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By Yongcai
Laos, bad transportation network, not many locals speaks English, not a lot of tourists, undeveloped, Communist. BUT GREAT SCENERY, FRESH AIR [except vientiane], FRIENDLY LOCALS, GOOD FOOD and most of all CHEAP!!! Information Visa: US $50 for 1 month Exchange: S$1---2500kip, US$1---4300kip As you can only convert your baht or dollars to kip and not the reverse. You have to plan how to spend your $$$ and not ends up with lots of waste paper once u leave the country. Chiang Khong (Thailand) / Houei Hsai (Laos) Took a 6 am bus from Chiangmai Bus terminal to Chiang Khong. Its a small town just before you crossed the mekong river to Houei Hsai ( Laos). Reached there around 12 pm, had lunch and took a 20 Baht boat ride to the Laos immigration at Houei Hsai. The process is very smooth. I guess its because I'm the only tourist crossing the border. Houei Hsai, very small and slow paced town. You can take a walk around town. As its in the highlands, it can be quite cold during the evening. Only way out of town to Luang Prabang is my boat. Cost 25000kip. And the only boat will leave every morning around 11 am. Go to the jetty around 9 pm to buy your ticket. The boat ride take 2 days depending on load and the boat. If you are in a hurry, you can take the fast boat, which covers the distance in 6 hours. But its more expensive. I'll recommend the slow boat. GREAT SCENERY!!! And don't forget to bring along your supply of food for the 2 day trip down river. Luang Prabang The most interesting things to see here are the temples aka 'wats'. They are Wat Xieng Thong and Wat Wisunlat. There are lots more around luang prabang. Take your time and stroll through this ancient town. Another sight worth visiting is the Royal Palace Museum. For the photographers, a visit to the morning market is a must. Its about 20 minutes along the main road towards Vientian. Lots of good food around. There is a post office at the center of town. My postcard to Singapore took around 2 weeks to reach. There are 3 ways to leave Luang Prabang. By bus, boat or plane. They cost around the same BUT the boat will take 4 days!!! while the bus only take 10 hours. The bus terminal is about 15mins by tuk-tuk south of town. Buses leaves every 2 hours, the first bus is at 6am. As the trip is 10 hours, the first bus is strongly recommended. You will reach Vientiane in the evening. For those with $$$ you can take the Russian plane at the small airport. Its around US$80. It will spare you the grueling 10 hours bus ride which even makes the locals car sick. UNFORGETTABLE. Btw, there is no such thing as a queue in Laos. You will have fight your way through the locals to buy the ticket if you want to leave on time.
The capital of Laos. When I reached there, I couldn't believe THIS is the capital? No wonder Laos is stated as the least developed of the three former French Indochinese states in Lonely Planet. There are lots of sights around this small city. The national monument 'Pha That Luang (the Great Sacred Stupa)' is a must see. But go there in the early morning to get the best picture as the dust will rise and form a haze over the entire city. There are lots a 'wats' around with Wat Si Saket been the oldest. The Central market opens from 6 am to 6 pm. Lots of great bargain, textiles, coffee, souvenirs etc. Lodging in the capital is the most expensive, around US$5 for the budget rooms. After I've spent a few days here, I used the Friendship highway and crossed over back to Thailand's Nong Khai. Its a 20 min ride from Vientaine to the border. Tips The best way to cover Laos is by plane. The transportation within the country is not adequate. Buses are not frequent. Boats are another alternative. But they are slow and do no cover inland. Missed Plains of jars---The mysterious Plain of Jars is an undeveloped area near Phonsavan in Xieng Khuang Province where huge jars of unknown origin are scattered, the biggest weighing as much as six tonnes (6.6 tons). The jars have been fashioned from solid stone, which doesn't seem to have come from the area. Many of the smaller jars have been taken away by collectors, but there are still several hundred in the five major groups. Thong Hai Hin, the biggest and most accessible site, has two pavilions and restrooms built for the crown prince, as well as the largest jar on the plain. 
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Vientiane