Our short Laos trek is now over. We are now in Vietnam.
Our visit to Laos was short, from January 24 to February 1, only a week. Although short, our experience in Laos was unforgettable. We visited 3 cities, Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang. The logs below will tell the tale.
February 1, 2014.
In Luang Prabang, Laos. We absolutely love Luang Prabang, and Laos in general! You would never even know that they have a Communist Government here, as a tourist anyways. I've decided that we might move to Luang Prabang. It's such a nice little city, so relaxed. We've spent the past couple of days exploring the surrounding Luang Prabang area on the scooter we rented. I feel very comfortable driving with Tricia behind me and Bennett in the front. Bennett waves to everyone and everyone waves back at him with giant smiles. There is lots to see around Luang Prabang if you love nature. Jungle, rivers, waterfalls, and beautiful mountains. There are so many restaurants and cafes to choose from in Luang Prabang and the prices are so low compared to what we are normally used to back home. The hotel we've been staying at while in Luang Prabang, called the Villa Maly, has been excellent. We are within easy walking distance to the Night Market as well as great food. Today we went for an amazing jungle walk, about a 6 kilometer scooter ride from our hotel. The path took us through dense jungle, along a beautiful little river in a valley. It is currently the dry season here, so the waterfalls and the river were very low, but our walk was still great. The path was so well maintained and Bennett was able to walk the entire 2km path without us having to carry him at all. He's getting so strong now. Our flight to Hanoi, Vietnam leaves at around 7pm this evening. It's only a short flight, at about 1 hour in flying time. We will definitely miss Laos, but we are also excited about seeing new things. Our week in Laos has been packed with wonderful memories. I've uploaded all of our Elephant Tour videos from Laos as well as from our brief stay in Vang Vieng, so be sure to check them out!
In Luang Prabang, Laos. We absolutely love Luang Prabang, and Laos in general! You would never even know that they have a Communist Government here, as a tourist anyways. I've decided that we might move to Luang Prabang. It's such a nice little city, so relaxed. We've spent the past couple of days exploring the surrounding Luang Prabang area on the scooter we rented. I feel very comfortable driving with Tricia behind me and Bennett in the front. Bennett waves to everyone and everyone waves back at him with giant smiles. There is lots to see around Luang Prabang if you love nature. Jungle, rivers, waterfalls, and beautiful mountains. There are so many restaurants and cafes to choose from in Luang Prabang and the prices are so low compared to what we are normally used to back home. The hotel we've been staying at while in Luang Prabang, called the Villa Maly, has been excellent. We are within easy walking distance to the Night Market as well as great food. Today we went for an amazing jungle walk, about a 6 kilometer scooter ride from our hotel. The path took us through dense jungle, along a beautiful little river in a valley. It is currently the dry season here, so the waterfalls and the river were very low, but our walk was still great. The path was so well maintained and Bennett was able to walk the entire 2km path without us having to carry him at all. He's getting so strong now. Our flight to Hanoi, Vietnam leaves at around 7pm this evening. It's only a short flight, at about 1 hour in flying time. We will definitely miss Laos, but we are also excited about seeing new things. Our week in Laos has been packed with wonderful memories. I've uploaded all of our Elephant Tour videos from Laos as well as from our brief stay in Vang Vieng, so be sure to check them out!
January 30, 2014.
In Luang Prabang, Laos. We had a fantastic stay in Vang Vieng, Loas at the hotel, the Vieng Tara Villa, which we happened upon by chance. We left 2 mornings ago and drove from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang. The drive was long, but very scenic and enjoyable. It seems that a lot of Northern Laos is very mountainous and lush. Distance wise, it's quite short, however, the roads are very windy through the mountains. There are many small villages throughout the drive. Many of the humble homes we saw along the way were perched right on the side of the mountains with only wooden stilts as support. When we arrived in Luang Prabang, once again, Tripadvisor totally let us down. The Hillside Lifestyle Resort was, to put it bluntly (and from our opinion), a dive. The property had not been maintained, the accommodations were dated, the bathroom and shower were terrible, and it was way outside of town on a very poorly maintained dirt road. Unfortunately for us, we had booked in for 4 nights. We spent the night, but then took a shuttle into downtown Luang Prabang the next morning to seek out alternate accommodation. Our prayers were answered, and we found a really nice place to stay, albeit for considerably more money. Fortunately, we had booked our crappy hotel via Agoda and were able to get a refund for 3 of the 4 nights we would have spent there. Yesterday we had a fantastic day leisurely exploring Luang Prabang. We decided to rent our own motorbike (scooter actually) to get us around. The city of Luang Prabang has an awesome French/European feel to it and it is very relaxing and easy going. Traffic is light, so very safe to drive with the 3 of us on the one scooter. The slowly meandering Mekong River borders the city. Last night we went to a night Market which is located on the main street and they allow only pedestrian traffic through. So many shops with tonnes of goods available to purchase and bartering is quite easy. We had a very nice meal at an upscale restaurant called the Blue Lagoon. Incredible food and service and, our bill, only about 50 USD (pricey for here, but not compared to back home). Of course you could eat for much, much cheaper, but we wanted to treat ourselves. The head Chef had spent 6 years in Switzerland learning his trade and he spent a good 15 minutes chatting with us at our table. Today we had an INCREDIBLE day at an Elephant Village, just outside of the city. The tour operator picked us up from our hotel at 8:30AM. We spent the morning at the base camp where we could see other people riding elephants all around us, including in the river. The tour guide spent about an hour with us talking about the elephants, then we got to feed and interact with a baby, 8 month old elephant named Maxi, and then it was our turn to take a ride on an elephant through a jungle path. After our hour long trek on the elephant, they provided lunch for us in the jungle and then we were guided on about an hour long jungle walk right beside a beautiful, aqua blue river finally ending up at an amazing waterfall where Tricia and Bennett went for a swim (while I sucked back a cold beer and watched). After enjoying the waterfall, we were taken back, via boat, along a tributary of the Mekong River back to the base camp. Along with Tricia, Bennett and myself, a fourth person (a nice man named Doug from New Jersey) was on our trek with us (on a separate elephant). Doug is a tour operator himself out of the US and is here to scout out new tours. We had a great time with Doug and invited him to dinner with us as he is here alone. After our Elephant Tour day, we relaxed back at the hotel for a bit then I took Bennett on a scooter excursion around the city while Tricia did some shopping. We are loving Laos, especially Luang Prabang. BE SURE to check out the amazing pictures from Luang Probang, and I will be uploading some videos of today's incredible excursion very shortly.
Tricia: Laos has been amazing! Very laid back and European feel. Luang Prabang has to be one of my favourite cities so far (although I feel that I say that regularly). Although Cambodia was exciting and an awesome experience, there was a seediness to it as well. Too many disgusting men with young girls/boys...you can't escape it. Here it is very different. It is remarkably clean and organized. Also, there are absolutely no chain restaurants or franchises. I love the little stalls that have baguettes and croissants throughout the town. We drove a LONG time to get here but we were so lucky in being able to see the spectacular countryside. When we arrived to our "Hillside Lifestyle Resort" we were panicked...I looked at Bart and couldn't even pretend to like it. We decided that we would leave the next day (as it was a 40 minute drive outside of town on winding dirt roads). Our hotel now is beautiful, and I am so much happier...God I sound like a princess...but really, all I need is clean sheets (no blood on them - ewwww) and a clean bathroom - is that too much to ask? Yesterday we did an Elephant Adventure Trek and it was unbelievable. I have to admit, I was a little scared at first...those animals are HUGE and we were in a little bench on top of the poor things! It was amazing to see how they understand all the commands of the mahouts (elephant trainers basically). The animals seemed very well taken care of. A lot of them had been used in the logging industry. We met a really nice man from New Jersey (Doug) who has an adventure travel company. Basically, Bennett latched onto him and he was his best friend. Poor Doug - Bennett made him race, skip and swim with him. I think that Bennett is very bored of our company! Today we are going to explore the countryside and go to another waterfall outside of town. Vietnam tomorrow!
In Luang Prabang, Laos. We had a fantastic stay in Vang Vieng, Loas at the hotel, the Vieng Tara Villa, which we happened upon by chance. We left 2 mornings ago and drove from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang. The drive was long, but very scenic and enjoyable. It seems that a lot of Northern Laos is very mountainous and lush. Distance wise, it's quite short, however, the roads are very windy through the mountains. There are many small villages throughout the drive. Many of the humble homes we saw along the way were perched right on the side of the mountains with only wooden stilts as support. When we arrived in Luang Prabang, once again, Tripadvisor totally let us down. The Hillside Lifestyle Resort was, to put it bluntly (and from our opinion), a dive. The property had not been maintained, the accommodations were dated, the bathroom and shower were terrible, and it was way outside of town on a very poorly maintained dirt road. Unfortunately for us, we had booked in for 4 nights. We spent the night, but then took a shuttle into downtown Luang Prabang the next morning to seek out alternate accommodation. Our prayers were answered, and we found a really nice place to stay, albeit for considerably more money. Fortunately, we had booked our crappy hotel via Agoda and were able to get a refund for 3 of the 4 nights we would have spent there. Yesterday we had a fantastic day leisurely exploring Luang Prabang. We decided to rent our own motorbike (scooter actually) to get us around. The city of Luang Prabang has an awesome French/European feel to it and it is very relaxing and easy going. Traffic is light, so very safe to drive with the 3 of us on the one scooter. The slowly meandering Mekong River borders the city. Last night we went to a night Market which is located on the main street and they allow only pedestrian traffic through. So many shops with tonnes of goods available to purchase and bartering is quite easy. We had a very nice meal at an upscale restaurant called the Blue Lagoon. Incredible food and service and, our bill, only about 50 USD (pricey for here, but not compared to back home). Of course you could eat for much, much cheaper, but we wanted to treat ourselves. The head Chef had spent 6 years in Switzerland learning his trade and he spent a good 15 minutes chatting with us at our table. Today we had an INCREDIBLE day at an Elephant Village, just outside of the city. The tour operator picked us up from our hotel at 8:30AM. We spent the morning at the base camp where we could see other people riding elephants all around us, including in the river. The tour guide spent about an hour with us talking about the elephants, then we got to feed and interact with a baby, 8 month old elephant named Maxi, and then it was our turn to take a ride on an elephant through a jungle path. After our hour long trek on the elephant, they provided lunch for us in the jungle and then we were guided on about an hour long jungle walk right beside a beautiful, aqua blue river finally ending up at an amazing waterfall where Tricia and Bennett went for a swim (while I sucked back a cold beer and watched). After enjoying the waterfall, we were taken back, via boat, along a tributary of the Mekong River back to the base camp. Along with Tricia, Bennett and myself, a fourth person (a nice man named Doug from New Jersey) was on our trek with us (on a separate elephant). Doug is a tour operator himself out of the US and is here to scout out new tours. We had a great time with Doug and invited him to dinner with us as he is here alone. After our Elephant Tour day, we relaxed back at the hotel for a bit then I took Bennett on a scooter excursion around the city while Tricia did some shopping. We are loving Laos, especially Luang Prabang. BE SURE to check out the amazing pictures from Luang Probang, and I will be uploading some videos of today's incredible excursion very shortly.
Tricia: Laos has been amazing! Very laid back and European feel. Luang Prabang has to be one of my favourite cities so far (although I feel that I say that regularly). Although Cambodia was exciting and an awesome experience, there was a seediness to it as well. Too many disgusting men with young girls/boys...you can't escape it. Here it is very different. It is remarkably clean and organized. Also, there are absolutely no chain restaurants or franchises. I love the little stalls that have baguettes and croissants throughout the town. We drove a LONG time to get here but we were so lucky in being able to see the spectacular countryside. When we arrived to our "Hillside Lifestyle Resort" we were panicked...I looked at Bart and couldn't even pretend to like it. We decided that we would leave the next day (as it was a 40 minute drive outside of town on winding dirt roads). Our hotel now is beautiful, and I am so much happier...God I sound like a princess...but really, all I need is clean sheets (no blood on them - ewwww) and a clean bathroom - is that too much to ask? Yesterday we did an Elephant Adventure Trek and it was unbelievable. I have to admit, I was a little scared at first...those animals are HUGE and we were in a little bench on top of the poor things! It was amazing to see how they understand all the commands of the mahouts (elephant trainers basically). The animals seemed very well taken care of. A lot of them had been used in the logging industry. We met a really nice man from New Jersey (Doug) who has an adventure travel company. Basically, Bennett latched onto him and he was his best friend. Poor Doug - Bennett made him race, skip and swim with him. I think that Bennett is very bored of our company! Today we are going to explore the countryside and go to another waterfall outside of town. Vietnam tomorrow!
January 27, 2014.
In Vang Vieng, Laos. We've only been in Laos for a few days, but I'd definitely say that of the 3 South East Asian countries we've visited so far (Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos), I would say that Laos is the most refined. They are very laid back here and the pace is much slower. There doesn't seem to be the same level of poverty here as we've seen in Cambodia. The streets are clean, the houses and shops are well maintained and we have yet to be approached by any begging children. Yesterday was our last day in the Capital city of Vientiane and we decided to have a leisurely day walking around the downtown core. We happened upon a nice playground area, next to the Mekong River in the downtown, which offered Bennett some great play time. There were many other children there and we believe they were the children of the Night Market shop owners who were setting up there shops just beside the playground area. There is a lot of French influence in Vientiane and we had a great lunch at a local French cafe (great sandwiches and croissants). Getting around Vientiane has been a bit pricier where taxis and Tuk Tuk rides seem to be several times more expensive that the rides we took in anywhere in Cambodia. The standard of living does seem higher here, which probably accounts for the higher transportation costs and with fuel at about $1.10 a litre (9,000 Kip in Laos currency), it's no wonder they charge more. Many things are much cheaper here than back home, however, such as alcohol and food. A really nice meal with drinks, appetizers, main course and desert might still only run you $30 or $40 bucks CAD. Not bad!!! This morning, we left Vientiane in a private car we hired and ventured north to the town we are currently in, Vang Vieng. We were expecting poor road conditions and frantic, non law abiding motorists along the way but we were very surprised! The road was very well maintained and the drivers here are excellent. This is a stark contrast to Cambodia. I would say that it would be completely safe to driver here as a foreigner. The scenery along the way to Vang Vieng was beautiful. The area is quite mountainous and there are quite a few pretty little towns along the way. There are also many beautiful homes as well. When we arrived in Vang Vieng, we were very disappointed with our hotel. We had picked the hotel from reviews on Tripadvisor, but this particular hotel did not live up to the ratings that we read. The price of the hotel is only around $30 CAD per night, and as the the saying goes, you only get what you pay for! We left our bags in the hotel room and quickly ventured out for a walk, a little depressed about our accommodations. During our walk, we stumbled upon a complete gem of a hotel which is basically a rice field where the owner decided to erect stilted bungalow huts upon. The surrounding scenery is fantastic with beautiful mountains in the backdrop. The owner took us for a tour inside one of the bungalows and they were beautiful and clean inside. Apparently the hotel has just opened, so everything is brand new. We decided to have a cocktail at the outdoor restaurant and enjoy the surrounding beauty. While consuming our delicious beverages, we decided that we just could not stay in the shitty (pardon the french) hotel that we had booked into. So, we negotiated a little on the price with the owner and got it down from $70 USD to $60. Basically, we decided to eat the cost of our crappy hotel and upgrade to a far, far better abode. The name of our new hotel in Vang Vieng is the Vieng Tara Villa, and we would highly recommend it to anyone! Even my Dad would be impressed here! The owner and staff are very friendly and we enjoyed an excellent meal at the outdoor restaurant. This is probably the nicest (for the price) place we've stayed at in all our travels thus far. Tomorrow morning, we leave relatively early for our next stop in Luang Prabang, which is about a 4 to 5 hour drive from here.
In Vang Vieng, Laos. We've only been in Laos for a few days, but I'd definitely say that of the 3 South East Asian countries we've visited so far (Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos), I would say that Laos is the most refined. They are very laid back here and the pace is much slower. There doesn't seem to be the same level of poverty here as we've seen in Cambodia. The streets are clean, the houses and shops are well maintained and we have yet to be approached by any begging children. Yesterday was our last day in the Capital city of Vientiane and we decided to have a leisurely day walking around the downtown core. We happened upon a nice playground area, next to the Mekong River in the downtown, which offered Bennett some great play time. There were many other children there and we believe they were the children of the Night Market shop owners who were setting up there shops just beside the playground area. There is a lot of French influence in Vientiane and we had a great lunch at a local French cafe (great sandwiches and croissants). Getting around Vientiane has been a bit pricier where taxis and Tuk Tuk rides seem to be several times more expensive that the rides we took in anywhere in Cambodia. The standard of living does seem higher here, which probably accounts for the higher transportation costs and with fuel at about $1.10 a litre (9,000 Kip in Laos currency), it's no wonder they charge more. Many things are much cheaper here than back home, however, such as alcohol and food. A really nice meal with drinks, appetizers, main course and desert might still only run you $30 or $40 bucks CAD. Not bad!!! This morning, we left Vientiane in a private car we hired and ventured north to the town we are currently in, Vang Vieng. We were expecting poor road conditions and frantic, non law abiding motorists along the way but we were very surprised! The road was very well maintained and the drivers here are excellent. This is a stark contrast to Cambodia. I would say that it would be completely safe to driver here as a foreigner. The scenery along the way to Vang Vieng was beautiful. The area is quite mountainous and there are quite a few pretty little towns along the way. There are also many beautiful homes as well. When we arrived in Vang Vieng, we were very disappointed with our hotel. We had picked the hotel from reviews on Tripadvisor, but this particular hotel did not live up to the ratings that we read. The price of the hotel is only around $30 CAD per night, and as the the saying goes, you only get what you pay for! We left our bags in the hotel room and quickly ventured out for a walk, a little depressed about our accommodations. During our walk, we stumbled upon a complete gem of a hotel which is basically a rice field where the owner decided to erect stilted bungalow huts upon. The surrounding scenery is fantastic with beautiful mountains in the backdrop. The owner took us for a tour inside one of the bungalows and they were beautiful and clean inside. Apparently the hotel has just opened, so everything is brand new. We decided to have a cocktail at the outdoor restaurant and enjoy the surrounding beauty. While consuming our delicious beverages, we decided that we just could not stay in the shitty (pardon the french) hotel that we had booked into. So, we negotiated a little on the price with the owner and got it down from $70 USD to $60. Basically, we decided to eat the cost of our crappy hotel and upgrade to a far, far better abode. The name of our new hotel in Vang Vieng is the Vieng Tara Villa, and we would highly recommend it to anyone! Even my Dad would be impressed here! The owner and staff are very friendly and we enjoyed an excellent meal at the outdoor restaurant. This is probably the nicest (for the price) place we've stayed at in all our travels thus far. Tomorrow morning, we leave relatively early for our next stop in Luang Prabang, which is about a 4 to 5 hour drive from here.
January 25, 2014.
In Vientiane, Laos. We arrived in Laos yesterday evening. It's a rather short flight from Phnom Penh, about an hour and 20 minutes. Our Hotel is great! It's called the Rashmi Plaza Hotel. We have a nice one bedroom suite, a little dated, but still nice. Great to have a living room area with a nice desk outside of the bedroom so Tricia and Bennett can sleep while I work on the website. Our first impressions of Laos are great! We notice quite a difference between Laos and Cambodia so far. Firstly, there is not nearly as much traffic. At least not here in Vientiane, which is the Capital and largest city (at around 200,000 people) in Laos. Further, it seems much cleaner and less stinky here, not as much garbage on the streets and no rancid raw sewer smells which often waft on you in Phnom Penh. Also, the cars and motorbikes actually appear to follow the rules of driving! They have traffic lights that motorists obey (totally different than in Cambodia). The level of poverty seems less here and the homes look much better built. Today we hired a Tuk Tuk driver to take us around to some of the major sites to see within the City and surrounding area. We visited several Temples (man there are lots of Temples in Asia!). Most of the Temples here are beautifully maintained. If structures such as what we've seen here resided in many of the Western cities we've seen throughout our lifetime, security around them would be very tight as they for sure would be ransacked or vandalized. There appear to be little or no security around the beautiful structures here and no graffiti or vandalism seems to exist. Quite amazing actually! We also visited a place called the Buddha Park which is just outside of Vientiane. The road into this Park was rather long and very bumpy (not a very well maintained road) and took about an hour of driving in the Tuk Tuk. During the drive we were thinking, is this really worth the sore bum from this drive? The drive was WELL worth it! The Buddha Park might be in our top 5 list of all the places we've been to so far on our near 5 month worth of traveling. It's almost worth coming all the way to Laos just to visit this special place. Along with tonnes of ornate sculptures, there is also a giant Buddha like structure that you can go into and it's kind of like a catacomb. You would think you are in an Indiana Jones movie while exploring inside of the structure. The staircases inside are tiny but fun to climb. You can make your way to the top of the structure and then get a great view of the entire Buddha Park from the top. Took many photos and videos of the Park, so be sure to check them all out! Tomorrow, we are thinking of renting our own scooter to explore the rest of the City as the Tuk Tuks here seem quite expensive. We spent 60 USD to hire our driver fom the day, which would have been only about 25 USD in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The driving seems very safe here, so we should be ok. Tricia has not posted a log in a while, so I will try to force her to write one up in the morning. Hitting the sack now as it's almost 2AM for me here!
Tricia: We had such a great time in Cambodia but were definitely ready to leave. We had met a lovely English couple (Matt and Sophie) and their 4 year old named Jake. Bennett and Jake became best friends and it was sad to have to say goodbye even after that short a time together. Laos has been amazing so far! We arrived late at night and there was no problem getting our visas (and we didn't get scammed like in Cambodia!). We arrived at our hotel and it is a little like an old Vegas casino...and I mean old. We have gold curtains in the room - really, really gold and a huge marble table. But Vientiane is beautiful. As Bart mentioned, it has a true French influence. It is also very clean in comparison to where we have come from. It seems so small and very laid back. Probably the best part of yesterday was Bhudda Park. The drive there was eternal but so worth it. Bennett actually was up front with the driver and loved it. People are constantly stopping us and touching Bennett's face and asking for pictures with him. He's usually pretty obliging but there have been a few times that he runs away as fast as he can...I can't blame him but we might start charging for pictures as a way to make some additional income! We went to a few temples and they were beautiful.One had a tonne of monks touring it. It was kind of funny seeing these really traditional men dressed all orange robes snapping pics with their cellphone. Tomorrow we head towards Luang Prabang and I have heard amazing things about it...
In Vientiane, Laos. We arrived in Laos yesterday evening. It's a rather short flight from Phnom Penh, about an hour and 20 minutes. Our Hotel is great! It's called the Rashmi Plaza Hotel. We have a nice one bedroom suite, a little dated, but still nice. Great to have a living room area with a nice desk outside of the bedroom so Tricia and Bennett can sleep while I work on the website. Our first impressions of Laos are great! We notice quite a difference between Laos and Cambodia so far. Firstly, there is not nearly as much traffic. At least not here in Vientiane, which is the Capital and largest city (at around 200,000 people) in Laos. Further, it seems much cleaner and less stinky here, not as much garbage on the streets and no rancid raw sewer smells which often waft on you in Phnom Penh. Also, the cars and motorbikes actually appear to follow the rules of driving! They have traffic lights that motorists obey (totally different than in Cambodia). The level of poverty seems less here and the homes look much better built. Today we hired a Tuk Tuk driver to take us around to some of the major sites to see within the City and surrounding area. We visited several Temples (man there are lots of Temples in Asia!). Most of the Temples here are beautifully maintained. If structures such as what we've seen here resided in many of the Western cities we've seen throughout our lifetime, security around them would be very tight as they for sure would be ransacked or vandalized. There appear to be little or no security around the beautiful structures here and no graffiti or vandalism seems to exist. Quite amazing actually! We also visited a place called the Buddha Park which is just outside of Vientiane. The road into this Park was rather long and very bumpy (not a very well maintained road) and took about an hour of driving in the Tuk Tuk. During the drive we were thinking, is this really worth the sore bum from this drive? The drive was WELL worth it! The Buddha Park might be in our top 5 list of all the places we've been to so far on our near 5 month worth of traveling. It's almost worth coming all the way to Laos just to visit this special place. Along with tonnes of ornate sculptures, there is also a giant Buddha like structure that you can go into and it's kind of like a catacomb. You would think you are in an Indiana Jones movie while exploring inside of the structure. The staircases inside are tiny but fun to climb. You can make your way to the top of the structure and then get a great view of the entire Buddha Park from the top. Took many photos and videos of the Park, so be sure to check them all out! Tomorrow, we are thinking of renting our own scooter to explore the rest of the City as the Tuk Tuks here seem quite expensive. We spent 60 USD to hire our driver fom the day, which would have been only about 25 USD in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The driving seems very safe here, so we should be ok. Tricia has not posted a log in a while, so I will try to force her to write one up in the morning. Hitting the sack now as it's almost 2AM for me here!
Tricia: We had such a great time in Cambodia but were definitely ready to leave. We had met a lovely English couple (Matt and Sophie) and their 4 year old named Jake. Bennett and Jake became best friends and it was sad to have to say goodbye even after that short a time together. Laos has been amazing so far! We arrived late at night and there was no problem getting our visas (and we didn't get scammed like in Cambodia!). We arrived at our hotel and it is a little like an old Vegas casino...and I mean old. We have gold curtains in the room - really, really gold and a huge marble table. But Vientiane is beautiful. As Bart mentioned, it has a true French influence. It is also very clean in comparison to where we have come from. It seems so small and very laid back. Probably the best part of yesterday was Bhudda Park. The drive there was eternal but so worth it. Bennett actually was up front with the driver and loved it. People are constantly stopping us and touching Bennett's face and asking for pictures with him. He's usually pretty obliging but there have been a few times that he runs away as fast as he can...I can't blame him but we might start charging for pictures as a way to make some additional income! We went to a few temples and they were beautiful.One had a tonne of monks touring it. It was kind of funny seeing these really traditional men dressed all orange robes snapping pics with their cellphone. Tomorrow we head towards Luang Prabang and I have heard amazing things about it...