Tailors in Vientiane

My husbond and I will be visiting Vientiane in a week, and we would like to know if anyone has got any good (or bad) experiences with tailors in Vientiane. Should we buy the fabric ourselves at fx Talat Sao, or is it better to buy at the tailor%26#39;s shop. Also, up to date info about nice guest house ranging fram 15-20 $ would be higly appreciated.

Thanks

Tailors in Vientiane

Depends what you want made. If you want a silk blouse, for example, I would buy the material at Talat Sao and take it to a tailor. If you want a suit or trousers the tailor will be able to oblige.

There are some very good tailors in the small soi leading to Nam Phou fountain. I have had some very fine work mad there.

Tailors in Vientiane

Thanks for the post, we probably won%26#39;t ge getting any suits, but more like shirts and maybe a dress, so I think we will opt for fabrics at the morning market, and head to the Nam Phou area to find a nice tailor.

Weather in Laos end of May - beginning of June

I am planning a trip to Cambodia (Angkor Wat)/Laos(Southern)/Thailand(Chiang Mai area and beaches)the end of May through beginning of June. What can I expect of the weather. I know one can not completely predict but... will things be completely rainy??

Weather in Laos end of May - beginning of June

Not quite the rainy season yet. It will be hot though, very hot. Book hotels with sw.pools.

ticketing

Can anyone advise me of a travel agent in UK who can and will book flights with Lao airlines ?

ticketing

Not sure but after being warned off the Laoair European agent by postings on TA I booked e.tickets on line on the official site :

www.laoairlines.com you can recognise it by the waterfall at the header.

Note :-it only works on microsoft explorer NOT netscape or Firefox.

I booked and paid on line , received e.ticket and confirmation by return with a link to Amadeus to check my flight details.

It worked a treat but although the status is shown as ';confirmed'; I always reconfirm my flights 48 hours in advance in case of time changes.

Our flight was a delight - brand new aircraft ,lovely service and great SMILES.

Enjoy Laos - we have been back only 2 weeks and already planning our return.

ticketing

Thanks. That is probably why I can%26#39;t raise them. Any special tips for Lao? Should I take any gifts for the children?

We were only in Vientiane and Luang Prabang and did not go to any villages with the opportunity to visit schools etc.

In past ,when visiting India and Burma,we have always taken school materials and given them , and maybe some cash , to the schoolmaster for use within the school. Much better than giving pens to kids on the street , that encourages begging.

Suggest you post the question on the forum.

We found the Lonely Planet very useful and you may find my detailed posts on the Green Park Vientiane and the Villa Santi Resort , Luang Prabang of use as they both have ';things we did'; sections.

If you have the time, arrange to visit a school or orphanage. A lot of places have a ';wish list'; and tehy can tell you what they need most. Handing out items at random indeed encourages begging, and is not advised. You can buy things at the market there, which will help the local businesses, instead of bringing stuff with you from home. It is also much less expensive, and you won%26#39;t have to schlep the items in your suitcase with you.

The ';Stay Another Day'; project is interesting. Its website is

stayanotherday.org/country/laos/introduction

and will point you in the direction of several worthwhile projects which need support.

The Makphet restaurant in Vientiane, as well as being the face of ther street kids project provided truly excellent food when we went there in Feb 2007.

getting from laos to cambodia

hey lads ne tips on getting from laos to cambodia???

getting from laos to cambodia

Yup- you can fly! Piece o%26#39; cake!

getting from laos to cambodia

fly with who??

Lao Airlines

www.laoairlines.com/timetable_new_i.html

They have daily flights from Vientiane to Phnom Penh %26amp; Siem Reap.

Vietnam Airlines do the trip too.

client time

Itinery Advice needed! Round Luang Prabang............

My partner and I are planning a trip of 3 weeks in late May/June or August, to include the two day river cruise from Huay Xay to Luang Prabang and several days in Hanoi. We are interested in any comment/opinions as to:

-which is the more suitable time to go,

-what other sites might be of interest, and

-any suggestions as to a suitable route.

Bear in mind that we have previously covered most of Vietnam%26#39;s attractions except for the Sapa region and the wish to spend more time in Hanoi. Also, we have explored much of Thailand, but no further north than Chiang Mai. We prefer to fly the major link ups and are aware of Bangkok Air Discovery Passes, and can fly in through BK or HCM/Hanoi.

Grateful for any comment./

Itinery Advice needed! Round Luang Prabang............

If you have seen most of Vietnam then you really should spend some time in the Sapa area - it%26#39;s wonderful.

ATMs in Luang Prabang?

I%26#39;m going back to LP in February. When there last July there were none (that I know of). Does anyone know if they have installed any since? Beats having to carry a lot of cash . .! Appreciate any comments.

ATMs in Luang Prabang?

Having just returned home from Luang Prabang a ATM is now on Sisavangvong Rd a bit after the Night Market. It accepts mastercard and was cirrus friendly but not VISA

ATMs in Luang Prabang?

Thanks very much for your advice. Would you know, if obtaining cash with a Cirrus card, is there an option to take it in USD instead of Kip (probably not)?

Thanks again.

Just dispenses kip, and sometimes runs out!

I took US$ and Thb and had no problems.

The ATM there takes debit cards and - apparently - Mastercard but not Visa. The limit per withdrawal is 700 000 kip, which I believe is around 70 USD. The latter can be used at several money exchanges. Our hotel was also happy to change Euro to kip, but beware - perhaps it was just just one guy, but he repeatedly ';mistakenly'; gave us too little!

Does this atm only accept MC/Cirrus or can it do any of the following as well: PLUS, STAR, NYCE, Pulse, The Exchange ?

Thanks

We found that the exchange rates places would give you on Thai bhat in LP were all over the place so we found it better to use US dollars and have kip for smaller purchases.

make up school

Hours for The Royal Palace, Museum and Wats

I have gotten confusing information on this topic. I understand that the hours the Royal Palace Museum is open are 8-11 am and 1-3 pm. Is this one and the same as The Royal Palace, and The National Museum? Or are they different? Also when can you get in to visit the Wats, particularly in town? Our first day, we were planning on taking a Tuk Tuk into town at around 4:00 or 5:00, visiting the Royal Palace, and the main Wat, before heading to the Night Market, a drink down by the river and then on to dinner. Will this work or are the above closed by that time? Also, any suggestions as to where to go for a drink along the Mekong? Thanks for any help.

Hours for The Royal Palace, Museum and Wats

The Royal Palace and the museum are one in the same and those times sound correct. The monks have prayer times in the evening and I am not sure how late you can visit the wats. We always went during the day. You can entertain yourself walking around the town though and having a drink before hitting the night market. There are several places along the river to the north (towards the peninsula) from the Royal Palace.

Hours for The Royal Palace, Museum and Wats

Thanks for the comments, but we%26#39;ve been and already returned from Luang Prabang a couple of weeks ago. We enjoyed it, and, naturally changed our plans as soon as we arrived. Hours are correct for Museum. We saw plenty of monks of all ages, and got to talk to some. Our trip up the Mekong to the caves was very enjoyable. The trek up to see the Buddas in the caves is not for the weak, especially if it is hot! But, the statues are pretty amazing. The weather in January is perfect...warm days, cool nights, and lots of ways to enjoy the town. Some very good shops and galleries, too.