I sail on the slow boat long long time ago.No problem at all.Well prepared.Hv enough cash all along.Book hotel on Pak Beng before leaving Huai Xai.Shared with a Belgium guy.Restaurant nearby only.Do some reading on the boat & chatted with other travels.A German couple with a daughter.
yay, on with the adventure. Luang Prabang is a lovely place. I would tend to look in the neighborhoods between the rivers for some great little placed to eat. Also make sure to go to Kuang Si waterfalls. pretty touristy but if you get there early it is really beautiful. Try to find places a bit off the path and you will experience the vibe of the place. Really different from Thailand for sure, but in a positive way. Over all Laos is a must see in SE Asia and the people are lovely especially away from the tourist crowds. PS on the main street in the older part of town there is a gelato place that is super.
Thanks for this. A lot of the information online isn’t so clear so I appreciate you uploading this! Out of interest, did you buy the tickets for the slow boat in advance or just on the ferry? And how much was it?
Of course! We bought the ticket at the ticket office right across from the pier. We got ours the day before since we were already there but you should be able to buy it the morning of. It’s was about $20USD/400,000kip per person
In Laos, there is no need to have an atm machine in town. Locals see tourists as walking atm's. In a country in economic crisis and an average people earns less that $100/month, tourists are eagerly welcomed.
beware of scammer, Laos accept Thai Baht, You don't have to exchange your money to Kip, pay them with Thai Baht also ok, but a little lower rate than usual. But beware! of the card reader in retail shops like that!
Sorry for inconvenience in Laos but keep in mine cambodia is 10 times worse. You have been warned. Here are the list of scam in cambodia that you should aware. Taxi/tuktuk, massage, street food, entrance fee for foreigners, counterfeit US Dollars, poor healthcare, DO NOT drink water from the tab, always watch your back, keep your cellphone in the pant pocket, dont flash your cash, avoid to walk at night, avoid the Cambodia police. Only hotel staffs can safe you if something really happened.
Generally people book with an agent from CR who will run a minivan service earlier which also picks up from your accommodation. NB it's not technically a 'slow' boat as there are no faster boats... 🫤
