Northern bus station in Vientiane. If you go to Nam Ngum lake, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Luang Namtha, Udomxai, Xieng Khouang, Phongsali, etc. you will come here for a local bus. They do have both air-conditioned and non-airconditioned buses. Most foreign tourists will opt for the first ones.
Vientiane - Luang Prabang air-con bus. The day-driving bus ticket was US$ 13 a person for a roughly 10 hours trip. That also included a lunch and a drinking water bottle.
We had tv in the bus, but the toilet was broken and could not be used. Anyway it was about the same level as in Myanmar. Probably here was a little bit better and more convenient for international tourists, especially budget travellers, in terms of transport and communication.
Since we did not have good toilet onboard the bus the driver stopped at some isolated places with good bushes. Yes a good bush makes a nice toilet at the time of nature call. Almost everybody went out to find a bush. Few people actually came back from a bush with newly made friend. It looked like they did not talk in the bus in the first place; but then after having spent a few minutes in the bush for nature requirement they became friends.
At lunch time the bus stopped at a town where we had our lunch provided by the transport company. At about 4:30 p.m. we arrived Luang Prabang bus station. A tuk tuk took me to a cheap guesthouse in the old town. At just 160 Thai Baht a night for a fan cooled room with shared bath, It was even cheaper than in Vientiane.
I took this photo just as the market was about to begin after closing the road for car traffic. At the night market you could find many hand-made items, bags, cloths and clothes, home and office use accessories, decoration items, Lao traditional musical equipment, writing instrument made from plants and wood, food, and so on.
Built on the intersection of Mekong and Khan rivers Luang Prabang is famous for its Lao traditional and colonial old architecture found on its many temples, monasteries and some house buildings. It is also Unesco's World Heritage site. Temples of Luang Prabang have their unique design. People interested in old architecture of South East Asia are visiting Luang Prabang, Angkor Wat temple complex in Siem Reap (Cambodia) and Bagan in middle Myanmar.
To arrange your travel in Laos, Thailand, etc. check this site: www.trekthailand.net
Unique Adventure Trips