Route Taken
Hua Xia – 2 day Mekong River tour to Luang Prabang – (flew to) Vientienne – (flew to) Cambodia
Total Number of Days: 7
(See below for breakdown)
Budget
Overall Average: $23
Interesting Expenditures:
- Tour down the Mekong: $23
- Glass of Johnny Walker Blue: $14
- Multiple hotels: $2.50 each per night (for 2 people)
Food and Drink
Abby and I greatly enjoyed the food in Laos. We had noodles, peanut fried rice dishes, and really delicious soups.
Must Eats:
- Moment of silence for Beerlao. Best beer in Asia, and maybe beyond.
- Lau Lau (whiskey) is grotesque, but worth a try.
- Sticky rice red wine, also interesting.
- French fries, fried egg, and soy sauce. Yum.
Highlights
- Tour down the Mekong a must. A great way to see the vast undeveloped-ness that is Laos.
- Luang Prabang is a great town, Abby and I got ‘stuck’ there.
- And finally, what I most regret not doing in SE Asia is Vang Vieng. Everyone I met who went there loved it. Apparently you float down a river next to the Mekong (a swimmable river) in intertubes, bar hopping… or bar floating, as it were.
Best Deal
Hotel in Luang Prabang - (can’t remember the name, need to find a Lonely Planet to look this up, it’s in there, it’s the one that boasts a “big balcony”). The front room with the balcony is the one to get. Huge room, huge bath, 2 huge beds, gigantic personal porch overlooking the Mekong, all for $5 per night.
Calendar of Events
October
11 – Hua Xia to the Mekong tour
12 – Mekong to Luang Prabang
13,14 – Luang Prabang
15 – Luang Prabang to Vientienne
16 – Vientienne
17 – Vientienne to Cambodia
