar to other South-east Asian countries with dangerous speediing and passing.
   

   

   
2. Horns: Or like #1, the lack of it. Laos’s streets are an amazing change to many of the other surrounding countries as they are very quiet. Car, bus, truck and motorcycle
   horns are rarely used which makes walking down a busy street, a strangely silent and pleasant thing to do. You can speak and not scream in city centers and you also won’t get startled to death every few seconds, which is nice.
3. Transportation: Not so pleasant in Laos. VIP buses have a different meaning in Laos and Minivans drivers drive like they are high on cocaine. Local buses breakdown often and are quite beat up. To add to this problem, most roads are in bad condition. Especially the roads from Vientiane to Vang Vieng which are technically paved, paved like a slice of Swiss cheese. There are holes everywhere! Boats are a nice alternative as the ride is much smoother. However going up rivers like the the Mekong from Luang Prabang to Huay Xai can be quite slow as at times, the slow boats struggle to climb the rapids. The speedboats are much quicker but are not recommended due to safety issues. You will often see passengers wearing full face motorcycle helmets and pass you at blaring speeds! Sounds fun though right!?
   

   

   

   
4. Nature: Laos has some of the most pristine nature in Asia. It is one of the countries with the most nationally protected areas (NPAs) in the world. NPAs Cover 14% of the land plus an additional 4% of provincially protected land makes Laos one of the premier destinations in the world for trekking, animal sightseeing, kayaking and other nature related activities. Laos also has a booming Eco-tourism market which helps support local people protect their land instead of destroying it. Many places hire ex-poachers or illegal loggers to show them that by protecting the land they can make more money than by destroying it. There are also 49 recognized different ethnic groups in Laos that live in remote villages. You can visit these villages through multi-day treks. Again with an Eco-tour agency which will help provide a better life to the villagers.
   

   

   

   

   

   
5. Cost: The cost to travel in Laos is surprisingly expensive for such a poor country. Cost of meals, drinks, hotels, transportation and activities are quite expensive compared to its neighbors. A meal that would normally cost 3 $ CAD in Vietnam is easily 6-8 $ CAD in Laos. A good coffee in Vietnam was about 1.30 $ CAD compared to 4$ in Laos. Choices for accommodation are also limited compared to Vietnam or Thailand and tended to be more expensive for lower quality rooms.
6. People: Laos has some of the friendliest people I met so far during my travels. They are so relaxed and pleasant to talk to. Nobody ever got verbally or physically angry with us. People often smile when you cross eyes. Rural kids and adults wave when you pass by and in cities they invite you to their noisy outdoor parties. Instead of looking at foreigners with disgust they look at us with curiosity. When a market deal falls through, they smile and go on with their life. Nobody is pushy and they were all very respectful. Laos is no longer the land of a million elephants unfortunately but at least, they can now be called the land of a million smiles.
   

   

   

   
7. Food: What we had was very good, but with such a hard language to read, with little information online about local delicacies and city centers built only for tourists, it was very hard to find local dishes that we will long for. Those that did were often copies of those of Vietnam or Thailand. I am NOT saying that they do not have their own delicious specialties as I am sure they do. We just had difficulties finding them. Off the tip of my tongue, I could only mention Laap and Lao sausage. Don’t murder me please, I love Laos I swear! I need a food guide next time… 😦
   

   

   

   

   
8. UXO: Laos has had a very difficult history and more recently, have been an innocent victim of the Vietnam War (“American” War). Even though they had signed a UN agreement that they were neutral in the war, this did not stop Vietnamese soldiers from building the Ho Chi Minh trail through Laos and the U.S. from bombing it. Neither did it stop the U.S. from building a secret rebel army that even used kids to fight against the Vietnamese. Or nor did it stop the Vietnamese of hiding in Laos and also creating rebel groups. All of this led Laos, a neutral country in the war, to become the most bombed country per capita in the history of mankind. Over 580 000 bombings occurred in Laos from 1965 to 1973 amounting to around 2.5 million tones of bombs. The equivalent of one bombing mission every eight minutes every day for 9 years straight (1). Thanks to an expected 80 million cluster munitions left lying around the country, over 100 casualties occur every year (2). Innocent children, women and men die every year due to these bombies. When you come to Laos, visiting one of the UXO information centers like COPE in Vientiane is a must. Consider donating at this link if you feel like you would like to help: Donate here

9.  Safety: When visiting Laos, make sure that you have emergency evacuation covered in your insurance policy as there are no good hospitals in Laos. If ever you would need any special emergency care, being transported to Thailand as quickly as possible via helicopter is the wisest thing to do. If that is not possible, then Canadians should visit the Australian embassy clinic. Before coming to Laos, I always expected that if something happened to me, I would go to a decent hospital and get fixed but as I learned at COPE, many people die every year in Laos due to hospitals lacking resources. Some do not even have blood or oxygen to keep you alive… In Laos, always wear a helmet while on a motorbike, ride at low speeds, wear bug spray and don’t wonder off paths. Basically, take precautions!

10. Rural life: About 67% of Laos’s population lived in a rural setting in 2010. Meaning that to simply visit cities in Laos would be missing on the majority of the population. When in Laos, try to visit rural towns to see some incredible things and to build some memorable moments with the amazing local people and beautiful scenery. There is nothing more relaxing then looking onto limestone peaks with a clean flowing stream beside you from a bamboo hut build by local villagers.

 

This completes my list of 10 things to know about Laos. Now all that is left is for you to find yourself 2 – 4 weeks of free time, fly to a major city like Bangkok or Hanoi and ride a bus or take a flight into Laos! You will not regret it! Just bring plenty of sunscreen and insect repellent and you will have an amazing and very relaxing time.

Bonus tip: JDB bank seems to not charge any ATM fees. Unless they just secretly adding it in the transaction.

P.S. Did I mention that Laos is absolutely stunning?! I am currently writing this on a slowboat on the Mekong river going to Thailand and this is my view :

(1): http://www.maginternational.org/where-mag-works/laos/#.VpsoAPl94gt

(2): http://legaciesofwar.org/resources/books-documents/land-of-a-million-bombs/