Visa for Laos December 17, 2006
Posted by Guido in General, travelling.1 comment so far
You need to get a visa to enter Laos, but getting one is fairly easy. You can get it at all official international border crossings and at the international airports of Vientiane and Luang Prabang. The tourist visa is $30 (or equivalent in Thai baht). It’s valid for 15 days and extendible up to an additional two weeks.
VERY IMPORTANT: Bring the money in Dollars when you arrive, because you won’t find atm’s or money changers at the border. You have to bring a pass photo and fill out the name of the hotel you’re staying at. They also ask for a contact in Laos. Just fill out the name of the hotel you will be staying at.
Lao words and sentences December 17, 2006
Posted by Guido in General, travelling.125 comments
It’s always nice to be able to say a few words and sentences when visiting a foreign country. Here you go:
Sabai dee – Hello, How are you?
Sok dee – Good bye (lit. good luck)
Kop chai (lai lai) – Thank you (very much)
Boh pen yang – You’re welcome, it doesn’t matter, it’s fine, don’t worry
Boh kau jai – I don’t understand
(more…)
Sign up for the Vang Vieng trip August 6, 2006
Posted by Guido in General, hotels, travelling.add a comment
We already have a good group of people who have signed up for the mini trip to Vang Vieng. To remind you, on the 27th of December we start off the trip with a nice dinner in Vientiane. The next morning we leave for Vang Vieng, where we will hang out for two days, doing fun stuff and getting to know each other. The 30th of December we drive further north to Luang Prabang. For more detailed information, read this post.
From a lot of people we still don’t know if they want to join. Please let us know as soon as possible. We want to book accommodation in Vang Vieng very soon. We are looking at a place that we think is nice with views over the river and the karst mountains. It’s called The Elephant Crossing. However, it has only 25 rooms, so we don’t want to wait much longer to book them.
The rates are from $25-$35. If you wanto to stay at at some place cheaper, let us know and we’ll find another guest house for you.
If we hear back from you soon we will reserve the rooms for you. If we hear much later we can’t guarantee that rooms will be available in this hotel and we would have to book in another hotel.
So please let us know if you are coming on the trip with us! You can leave a comment page or send an email to wedding@hosman.com.
Thanks!
Train from Bangkok to Vientiane July 27, 2006
Posted by Guido in travelling.15 comments
Taking the train to Laos is a good option, not only to save money, but also to see some more places on the way to Luang Prabang. It’s also a relaxed way of traveling. You board in Bangkok in the evening, sleep through the night and when you wake up, you enjoy the views of the rural parts of Northwestern Thailand in the soft morning light.
You can find everything you need to know about travelling by train in Thailand on this website. Below I use some of their information: (more…)
Mini trip to Vang Vieng July 7, 2006
Posted by Guido in General, travelling.3 comments
We want you to get more out of your trip to Laos than just the wedding. We also think it’d be great if we could do some travelling with friends and family. So we are organizing a little trip and everybody is invited to join.
We’re starting on 27 December with a (belated) Christmas dinner in one of Vientiane’s prime night time locations, the Kop Chai Due Restaurant. It’s a great restaurant, bar and beer garden set in a beautiful french colonial building with a live band every night.
The next morning we will have a bus arranged that will take all of us to Luang Prabang. But not directly. We will take it easy and break the trip in two, stopping for two days in the lovely little village of Vang Vieng. (more…)
How to get to Luang Prabang? July 6, 2006
Posted by Guido in flights, travelling.7 comments
Now suppose you’re thinking of coming to the wedding, how would you get there? Luang Prabang is a bit out of the way and definitely not a mass tourism destination, but the effort to get there is more than worth it. It’s located in the nothern parts of Laos and you won’t be able to find a direct flight there. You’ll have to get a ticket to Bangkok first. From there you can do several things: (more…)
Flights to Bangkok July 5, 2006
Posted by Guido in flights, travelling.1 comment so far
Most of Veo’s family have booked their tickets, so this post is mostly directed to the Dutch friends and family. When should you go and with which airline? I cannot give you a clear cut answer, but here are some tips:
Book now! Don’t wait much longer. Ticket prices are only going up from now on. A lot of flights are being booked full as we speak.
Tickets that leave before Christmas are more expensive than flights that leave from the 24th of December onwards. Try booking your ticket on the 24th or 25th. (more…)
Sticky Rice 