Archive-name: travel/laos-guide/part1
Posting-Frequency: monthly

                                   LAOS

                         The Internet Travel Guide

                              Peter M. Geiser


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Contents
 
 Introduction
 Copyright (c) 1995, 1996

 1. General Overview
 1.1 Geographical Information
 1.2 Climate
 1.3 People
 1.4 Events
 1.5 Visa
 1.6 Embassies
 1.7 Border Crossing
 1.8 Getting Around
 1.9 Money
 1.10 Acommodation, Hotels
 1.11 Eating
 1.12 Health

 2. Transportation
 2.1 Flying
 2.2 Boat
 2.3 Bus

 3. Places
     Vientiane
     Luang Phabang
     Pakbeng
     Plain of Jars
     Savannakhet
     Ho Chi Minh Trail
     Pakse
     Champasak
     Wat Phu
     Don Khong Island
     Bolaven Plateau
     Tadlo Resort
     Salavan
     Muang Phin

 4. Literature
 4.1 Guidebooks
 4.2 Travellers Tales
 4.3 Language
 4.4 Historical/Political Books
 4.5 Other Publications
 4.6 Internet

 A. Contributors

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The Internet Travel Guide
http://www-students.unisg.ch/~pgeiser/itg.htm
Copyright (c) 1995, 1996 Peter M. Geiser
Peter.Geiser@student.unisg.ch

Last change 15. October 1996.
Updates: FAQ: monthly, HTML: more often

Currently available in the series of the Internet Travel Guides:
Cambodia
China
Laos
Myanmar (Burma)
Sumatra
Switzerland
Tibet
Vietnam

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INTRODUCTION

The main objective of this FAQ is to provide the reader with the newest
travel information available, like what is the current situation on visa,
where to stay and what prices are reasonable, etc. It is not a guide to
the Laotian culture or history (although I started to include some
information about those subjects as well), for these non-changing facts
are much more pleasantly presented in many good books (see the list in
section 4 in this FAQ). It is also not intended to be a political pamphlet
since politics is often a very opinionated subject. However, I started to
include some political facts where I felt it was appropriate.

Remember: Things change very fast, so by the time you get to Laos the
information in this FAQ may be outdated. If you encounter this, please
bear with me. Instead of being upset, rather share your experiences with
other people on the net. The next tourist will thank you if he or she can
rely on your new information. Also, if you find time during your travels
to write a postcard or a letter to me, I would greatly appreciate it.

Some paragraphs are led by the name of the author in brackets. This
doesn't mean that these are their only contributions, but rather that in
that case I chose to leave the words as the author wrote them, adding a
more personal note to the FAQ.


Answering questions

There are many people who send mail to ask me some questions. As much as
I like to answer as many questions as possible, my time is limited. I do
this work in my spare time, so I frequently answer the questions only
after a couple of days (or even weeks if I'm away for a while.) It also
happens that I cannot return an e-mail due to an invalid e-mail address.
Please be careful to include a valid e-mail address, or then ask me to
post the answer in rec.travel.asia.

This guide lives by being up-to-date. Since I cannot travel all the time,
I am glad to receive suggestions, contributions and comments. Any addition
is useful, regardless of the size.

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE

In accordance with the Bern convention, this document is copyrighted
worldwide. The information provided within this document is the property
of the original authors. The author especially reserves the right to the
exclusive use of the term "The Internet Travel Guide".

This document or parts thereof may NOT be sold for profit or included in
any commercial documents (e. g. books, esp. guide books, magazines,
CD-ROMs, WWW-pages, the Microsoft Network or any other form) without the
prior written permission of the copyright holder. This permission is valid
exactly for the agreed version (or if no version was stated at the
published version on the date of the agreement) at the time the permission
was granted; it does not cover future or any other versions. However,
following the common practice of the Internet, this document may be freely
redistributed without any modification whatsoever, including this
copyright notice.

If you as the reader has paid to get this document, please let me know. As
much as I would like I cannot give you back your money, but I can try to
put an end to the illegal stealing of other people's work.

**************************************************************************

The Internet Travel Guide
Copyright (c) 1995, 1996
http://www-students.unisg.ch/~pgeiser/itg.htm

Peter M. Geiser
Seeblickstr. 10
9010 St.Gallen
Switzerland

Peter.Geiser@student.unisg.ch

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1. GENERAL OVERVIEW

1.1 GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Area          236'800 km2
Capital       Vientiane
Borders       China (423 km), Vietnam (2130 km), Cambodia (541 km),
              Thailand (1754 km), and Myanmar (Burma, 235 km)
Highest point Phu Bia, 2820 m

Time          GMT plus seven hours

Measures      Metric, local variations in rural areas.
Electricity   220 V, 50 Hz
International telephone code ++856

In the Web-version of the Internet Travel Guide at
http://www-students.unisg.ch/~pgeiser there would be a map right here.

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1.2 CLIMATE

In Laos the dry season lasts from November to April. The other half of the
year is the rainy monsoon season.

The temperature can reach 40 degrees in the Mekong delta in summer. In the
montains however it is easily 10 degrees colder and can become very cold
during winter.

Vientiane

 Month       Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec

 Air    C     28   31   32   34   33   33   32   32   32   30   30   30
        F     83   87   90   93   91   91   90   90   90   86   85   86

 Water  C     28   28   29   30   29   30   29   29   28   28   28   27
        F     82   82   84   86   84   86   84   84   82   82   82   81

 h sun/day     8    8    8   10    8    6    5    5    5    6    7    8

 days rain     1    2    4    7   15   17   18   18   16    7    1    1

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1.3 PEOPLE

Population     4.7 mio (annual growth rate 2.85%) (est. July 1994
               50% Lao Loum (lowland Lao), 30% Lao Theung (lower mountain
               dwellers, Mon-Khmer), 10-20% Lao Sung (Hmong, the high
               altitude hill tribes), 10-20% Thais, 3-4% Chinese, 1%
               Vietnamese and members of 68 minority groups.
Language       Lao and Lao dialects, French and English
Script         Modern variant of the old Khmer script, which in turn
               originated 1700 years ago from the Bhrami script of India.
Religion       85% Buddhist, 15% animist and spiritualist cults

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1.4 EVENTS

In Laos most festival are still celebrated on dates determined by the
lunar calendar, so it is often not possible to give a fixed date in our
Western calendar. In these cases I just indicated the month with the
lunar event (e.g. full moon) in brackets.


1 January     International New Year

13-16 April   Boun Pimai, the Laotian New Year
Boun Pimai, the national New Year used to be celebrated on the last day
of the waning moon in the fifth lunar month, lasting as much as 14 days.
Since 1975 it has been fixed to 13-16 April. Boun Pimai is celebrated
most festively in Luang Phabang.

1 May         International Labour Day

May (full moon) Visakha Puja celebrated on the 15th day of the 6th lunar
month. On this day Buddha was born, enlightened and has passed away. At
the same time Bun Bang Fai (the Rocket Festival), a pre-Buddhist
ceremony is celebrated.

The Festivals of the Rain and Fasting are Buddhist festivals. They take
place between the full moon of the eight and eleventh lunar month (July,
and October, respectively).

At the end of the rainy season is the festival of Boun Ok Pansa. There
are boatraces on the Mekong.

November (full moon)  The That Luang Festival takes place at its namesake
in Vientiane and lasts a week.

2 December    Day of National Celebration

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1.5 VISA

I organised my visa in Hanoi, Vietnam. There were at that time (September
1994) two main types available:

Transit visa: valid only for transit and only for one province. Mainly
              used by people flying to Vientiane and crossing by land (or
              ferry) over to Thailand. Currently (Jan 96), the visa is
              only issued when flying.

Tourist visa: Valid for 15 days. Since April 1994 it is no longer
              necessary to have travel permits, so with this visa it is
              possible to travel freely all over Laos.

Note: Although the visa has 30 days on it, these 30 days is the
time you have to enter the country. At the border your tourist visa will
be stamped and is valid 15 days from that day on.

It is possible to extend your visa. Officially this costs USD 1 per day,
but since you have to do it via a travel agency, it costs some USD 3 - 5
per day.

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1.6 EMBASSIES

LAOTIAN EMBASSIES ABROAD

Australia
1 Dalman Crecent, O'Malley, Canberra, Tel (06) 2864535, (06) 2866933,
           Fax (06) 2901910

Cambodia
15-17 Thanon Keomani, Phnom Penh, Tel 26441, Fax 85523, 26441
Both, tourist and transit visa cost USD 20. You can get one that is valid
for 30 days within two days for USD 50.

China
N23 Halgeng Rd., Room 501, Kunming, Tel 4141678 Ext 501-503, Fax 414396
11 Sanlifun Dongsijie, Beijing, Tel 5321224

Cuba
Sta. Avenida No. 2808 ESQ, A30 Playa, Miramar, Havana, Tel 331056-59

France
74, Av. Raymond Poincare, Paris, Tel 45537047, 45547047, Fax 47275789

Germany
Am Lessig 6, 53639 Koenigswinter, Tel 02223 21501

India
E53 Panchsheel Park, New Delhi, Tel 6427447, 6428588

Indonesia
Jal. Kintmani Rajac - 15 N. 33 Keningantimur, Jakarta, Tel 5202673

Japan
3-3-22 Nishi-Azabu Minato-Ku, Tel (03) 541-12291-2, Fax (03) 541-12293

Malaysia
108 Jalan D'amal, Kuala Lumpur, Tel 2483895, 2420344

Mongolia
Oulan-Bator, Tel 26440, 29899, 29898

Myanmar (Burma)
NA1 Diplomatic Quarters, Fraser Road, Yangon (Rangoon)
A tourist visa costs USD 25. You'll get it within one day.

Poland
UL: Rejtana 15/26, 02-516 Warsaw, Tel 484786, 488949

Russia
Moscow 121069 UL, Katchalova 18, Tel 2031454, 2904246, Fax 2917218

Thailand
520, 502/1-3 Soi Ramkhamhaeng 39, Bangkapi, Bangkok, Tel 5396667,
           Fax 5396678
(the old address was 193 Sathorn Tai, Bangkok 101, Tel 213572, 2873965,
           Fax 2873968, 2873967, 2869244)
In Bangkok, a visa costs about USD 80.
There are several travel agencies in Nong Khai (about 20) and Chiang
Khong (some 5) issuing visas for Laos. They cost THB 1700 and are done in
one week. In Nong Khai, you'll get the visa in one or two days, but then
it costs THB 2500.
Consulate: Potisan Road (past Wat Pho Nontan), Khon Kaen
In Khon Kaen, the consulate issues 30 days tourist visa within 2 days.
Visa prices depend on nationality. Some prices: Australia THB 750,
Belgium THB 750, Canada THB 1050, Denmark THB 800, Finland THB 800,
France THB 750, Italy THB 750, Japan THB 900, Netherlands THB 750,
New Zealand THB 750, Norway THB 800, Spain THB 750, Sweden THB 800,
Switzerland THB 750, USA THB 880. To get there, take the number 45017 blue
coloured songthaew from the regular bus terminal.

USA
2222 S St. N.W., Washington, DC 20008, Tel (202) 667-0076,
           Fax (202) 332-4923
You will need three copies of your application with three passport photos,
a copy of your itinerary and a money order for USD 35.

Vietnam
Embassy:   22 Tran Binh Trong St., Hanoi, Tel 252271, 152435
Consulate: 181 Hai Ba Trung, Ho Chi Minh City, Tel 299272, 299275, 297667
A transit visa is USD 25, and a tourist visa USD 110. The transit visa can
be obtained directly from the embassy, but you'll have to go to a travel
agency (e.g. Hanoi Youth Tourism Company at 14A Phan Chu Trinh Str.) to
get the tourist visa. The tourist visa takes 6 working days.


FOREIGN EMBASSIES IN LAOS

Australia
Nehru St., Vientiane, Tel 413610, 413805, 413602

Bulgaria
Sisangvonh area, Vientiane, Tel 412110

Cambodia
Thanon Saphan Thong Neua, Vientiane, Tel 314952, 312584

Check Republic
The Deua Rd, Km 4, Vientiane, Tel 315291, 215899

China
Wat Nak St., Vientiane, Tel 315100, 315101, 315103

Cuba
Ban Saphanthong Nua, Vientiane, Tel 314902

France
Sethathirath St., Tel 215258, 215259, Fax 215255

Germany
26 Thanon Sok Pa Luang, Vientiane, Tel 312110, 312111

India
That Luang Road, Vientiane, Tel 413802

Indonesia
Phon Kheng Road, PO Box 277, Vientiane, Tel 413907, 413909, 413910,
413914

Japan
Sisangvone Road, Vientiane, Tel 212623, 414400-2, 414406, Fax 414403

Korea (North)
Wat Nak Road, Sisattanak, Vientiane, Tel 315260, 351261

Malaysia
That Luang Road, Vientiane, Tel 414205

Mongolia
Tha Deua Road Km 2, Vientiane, Tel 315220

Myanmar (Burma)
Sokphaluand Road, Vientiane, Tel 312439, 314910

Palestine
The Deua Road, Km 2.5, Vientiane, Tel 315252

Poland
The Deua Road, Km 3, Vientiane, Tel 313940, 312085

Russia
Thaphalanxay area, Vientiane, Tel 312219, 212222

Slowak Republic
Tha Deua Rd, Km 4, Vientiane, Tel 315291, 215899

Sweden
Wat Nak, Vientiane, Tel 313772, 315000, 315018

Thailand
Thanon Phon Kheng, Vientiane, Tel 214582, 214583, 214585

USA
Thanon Bartholomie, Vientiane, Tel 212580-2, 312609, Fax 212584

Vietnam
1 Thanon That Luang Rd, Vientiane, Tel 413400, 413403, 413409
There are in fact two buidings belonging to the embassy. The first on 1
Thanon That Luang does not issue visas. Walk in the direction of That
Luang. The visa is a two or three buildings further on.

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1.7 BORDER CROSSING

Several overland crossing points are now open for foreigners. There is no
need to apply for a particular crossing when filling out your visa
application form. It still seems to be a bit unusual, though, to choose
any other crossing as the friendship bridge or Vientiane airport.

Vientiane, Wattay International Airport
Vientiane's Wattay airport is connected to Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh
City, Phnom Penh, Guangzhou and Kunming.
There is a USD 5 departure tax on international flights.

There are several border points open to Thailand: Tha Khaek - Non Khai
(the Vientiane Friendship Bridge), Huay Xai - Chiang Khong, Savannakhet
- Mukdahan, Ubon Ratchathani - Chong Mek. For all, except the first, you
have to have a valid permit.

The border at Huay Xai/Chiang Khong is open from 8 to 17. On Sunday,
expect to pay THB 50 to the Laotian immigration officers.

Vientiane Friendship Bridge
(Sebastian) We left Laos over the friendship bridge. Unfortunately, it
opens too late (at 8:00) to catch the 7:40 train to Bangkok. (Reservations
for trains and buses can be made in Vientiane. Apparently, there are only
three trains to Bangkok a day, two in the evening and the one in the
morning.) Bus No. 14 will take you right to the bridge.

Pakse
(Sebastian) The immigration people had probably never seen a Malaysian
passport before and it took us some time to convince them that it was a
valid document even though it wasn't issued in Kuala Lumpur. From what I
heard, it's definitely no problem leaving the country wherever you choose.
Since it was Sunday, we had to pay 50 Baht extra for crossing the border.
I've been told that it's the same at the friendship bridge.

Anna had to pay 60 Baht extra in Jan 96 when she wanted to cross during
lunchtime.

Lao Bao
It is easy to leave Laos by way of Lao Bao. Since Jan 96, it is possible
to cross both ways, into and out of Laos.

I decided to return to Vietnam by land at Lao Bao. Arriving at the border
there were many people trying to 'help' me. Ignoring them I headed
straight to a small hut on the left side of the street (a Vietnamese from
the same bus pointed it out to me, I would have missed it). There a very
friendly lady, that didn't speak any English was examining my passport.  I
had to fill in another arrival/departure card. After some stamping I was
free to go on.

Huay Xai
It should be possible to cross into Laos at Huay Xai, coming from Chiang
Khong in Thailand.

Nam Tha
The border to China is also open. It is, however, also subject to Chinese
regulations, meaning, that if the officials there want to make some extra
money, the crossing is more expensive...

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1.8 GETTING AROUND

It is necessary that you go to the immigration office in every town in
order to let them stamp your passport. This is usually done at the point
of your immigration (e.g. airport, river bank, etc.) However, nobody seems
really interested in the details.

(Steve) Who knows what happens to all the information they copy from your
passport; if you can see the names written down they are often things like
"Mr Blue Eyes" or "Mr Cambridge England"!

(Sebastian) The travel permits which used to be necessary for travelling
from one province to another were abolished (April 94). However, you still
need to register with the police wherever you go (this only applies to the
northern parts of Laos, i.e. anything north of Vientiane). If you fail to
do so, you will be charged 5$ per day as a penalty. It's entirely up to
you to look for the police office, nobody will tell you that you have to
go and register! The police will stamp your departure card for a small fee
and you're free of any hassle. Apparently, this does not only apply if you
move from one province to another but also when you spend a night in a
different village of the same province. The only exception is at airports
where you can have your card stamped upon arrival. However, you'd better
ask twice whether that's all which is needed: We got into problems with
our business-visas in Luang Phabang. We flew there and registered at the
airport. Apparently, that wasn't enough as we found out when we wanted to
fly out again: business people have to register a second time at the
immigration office in town.... It took me 20 minutes of hot (but
restrained) discussion to convince the chap behind the counter that I
wasn't prepared to pay 30 dollars as penalty. I had, however, to go back
into town and register before he let us fly off...

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1.9 MONEY

The exchange rate as of 15 Sep 1995 was 930 Kip for 1 USD and 37 Kip for
1 Baht.

Sometimes small amounts lower the rate drastically (on my last day in
Savannakhet in 1994, the official rate was 715 Kip for a USD. I only
wanted to change USD 10, and one bank offered only 622 Kip (13 % less!).
So I went to the next bank which offered 710.)

Anna got better rates at jewellery shops (Jan 96).

Thai Baht and USD are accepted everywhere in the country.

Traveller's cheques are well known and every bank changes them.

Visa and American Express are accepted at some of the more expensive
hotels and restaurants.

(Sebastian) Kip, baht and US dollars can be used all over the country.
Even for big transactions it is, however, usually best to pay in kip. If
you pay in baht or dollar they usually calculate the price with a slightly
less favourable exchange rate than what you get at the banks. Kip are
available in denominations of 1000, 500, 100 and 50. I once got a 20 kip
note as "small change" at the post office but it's not generally in use
anymore. One dollar equals approx. 725 kip [94], one baht will get you
about 29.15 kip. In Vientiane you can now change a great number of
currencies both in cash as well as in travellers cheques. For the
cheques you will be charged an enormous amount as commision (at least
3%, I met a British couple who paid 6 pounds on a cheque of 100 pounds!)
The bank mentioned in the lonely planet guide is definitely not the best
place anymore to change your money. I found that the money changers
inside the morning market gave the best rates. Credit card cash advances
are also available at various banks in the city, usually for at least 3%
extra charge.  As soon as you leave Vientiane you'd better take baht or
dollars CASH with you. I heard that the bank in Luang Phabang changes
travellers cheques but I wouldn't count on it....

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1.10 ACOMMODATION, HOTELS

Hotels start from around USD 10, although you can pay substantially more
if you are inclined to some luxury.

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1.11 EATING

It is possible to eat for one or two dollars, but you also can pig out for
several times this amount.

For breakfast try Lao coffee and ba-tan-gho, fried doe available from
street vendors. A filling breakfast can be had for under 1000 kip.

Sticky rice and chicken or laap (delicious chopped spicy meat), and
spicy soup are great introductions to Lao food, as is waterfall beef.

Beer Lao
Tha Beer Lao tastes very well. It contains about 5% alcohol and is
served either in bottles of 3 dl and 6 dl, or in 2 l jugs. In Thalat,
north of Vientiane they sell 4-5 litre bags for a few thousand kip.

Eating on the bus
Since busses leave very early and somtimes arrive late in the evning it
might be a problem to get a decent meal in a restaurant. However, there
are many people selling food when a bus happens to stop near their food
stall. They sell for 50 to 200 kip eggs, rice, fried chicken, fried
bananas, fresh fruit, bread, etc.  Most of the time the food is cold.
They also sell drinks in bottles and cans (cans are much more expensive
than bottles).  The bottles must be paid or left back. If you don't want
to drink all of a bottle they are happy to fill the drink into a plastic
bag which they give to you to drink with a straw. Generally this is a very
cheap way to get to know some typical Lao food, although it is not
outstanding quality. As for hygene, I never encountered any stomach
problems, although the food was kept in the open and got dusty and cold.

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1.12 HEALTH

This section only gives some small advice. You should certainly go to a
doctor to get the best possible advice, especially on vaccinations (which
may change over time).

I never had any health problems in Laos, although I have eaten cold
chicken bought right off the dusty street at some obscure bus stop and
didn't use any malaria prevention drugs. The biggest problem is that the
stomach may have troubles to get used to the change of diet.

If you do have troubles with your health, go to a doctor or to a pharmacy.
They are normally quite knowledgable (certainly more so than you if you
are not a doctor) and often have a relatively good selection of medicines
(both Asian and Western) that they sell. Of course selling is part of
their business, so make sure you know what they want to sell and that you
really need it. Check the expiry date! It is a good idea to carry your own
sterile needles and sutures.

Many people get sick with gastro-enteritis. Take some ciprofloxacin
antibiotic, this should settle the problem within 24 hours.

Threats: Malaria, bilharzia (schistosomiasis), rabies, hepatitis, dengue
fever, typhoid and tuberculosis.

Malaria
Malaria (from French 'mal air', bad air) is an infection of the blood
caused by the bite of mosquitoes (Anopheles). The decay of the red blood
cells causes fever and eventually a lack of oxygen which can, in case of a
malaria cerebral, cause brain damage. Depending on the type of malaria
these fever shocks appear every three (malaria tertiana) or four (malaria
quartana) days. Death rate of malaria is less than 1%.
There have been many discussions on how to best deal with it and even
the doctors have not yet agreed on a single opinion.
There are two possibilities for prohylaxis. For a short stay (less than
one month) in a malaria endangered region, prophylaxis with Lariam, as
described by doctors, is recommended. This gives nearly 100% protection.
For longer trips, Lariam should not be used, since there are too many side
effects (such as liver problems). If you want to use a prophylactic at
all, use one on Chloroquin (several different brands) basis. Although
protection is only about 50 - 70%, it still reduces the effects of an
actual infection. 
The most important thing about malaria is to recognize it as such. Every
little health center with a microscope can make a reliable diagnose. If
you feel sick, have a check done. In case of a negative result, and you
keep feeling sick, then have the check re-done every three days. Use your
own, clean blood-sampling needles.
A special danger causes a malaria that develops at the same time as a flue
or a pneumonia, since it is often recognized too late.
Carry a treatment package with you (e.g. Lariam or Halfon) and use it
according to the instructions on the package slip once malaria has been
diagnosed. Do visit a doctor! Local treatments (mainly Cloroquine) are
made for the local population which is semi-immunized. These treatments
are often too weak for Western people. Somebody taking Lariam treatment
should always be watched by another person, because of the side-effects
(especially mental problems, depressions, nightmares, and higher
photo-sensitivity of the skin. There is even a small danger of suicide!) 
However, the most effective way to prevent malaria are mosquito repellent
(possibly with at least 20% DEET, or citronella.) Since mosquitoes are
only active after sundown and before sunset, make sure you wear clothes
that cover the skin and use a good mosquito net.
Malaria can break out up to three month after leaving the endangered
region. Take this into account if you become sick within this time and
have a malaria test made.

(Dr. Stephen Attwood) On the subject of malaria, P. falciparum infection
in Laos is more serious than you suggest. If anti-malarial tablets are
not taken this disease can kill before the presence of malaria is
recognised. I agree that quinine based drugs do have some side effects
but one can take Proguanil Hydrochloride daily - this helps stop malaria
establishing in the blood (but it cannot help if you are already
infected, you will need quinine then) - this has few side effects and is
safer to take if you need protection for several months. If you go to
rural Laos and take nothing at all, falciparum malaria may kill you
before you reach a hospital. Mefloquine (Lariam) cannot guarantee that
you wont catch malaria but it buys you enough time to get to hospital.
P. falciparum can kill you within 24 h of the first manifestation of the
symptoms.
People visiting these areas must see a doctor well before their trip
(Proguanil HCl must be started a few weeks before entry to the endemic
area) so that they can get hold of the appropriate anti-malarial.

Bilharzia (schistosomiasis)
This parasitic infection is caught by contact with river water. You do
not have to drink the water or swim in the river, just getting wet may
be enough. The microscopic parasites in the water burrow into your skin
and cause a damage to the liver and other organs. It is a chronic
debilitation disease. The most dangerous region is south of Pakse.

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2. TRANSPORTATION

2.1 FLYING

Vientiane is connected with numerous foreign cities, such as Hanoi, Ho Chi
Minh City, Pnomh Penh, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Flying in Laos is easy and relatively cheap. Inquire at Lao Aviation, just
opposite Raintree Bookstore in Vientiane. Lao Aviation uses Chinese Y-7
and Y-12 and French ATR-42.

The flight between Vientiane and Luang Phabang costs USD 60 single and
USD 94 return and lasts 40 minutes. There are three flights a day.

There is a flight between Vientiane and the Plain of Jars (Xieng
Khouang). It leaves at least every second day and costs about USD 30.

There are flights between Luang Phabang and Xieng Khouang on Wednesday
and Friday.

The flight between Pakse and Vientiane is USD 95 (Dec. 94).

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2.2 BOAT

An easy way to get from Vientiane to Savannakhet is by boat. However, this
depends very much on the season. I was there in September, and I could use
it. But in December already the trip was not possible anymore.

The boat leaves twice a week (normally Tuesday and Friday, but this
sometimes change. Ask at Lao Tourism) at 5 am. Since the boat leaves about
4 km south of the center of Vientiane, I boarded the ship the previous
evening. There are two decks, one is 'inside' (all windows and doors are
open or rather nonexistent anymore) with some benches and no space, the
other is the upper deck with only the steel floor to sit upon. Laotians
bring big sheets of plasic with them to sit and lay upon. Bring enough to
drink, since you cannot buy water on the ship.  It was possible to buy
some food (rice, eggs, some vegetables), but to be sure bring some food
with you.

The fare is 5150 kip. The boat stopped around 7pm for the night. There was
a hotel just next to the harbor with double rooms for USD 12, with private
bath (yes, bath and hot water) and toilette. There are also some
restaurants around.  We started the next day at 6am and arrived shortly
after 10am in Savannakhet.

There are boats between Vientiane and Luang Phabang, but I decided not to
take it, since it took three days downstreem and much longer upstream.

The most beautiful part of the Mekong river is supposed to be the part
from Luang Phabang upstream, but I don't know if the sight alone is worth
all the trouble and the long time.

There is a speedboat from Huay Xai to Luang Phabang which takes only 5 - 6
hours. The fare is 24000 Kip or 3000 THB. The boats leave in Luang Phabang
from a special jetty some 4 km outside the town beyond the airport. There
is also a cargo boats that is slower with two to three days and costs only
7000 Kip (?).

(Anna, Jan 96) The boat from Pakse to Muang Saen on Don Khong leaves at
8am from the riverbank (near to where the ferry boat docks). Cost: 2000
kip, and worth every kip. Arrive at 7am to claim a space on the floor.
Bring enough food and water for 24 hours and a mosquito net as the boat
will stop when darkness falls. You will stay on the boat overnight, or
possibly in a nearby house. The motorbike ride from Muang Saen to Muang
Khong is 1500 kip.

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2.3 BUS

Road conditions are bad, with unpaved, dusty streets. During the rainy
season the roads are often flooded or washed away so that transportation
is not possible. During travels, the savest thing to do in a bus is to
hold on to your seat, so as not to bump your head at the top, or to bounce
on your feet and use your legs as natural springs, since the bus does have
none at all.

Normally busses seem to leave major towns at around 5am, but there are
many exceptions, so better check.

Overland travel from Vientiane to Luang Phabang is possible but still not
a safe undertaking. The bus from Vientiane to Vang Vieng departs early
morning from the Morning Market and takes about 4 hours on the good
road. There are daily busses (or trucks) from there to Kasi.
The bus from Luang Phabang to Vientiane leaves at 9:30 am and arrives
around 3 am (!) in Vientiane. It costs 10500 Kip.
Although there are many soldiers around, sometimes evern accompanying the
bus, the road is not safe, especiaaly the 40 km after Kasi. In December
1994, four local UN drug prevention officers were shot on this road and
just about ten days earlier, six Vietnamese were killed north of Kasi! In
autumn 1995 three foreigners were killed.
On 11 September 1996, a French travel agent and four Laotian men were
killed when their minibus was ambushed some 120 km (75 miles) north of
Vientiane.

If you arrive in Savannakhet by bus and intend to go to Pakse, there is a
bus the same day around 12 am. To be sure you don't miss it, take a TukTuk
to the bus station. As soon as it is full it'll leave.

The bus from Savannakhet to Pakse costs 2500 kip. It takes about 8 to 9
hours.

The bus from Pakse to Champasak costs 600 kip (ferry (100 kip)
included). It leaves every couple of hours (we left shortly before 10
am). There is no bus back from Champasak to Pakse in the afternoon. You'll
probably have to spend the night in Champasak. I was lucky to get a ride
back to Pakse in a private Toyota pickup.

The bus from Don Khong to Pakse leaves at 8 am, takes about 4 to 5 hours
and costs 2000 kip (Jan 96).

(Anna, Jan 96) Bus from Pakse bus station to Tadlo Resort/Saravan left at 
8am when full (Timetable: 7am and 10am). Surprisingly, there is an
excellent road from Pakse to Saravan. 3.5 hours to Tadlo, then 40 min to
Saravan.

(Anna, Jan 96) The road from Saravan to Muang Phin (Highway 23) is
unusable as an important bridge is missing. Purportedly, there is a bus
from Saravan to Muang Phin via Xeno leaving every day at 4am.

(Anna, Jan 96) Bus from Saravan to Khong Sedon at 7am and 10am each day.
3.5 hours. If you get off at the T junction 10km before Khong Sedon you
_may_ have a chance to catch the Savannaket bus. We missed it so hitched
instead.

The bus from Pakse to Savannakhet was supposed to leave at 5 am. Lucky
enough I was at the bus terminal at 4:30 am. I was able to get the last
place. Five minutes later the bus left, slowly driving towards the center,
but at 4:45 am it turned right to cross the bridge to leave the town. If
I'd been at the terminal at 5 am I'd missed the bus!
Two other travellers were told that the bus was leaving at 4 am, but since
this was not true, they had to wait until 8 am!

From Savanaketh there are direct busses to Vietnam. Some fares are:

Hue               4000 kip
DaNang            5300 kip
NhaTrang          8500 kip
DaLat            10200 kip
T.P.H.C.Minh     12100 kip (Saigon)
DongHa            3800 kip
QuangBinh         5400 kip
Vinh              7200 kip
Hanoi            10700 kip

I wanted to go to Hue. There was one bus for all people going to Vietnam.
We were supposed to leave at 3 am, but were 15 minutes late. We should
have arrived at 1 pm in Hue. Unfortunately the driver began to sleep and
at 4 am the bus left the street to tumble down a small board and finally
flip oevr.  Luckily nobody was seriously hurt. Around seven o'clock the
regular bus came and three Vietnamese and me got on (I don't know what
happened to the others or what they were waiting for.)

Around 2 pm we arrived at the border to Vietnam, where there was no
problem crossing the border.

Under normal circumstances, the bus from Savannakhet to the border at Lao
Bao passes Muang Phin at 7.30 am.

Streets

Very few streets in Laos are paved. They are made directly from the red
earth and contain many holes. It is safe to hold on to your seat so that
you don't bump your head at the roof. Of course the earth turns to very
fine red dust. You will have the dust everywhere, on your clothes, in your
clothes, even between your teeth. You will easily get used to it, and it
certainly helps to remind you to drink a lot. In the evening you'll get a
shower and since laundry service is available in every hotel and for
reasonable prices, you can change your clothing every day.

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The homepage of the Internet Travel Guides is at
http://www-students.unisg.ch/~pgeiser/itg.htm

Please send your comments, suggestions and contributions to the address
below. For questions, please see my note in the introduction.

e-mail:peter.geiser@student.unisg.ch

Peter M. Geiser
Seeblickstr. 10
9010 St. Gallen
Switzerland

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