Koh Rong: 11 reasons why you shouldn’t visit it [with tips]
Despite the one in Koh Rong has been a relaxing and regenerating holiday (you can read it my other post), there are things that we would have liked to know before travelling there. Actually, you can find all these negative reviews online. But it is difficult to make rational decisions as the beautiful images of this island blind you. You see pictures, you want to be there no matter what. Dot.
We collected here some of the reasons why one shouldn’t go to Koh Rong, according to our own experience.
Of course, we are all different, so something that bothers me doesn’t bother someone else. This is why I always suggest reading blogs, but in the end, you should make your own considerations and decide what to do according to your personality and desires.
So, which are the 11 reasons why Koh Rong is not worth a visit?
1. Electricity blackouts
There is no electricity in Koh Rong, but only the one provided by generators. It seems that the island borrows it from the close-by village. Practically speaking, electricity is stopped 2 times per day, for 1 hour. Once in the morning and once in the evening. The rest of the time it is unstable, it is up and down, depending on the generator of the guest house or restaurant.
TIP:
[su_note note_color="#f2f2f2" text_color=“#000000” radius="3" class="p_tip"] Keep all your devices charged, or be organized with a power bank or extra battery.[/su_note]
2. Slow and unreliable wifi
As a consequence of electricity blackouts, connecting to the wifi is quite challenging on the island. It is difficult to find (mainly, guest houses and hostels offer wifi only in common spaces), and when you have it will be very slow and unreliable.
TIP:
[su_note note_color="#f2f2f2" text_color=“#000000” radius="3" class="p_tip"] Take it as a detoxification from the online world, and enjoy the real world… with its pros and cons.[/su_note]
3. Rusty water
This has been by far the biggest problem we had. Water was orange, full of rust. That means that you couldn't shower, and brush your teeth if not with bottled water. You don’t want to smell like rust and, in addition to that, rust is very dangerous for our body! Complains were useless as this problem affects all the island, except luxurious hotels.
TIP:
[su_note note_color="#f2f2f2" text_color=“#000000” radius="3" class="p_tip"] Pay a huge amount to have a room in one of the 2-3 luxury hotels on the island, or wash yourself in the sea or with bottled water (which is quite expansive, too).[/su_note]
4. No ATM
There are no ATM in Koh Rong and credit cards are rarely accepted. There are 2-3 hotels/restaurants that lend money to you (max 300 $). The procedure is at it follows: you go there and leave your original passport to them. They give you the money, and they send your passport to their office in Sihanoukville. When you leave the island, you go to the Sihanoukville office to pay back the 300 $ + 10% commission, and you will get your passport back. Not bad, eh?!…
TIP:
[su_note note_color="#f2f2f2" text_color=“#000000” radius="3" class="p_tip"] Go to Koh Rong with more than enough cash with you.[/su_note]
5. Smoke
If you are a non-smoker, this is not the place for you. People smoke a lot, everywhere, and not only cigarettes! You smell smoke at every time of the day and in any corner of the island. This can be very annoying if you are a non-smoker, but a paradise if you are a smoker :-)
TIP:
[su_note note_color="#f2f2f2" text_color=“#000000” radius="3" class="p_tip"] If you are a non-smoker, look for secluded places… and hope that a sneaky smoker didn’t have your same idea![/su_note]
6. Expensive accommodation
I read a lot about it before travelling to Koh Rong, but I didn’t expect such a disaster! Above all the toilet and shower, oh my god! I am not that kind of person complaining about everything, but this was really unacceptable: small, smelly and super dirty.
Accommodation is very expensive for what it offers and the quality doesn’t follow at all. There is a huge gap between cheap accommodation (hostels, guest houses), bungalows, and hotels or resorts.
- hostels and guest houses: terrible quality, dirty, with extra small and mouldy rooms for 13-25 $ per room, per night.
- bungalows: wooden constructions with holes all around (sometimes with open-air toilet and shower), a perfect gateway for insects and animals to come in, for 30-120 $ per bungalow, per night (depending on if sea-view or not, age of construction, etc.).
- hotels and resorts: there are only 2-3 of them on the island. From the outside, they look more clean and well-maintained, but they were probably not worth the price you pay for it: 150-180 $ per room, per night.
TIP:
[su_note note_color="#f2f2f2" text_color=“#000000” radius="3" class="p_tip"] In order to relief from this pain, we divided our stay in 3 accommodations's standard. From the worse to the best (guest house, cheap bungalow, average bungalow). You feel you are getting better, and it is not too killing for your wallet. Try it![/su_note]
7. Dirty beaches
As it already happened for Koh Samui (Thailand), online pictures were kind of misleading. Sure, beaches in Koh Rong are white, but in many places, they are also full of garbage. It is really a pity because the landscape is wonderful. All the beaches there should be cleaned once, and then the challenge is to keep them clean. So far, it seems that no one is really willing to do it. Everyone takes care of the beach in front of the accommodation, but not 1 meter more.
TIP:
[su_note note_color="#f2f2f2" text_color=“#000000” radius="3" class="p_tip"] Take care about your own garbage, and give a good example to others. If we all throw our garbage in garbage bins, it is easy to keep beaches clean.[/su_note]
8. Sand flies
Koh Rong is famous for its high number of sand flies. They are worse than mosquitos, as you don’t see them biting. After half an hour on the beach, you will find your legs full of red and itchy spots.
TIP:
[su_note note_color="#f2f2f2" text_color=“#000000” radius="3" class="p_tip"] When on the beach, lie down on a thick towel, or put some good but natural insect repellant.[/su_note]
9. Loud music till sunrise
You will read that it is a quiet island, except if you stay in Koh Touch and surroundings. It is confirmed. From there you can hear music coming from the close by clubs, and from the parties at Police Beach. We could hear that even at 4K beach! When the music stops, you will hear all the drunk and stoned people going back to their accommodation, screaming like crazy.
TIP:
[su_note note_color="#f2f2f2" text_color=“#000000” radius="3" class="p_tip"] Go party all night long or… sleep with a good pair of ear-plugs would be a nice idea![/su_note]
10. No roads
There are no roads, but there are scooters running on the beach… in the sand… we were shocked to see that!
The only ways to go around are along the beach, via small paths inland, or by boat.
TIP:
[su_note note_color="#f2f2f2" text_color=“#000000” radius="3" class="p_tip"] Wear comfortable shoes and show your best signs' skills when you need to communicate your destination to boat captains. [/su_note]
11. This is no real Cambodia
In Siem Reap and Battambang I was so impressed about people smiles, about their genuineness and happiness. In Koh Rong, you don’t feel that. People never smile and are concentrated to run their business, and not even so good… You feel that you are not welcome and that you are annoying them. Maybe it is just a perception...
TIP:
[su_note note_color="#f2f2f2" text_color=“#000000” radius="3" class="p_tip"] You can stay there for few days and enjoy the beach, but if you want to discover the real Cambodia go somewhere else!![/su_note]
Koh Rong: a Cambodia's paradise [short guide 2019]
Talking to other travellers, we found out that Cambodia has few heavenly islands in the south of the country, with white sand and clear waters, a bit wild but offering the basics for a dream holiday. One of them is Koh Rong.
After months inland, we decided to reward us with a beach holiday!
Well, that sounded too good to be true, but perfectly in line with our idea. We searched on the web and were really surprised to see the islands' images.
There are also Koh Rong Samloem, Koh Ta Kiev, but they are completely wild, perfect if you are looking for a Cast Away adventure.
Koh Rong, the biggest island, seems the one offering a bit more when talking about accommodation, restaurants and activities. So we decided to go there!
How to reach Koh Rong
It is not difficult.
First, you need to reach Sihanoukville. We went there by bus (Mekong Express), from Phnom Pehn. Their service included also the transfer from Mekong Express office to the pier, and the ferry's ticket. The total cost per person was 12 $ for the bus (1-way) and 22 $ for the ferry (with open return).
Once at Sihanoukville's pier, you will receive a badge for the ferry and then you just need to wait together with other hundreds of people.
There are several ferry companies going to both Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem. Mekong Express booked us with the Speed Ferry Cambodia.
Someone at the pier will check your badge and will tell you the number of the stop where you need to get out. There are 4-5 stops, the first ones are in Koh Rong Samloem, and the others in Koh Rong. We went out at the 4th one, in Koh Rong Koh Touch.
As always in South East Asia, when you jump into a boat, your backpack will be taken away from your from the personnel and you will get it back when you reach your destination. Be careful and keep an eye at your luggage because sometimes the process is messy, and your belongings will be unloaded by mistake while you are still onboard. It happened a couple of times during our trip to the island.
The trip, if the ferry stops in Koh Rong Samloem first, will last about 2 hours. It is a bit bumpy (you will receive a vomit plastic bag upon departure), but manageable...
When you arrive at the destination, well... you feel you are dreaming!
Where to stay
As you will read in my next post, the accommodation in Koh Rong is not very nice. It is actually almost terrible!
We stayed in several guest houses and bungalows, but I can recommend only one of them: Paradise Bungalow. They offer several bungalow's categories, from budget to standard. They also have a restaurant preparing tasty dishes, and a cool chill out area.
If you have a high budget, you can opt for one of the 2 or 3 resorts on the island.
What to do
Relax, relax and relax. Enjoy the white beaches and clear, warm water.
If you are on the right side of the island, you can admire wonderful sunsets.
If you are looking for more active days, you can book a full day tour with one of the agencies on the island. Usually, the tour includes a boat trip to Koh Rong Samloem, snorkelling, lunch, visit another beach and a Grand Finale with the bioluminescent plankton. The cost is around 25 $.
You can find also evening boat tours (approx 1 hour) for the glowing plankton for 5 $.
The bioluminescent plankton
This is one of the main reasons why we decided to go to Koh Rong, where this phenomenon is very present.
What is this phenomenon about? This bioluminescent plankton is a small organism producing light when disturbed, but it doesn't glow all of the time and not everywhere. It happens only during the night, where there is no pollution in the ambience, and when there is no moon (cloudy sky).
In the past, you could see it on the shore, but now you need to go offshore by boat.
Don't get fooled by the pictures that you see online and by the agencies...
... it will never be like that!
We went 2 times to watch the plankton.
The first time we were not totally aware of the "plankton's rules", so we joined a tour even if there was the moon in the sky. And we couldn't see anything.
The second time it has been magic!
It was 7 pm and there was a rough sea. We got into the boat with a non-English speaking captain and other 10 people. He left the shore and after a few instants, the trip became a nightmare due to the high waves and the unstable wooden boat. We travelled in the dark for 30 minutes, and then the captain suddenly stopped the boat and switched off the lights. It was completely dark, without moon and without stars. We all got a mask and snorkel and were ready to go into the water. We did it, but many of the other passengers stayed onboard because they were seasick.
The particularity of the glowing plankton is that it glows when you move the water. So, we jumped from the boat into the water and we were instantly surrounded by a glowing cloud. The more you move, the more it glows. The kind of fear of the dark suddenly disappeared, and the adrenaline came out. It has been really magic and we highly recommend this experience to everyone (the ones not afraid to be in deep waters, in the dark)!
The bad news is that it is impossible to capture pictures or videos about this phenomenon. Even with the best equipment, the phenomenon cannot be recorded...
Well, not a big issue. It will always be stored in our mind and heart :-)
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Battambang tour: local artisans and much more [a must]
Our stay in Battambang ended to be a bit longer than expected, due to the Vietnam visa procedure. During our stay, we had plenty of time to explore the area. We wanted to have a Battambang tour, in the city or outside.
As almost every hostel or hotel, the hostel "Pomme" organizes full-day excursions, too.
There were several options, but we decided to go for the most popular 8-hours Battambang tour (and surroundings). The tour included visits to a few local artisans, lunch in a local restaurant (plus fresh water all day long), visit temples and to admire the sunset next to the impressing bat cave. The cost of the tour was 24 $ per person, all included.
This is the map with the main attractions. We visited only some of them.
Our guide's name was Tony, a very nice and friendly 40-years-old Cambodian guy. He picked us up at the hostel with his VIP tuk-tuk with very comfortable seats, welcoming us on board with a huge smile!
We were 4 people in total, so it felt like we had a private tour with a private guide.
We went around with the super comfortable tuk-tuk for the entire day and visited these family businesses in the middle of nowhere. I don't recall names and locations, as they were sometimes really remote. But it has been very useful to have Tony with us, translating those people's stories, and to understand how proud they are about their work.
We could taste every culinary speciality and enjoyed the rural and traditional Cambodian lifestyle. The real Cambodia was there.
Here below you will find the most important and touching stops in the tour. We highly recommend to do it if you stop in Battambang, as you will see some hidden gems that you wouldn't find by yourself.
Battambang tour (the real Cambodia)
Wood carving family's business
The first stop has been by this family who runs a wood carving business. It is impressive to see the dimensions of these artworks, they are huge and so detailed! It seems that it takes 1 month (16-18 hours per day) for 1 person to complete a piece of art. And the cost for that sculpture is around 1000 $. It has been moving to see how they were happy while saying that, because for them 1000 $ is a huge amount. We were shocked because the price paid is so low compared to the hundreds of hours worked.
In the house, everyone has its own role: men work with the wood, and women take care of the "house", animals and food.
Banana business
The second stop was in a family working bananas in different ways: they slice them very thin, afterwards they dry them under the sun, or deep-fry them. You can admire these sheets of bananas along the roads, yellow like gold.
In Cambodia, and in SE Asia in general, there are only small bananas. Not as big as "ours".
The taste is really sweet, delicious. But not only for us...
... chicken like it, too! This one was jumping up and down to steal little pieces of banana :-)
Rice papers business
This couple has a business of rice paper, the ones that we normally use to wrap fresh spring rolls. They usually produce around 3000 rice papers per day, and they sell them to local restaurants or shops. To do that, they work from sunrise to sunset, non-stop.
She prepares the mixture of rice, boiling it, in this sitting position. Afterwards, she prepares rice disks, and she places them on a rudimental drying rack.
He takes them and gently puts them on a bamboo net, ready to be dried under the sun. 
Once they are dry, they collect them in a big basket and they are ready to be picked up. This happens every day, 365 days per year.
Rice wine business
Here we go, something to drink before lunch! The "boss" explained to us how he produces this local wine in his unbelievably small hut. He has built several big clay pots, where he stores the fermented rice in its different stages. There is also a system of pipes connecting everything.
After seeing the process, we could finally taste the rice wine which tastes more like grappa than wine... There were 2 kinds of rice wine: regular rice wine, and rice wine with a snake inside. We tasted both. I guess you are curious about the snake's one, right? Well, it tests like pear's grappa... or something similar. "Try it to know it", as they told us :-)
The producer said that usually they drink rice wine before lunch or dinner, or to heal strong pains.
Coconut and dry fish business
We didn't stop to the fish racks as the smell was really strong. In this place, fresh fish is cut and dried under the sun. Part of it is transformed in fish paste (which is actually the one that smells so strong).
Not too far away, we also visited a coconut plantation. A couple of people was collecting coconuts to sell them to the market. Unfortunately, we couldn't taste one because they were all already reserved.
Khmer old prison and killing fields memorial
This part has been very touching and emotional. Tony told us the story of the Khmer Rouge from his parents' point of view. He was born a couple of years after the end of that period, but his family lived those terrible years. He told us how bad Cambodian people were treated, worse than animals. Sometimes they were killed without reason, just because they were in the wrong place, in the wrong moment. While he was telling us those facts, his eyes were in tears.
The first building we visited was a prison, where Cambodian people living in Battambang and surroundings were "stored" and tortured.
The second building was the Killing Fields Memorial, full of skulls and bones of the thousands of innocent people who were killed by the hand of Khmer, again in the Battambang area.
It sad because Cambodia is a really poor country, one of the poorest in the world. The blameless population has been tortured without a real reason and is still paying the consequences nowadays. Tony told us sadly that, for example, people were killed because they were able to write, or other similar motivation. Unbelievable...
Bamboo Train
After lunch, the atmosphere was a bit more relaxed and joyful. We took the famous bamboo train. It is now a touristic attraction, but in the past, it was a real means used to transport goods from a city to another. Every time, the wagons have to be assembled from zero.
There is only one track, but trains come from both ways. So, what happens when two trains coming from opposite directions meet on the only track?
Initially, there is a verbal fight between the 2 drivers, until one of them surrenders, invites the passengers to get out and disassembles his wagon. The other wagon can proceed and, when the track is available again, the other driver can re-assemble the train and continue the trip... 
Temple and bat cave
Around 5 pm, we reached our next stop: a temple in the cave. It is located up on a hill, around 30 minutes of walk, and the view from up there is magnificent! We were surprised because we had to pay 2 $ for that walk...
For the ones who cannot walk, there is a car service that goes up and down for an extra charge.
You can enter the cave and go down for a bit via some wooden stairs.
If you don't want to enjoy a caving experience, you can have a look around on the "ground floor" and assist to scenes of people (kids, teenagers, adults and elderly people) humbly asking for a blessing. Once received the blessing, they pray all together for a few minutes. 
Bat Caves
This Battambang tour couldn't end in a better way!
Around 6 pm we climbed a little hill, where a dozen of other curious were already sitting. We waited for a few minutes and then, at 6 pm, magically, a huge black cloud started to come out from the cave. They were millions of little bats!
Every evening at 6 pm they exit the cave and fly around looking for food. It takes approximately 2 hours until they are all out of the cave. This is one of the most amazing spectacles admired in our entire lives!
It looked like smoke, but it was a flock of bats... and there was a wonderful sunset as background. We felt like we were in a movie with special effects :-)
Amazing, really amazing.
Back at the hostel, we thanked Tony for this nice Battambang tour, it has been a pleasure for all of us :-)
See you next time!
Battambang Cambodia: an Unexpected Stop in Your Travel
After a nice and relaxing week in Siem Reap, we decided to move further.
As our next destination would be Vietnam, we needed to apply for the tourist visa in Cambodia. There is a Vietnam consulate in Battambang Cambodia and one Vietnam visa section in Phnom Penh. Battambang was on our way, and Phnom Penh was our final destination in Cambodia. We decided to do the entire Vietnam visa procedure in Battambang (you can read more about this in our other post)
So, next destination: Battambang.
Battambang is the second bigger city in Cambodia, but not as popular as Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. It is more traditional, cheaper, genuine and not touristic.
There is actually not much to do in the city itself, but the surroundings seem to be really nice, and there is a lot of history behind.
We took the early morning Mekong Express’ bus from Siem Reap (8 $ per person), and we arrived in Battambang around 11.30 am.
We have been welcomed, as usual, by dozens of smiley tuk-tuk drivers, willing to bring you everywhere you want… even few meters away :-)
We didn’t book any hotel, as our main urgency was to go to the Vietnam consulate and ask information about how and when we could get the visa (we tried to reach them by email and by phone so many times, without success).
At 2 pm we went to the consulate and finally, we could “speak” with the only employee there. He kind of explained to us that it was ok to apply for the visa there, but it would take more than 3 working days as there was the weekend in between.
No problem, we need the visa so we will find something to do for all those days.
ACCOMMODATION in Battambang (Cambodia)
After submitting the application, we went to the city to find accommodation. We walked to a few hotels and hostels. As the hotel quality was not thrilling, we finally choose to spend 2 nights in a dorm at the hostel “The place”. The hostel was nice, with a wonderful rooftop but we left earlier because of a little inconvenient: bed bugs.
We moved to another hostel called “Pomme”. This was the weirdest place we ever stayed. The rooms were all on the 1st floor, and they were like closets: inside there was literally space just for the bed and one small fan.
There were 2-3 rooms with window: we had one of them on the 1st night, and then not anymore. We thought “never mind, we will only sleep here”. At that time we didn’t realize that in Battambang is really warm (36-39°C). You don’t want to know how hot it was in that room during the night!! Despite all, we stayed there for the rest of our stay as the ambience downstairs was really chill and comfortable for both relax and work.
WHAT TO DO in Battambang (Cambodia)
1) explore the city
You can discover the city by walk or by tuk-tuk, it’s up to you. The inconvenient is that it is really hot, and can be tiring to walk around. As mentioned, there is not much in the city. We went to the market where you can find clothes, beauty products, food and jewellery. Because of the heat, meat and fish can get really smelly so that part of the marked can be killing.
We also went to the shopping mall, which is not really a shopping mall but a mass of small shops selling almost all the same things. Not worth the visit.
In the evening there are night markets along the river (some say that they are a bit touristy) and street food all around.
2) go to the circus
It is a partially different concept of "circus". First of all, there are no animals. Secondly, it is a group of students from the Phare Ponleu Selpak school, performing stunts in a really funny way. It is a simple but intense spectacle, we really enjoyed the show and the passion of these young acrobats. The money they collect will help them to improve their school, gears, and change children's lives by bringing art and education among them.
3) an excursion outside Battambang
The hostel "Pomme" was organizing full-day excursions, too. We decided to go for the most popular one including visits to some local artisans, lunch, temples, bat caves.
Our guide was Tony, a very nice and friendly 40-years-old Cambodian guy. He picked us up at the hostel with his VIP tuk-tuk with very comfortable seats. You can read more about this excursion in another post :-)
RESTAURANTS in Battambang (Cambodia)
In the city, there are several local restaurants, of course. But you can find also tasty and inviting street food zones. We went to the ones in the night market, along the river. Good food at a cheap price.
In addition to that, believe it or not, we ate the best pizza ever (or at least the best pizza so far in South East Asia). We need to thank the restaurant La Pizza in Battambang! We tasted several types of pizzas, and they were all so tasty, the ingredients were authentic, above all mozzarella and tomato sauce. But the best one was the one with gorgonzola, walnuts, spinach, onion and honey :-)
There is also a very good and interesting restaurant named "HOC", offering original lunch and dinner options, and a buffet breakfast for 3 $. Interesting because it is a non-governmental and non-religious association called "hope of the Children". The aim is to offer education and food to future generations.
Every product is hand-made, starting from bread, jam and yoghurt. In addition to that, they have fruit plantations so all their fruits are organic and km 0. Delicious!
All in all, the stay in Battambang has been cooler than expected! Happy to have included this stop in our itinerary.
On the last day, we went back to the Vietnam consulate, we picked up our passports and visa and went to the bus station, waiting for our next adventure.
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Vietnam Visa: How to Get One in Cambodia
Vietnam visa: Key tips to get one from Cambodia
After a nice and relaxing week in Siem Reap, we decided to move further.
We usually do not plan that far (1 month), but this time we had to.
We already knew that our next country to visit would be Vietnam, and to enter Vietnam you need a visa. If you fly, you can apply for an e-Visa (check if this is applicable to your nationality). If you enter by land, except in rare locations, you need the physical visa on your passport.
Our plan was to travel from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh by bus, so we needed the physical visa on our passport before entering the country.
There are 2 Vietnam consulates/Visa sections in Cambodia: one in Battambang, and one in Phnom Penh.
Being Battambang on our way to the South, we decided to do the visa procedure there. We tried to contact the consulate in every way and several times. None of our emails and phone calls were answered. Result: we had no information or instructions about how to get Vietnam Visa in Cambodia...
Both types of visa allow you to a single entry, 30-days tourist visa.
E-Visa
You can apply for the e-Visa online. There are several companies doing it, but no one can advise the best one or the "official" one. In order to obtain an e-Visa you need to:
- apply and pay the fee online
- wait 3-5 business days and afterwards, you will get the visa authorization letter from the Vietnam Government by email, saying that you are allowed to enter the country
- print out the authorization and bring it always with you
- at the airport, you have to show the authorization letter together with your passport, passport size photo to the immigration officer
We understood that you can request the visa authorization letter also in several tour agencies in Siem Reap (and probably also in other cities). Instead of doing the procedure online, you walk in and do everything with the employee there. I am not sure about the costs, in this specific case.
Physical Visa (in Battambang)
I will explain how to get the visa in Battambang, telling you our little story :-)
Once arrived in Battambang, with our backpacks still on, we walked to the consulate. Of course, it was closed for lunch and the guard told us that it will open again at 2 pm. Ok, then we had lunch, too.
At 2 pm we went back to the consulate and finally, we could “speak” with the only employee there, a funny man with quite poor English. The good news was that we could get the visa there, the bad news was that it takes 3 working days for that but, as it was Friday afternoon, he could not apply for it until Monday. The result: we have to stay almost 1 week in Battambang.
The communication is quite complicated, few words and many signs, but the procedure itself is actually very simple:
- you fill in the visa form (provided by the consulate) with all the information needed: personal data, and date of entry, border of entry, where you will stay, for how long, etc. Keep 2-3 days visa overlapping (with the Cambodian one) so, if something goes wrong, you are sure that you have enough time to exit one country and enter the new one.
- you leave your original passport and a passport-size photo at the consulate for 3 working days. If you don't have a picture with you, the employee will take one with his phone for free
- pay the visa fee, in our case 40 $. Make sure to have the correct amount of dollars
- the employee will give you an appointment for the pickup. Just go there in time, check if all the information are correct, and start preparing your trip to Vietnam!
Once at the border, you will simply show your printed visa to the immigration officer, he will stamp it, and it's done, you are in!
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Top Things To Do in Siem Reap [alternative guide]
Located in the Northwest side of Cambodia, Siem Reap is a popular destination famous also for its proximity to Angkor Wat.
Until a few years ago (mid-1990), Siem Reap was not bigger than a village. Today, it is a lively tourist city full of things to do, hotels, restaurants, attractions and traffic.
It is growing really fast (maybe too much), and the quality sometimes doesn't follow... Every year there are more than 2 million tourists coming to Siem Reap, so 50% of all the local jobs are allocated to the tourism industry.
Despite all, it is a really nice city, very entertaining, and Cambodian people are adorable. We were impressed about how genuine their smiles and their courtesy are. Starting from the super friendly tuk-tuk driver who picked us up at the airport with a big smile, despite our almost 2 hours of delay.
We stayed at the eOcambo Spa & Resort hotel. A very nice hotel, with lovely and helpful personnel. Swimming pool and breakfast were great. It is really recommended if you want to spend some quality days in the city.
This said, let's find out what you can do in this city.
Things to do in Siem Reap
I would divide the activities into 3 main groups: touristic, emotional & eco-sustainable, creative. We experienced different kind of activities, and here below you will find a short summary.
Touristic activities
Siem Reap has exploded as an entertaining city for low/medium budget tourists. It is literally full of young backpackers. You can find almost every leisure activity, as in every other city in the world. It is a pity because in this way it loses part of its authenticity. On the other side, we understand that it has to offer as much as possible to its visitors, in order to maintain such a high level of tourism.
What we did, is the ATV tour: half day afternoon, until the sunset. Wow! We are not really that kind of people attracted by car or motors, but you have to do it once in life.
You can try it first (a short 5-minute tour around the office), and if you like it, you get your quad, helmets, masks, a bottle of water, and a wet towel to clean your face after the tour. We had our own guide: he was leading in front of us with his motorbike, and we followed with the ATV. Fun! We paid 42 $ for 2 people on the same quad (we didn't exceed the max weight allowed on the quad). There are several companies organizing this activity, with all kind of options.
We spent a couple of hours in the countryside of Siem Reap, immersed in the green field while the sun was going down.
The guide explained to us that during the rainy season, all that green doesn't exist because it is flooded. People go around with small boats, and not by motorbike.
As it is super hot there, you often will spend time in bars or cafes, possibly with A/C. This is how we discovered the bingsu, a Korean dessert made of ice shavings and other funny ingredients (fruits, chocolate, candies, etc.). Perfect when you are thirsty and overheated.
If not in bars, you can spend the rest of your time walking up and down in the famous "Pub Street", and enjoy some shopping to the (perhaps too touristic) night market.
You can find other thousands of activities on TripAdvisor. I always suggest to avoid mass experiences and do something that you will bring in your heart forever.
Emotional & eco-sustainable activities
This part is more interesting and deeper. What we did is to look for those activities that leave a mark.
As you may know, the Cambodian population suffered a lot during the Civil War. There are terrible stories behind it, hundreds of innocent people killed, and when local talk about it their eyes are in tears. It is very sad. But it is really motivating to see them smile a lot, genuinely, despite all what happened in the past.
We decided to visit the War Museum, to understand a bit more about what happened, why it happened, and the status of the facts now.
There is an exposition of several tanks, a helicopter and other weapons that were used during the war. But not only. There are stands with a lot of information and facts explained. One of the most interesting was the one about land mines. How many victims they did, and how many of those weapons are still around... it is unbelievable!
In Siem Reap, there are also several associations of mutilated people or people with disabilities. We happened to visit this village called Genevieve's Fair Trade Village.
They are all artisans, every one with his/her own speciality: jewellery, bags, statues, and so on. We met the director and a couple of them, very nice and friendly people who highly believe in their beautiful project. You can buy some of the artwork in their shop. We wish them all the luck with it!
Talking about artisans, we also visited a farm where permaculture is practised. There, people grow vegetables in this way, and mainly everything is done without equipment, by hand.
Creative activities
Tell me: how well do you feel when you create something extraordinary? or when you try doing something that you never did before? It's a "wow" experience, isn't it?
Thanks to Genevieve's village artisans, we discovered that there is the possibility to take classes of wood carving, pottery and much more. We wanted to try them all but, as there were not enough participants, we could do only the pottery class.
We visited a huge warehouse with several laboratories, where all the artisans were creating their artworks.
It has been very inspiring, and it is also unbelievable to see that everything is really handmade! Silk scarves, wooden Buddha, huge paintings, etc.
Afterwards, we went to our pottery class. We paid 25 $ each, we created 5 objects and we decorated them as well. After class, your creations need to "cook" all night long, so you will have to pick them up the day after.
Our teacher was a deaf-mute young girl. We thought it would be difficult to communicate, but she was really easy going and knew very well how to explain to us every step without words. It has been a very interesting and emotional experience. The pottery wheel we used was manual (with pedal), a rudimentary hand-made construction, super heavy to move... in these moments you really understand the artisans' hard work, and you respect them even more.
I really liked this city, despite all the pros and cons. But it is time to move further...
Thanks, Siem Reap, see you next time!
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Entering Cambodia with a visa on arrival
Our new destination has been planned: we will head to Cambodia!
While surfing the web, we found out that you can apply for a VoA (Visa on Arrival) directly at the airport in Cambodia. As we are on the go since months, we didn’t apply for a visa before, so we decided to go on with this solution and enjoy 30 days in this wonderful country.
IMPORTANT: As with visas there are always exceptions, we always advise to double-check if your nationality is entitled to obtain a visa on arrival. If you come from certain countries, you are not allowed to get it and you need to have a visa stamped on your passport before entering Cambodia.
After the worst and most shaking flight ever, we finally landed at Siem Reap airport.
During the flight, we received and filled in the usual customs and arrival/departure cards with all our data.
Inside the airport, everything is clearly indicated: visa on arrival, passport control, customs, and so on. Anyway, you cannot miss the “visa on arrival” desk as it is full of people and with a never-ending line.
Visa on Arrival
Before queuing, take one of the “visa on arrival” forms that are already on the desks in the hall and fill it in. You will need also a passport-size picture, and the correct amount of $ (for the tourist visa, 30-days single entry, for almost every country the fee is 30 $).
The procedure is easy and straightforward:
- you queue with all your documents and money ready, waiting for your turn. You will notice that there is a long desk with 7-8 employees seated, working.
- the first employee will take all your documents and check if the information are complete and correct. If so, he will take the 30 $ and keep everything on the desk. And you will be sent to the 7th or 8th employee, the last one.
- in the meantime, you will see your passport going through every of the 7-8 employees, everyone has his/her own task: prepare the sticker, fill in the sticker, stick the sticker on the passport, stamp the sticker and the passport, file the paper application, and so on
- the last employee, is the one who calls loud the passport names and hands them in to the owners.
Great, we can enter the country and stay there for 1 month!
Passport Control
A good dose of enthusiasm before the next queuing period: passport control.
At the passport control, you hand in the passport, arrival/departure cards, and customs declaration.
- the passport will be checked, scanned and stamped
- the arrival card will be stamped and kept there
- the departure card will be stamped and stapled on your passport
- the customs declaration will be handed back to you
Every passport check last at least 5-7 minutes if there are no issues. In case of questions or doubts, it can last even longer. The check itself is the same as in every country (I guess), but the authorities take their time to make everything correctly.
Customs
Once you survive the passport control, you need to line for the customs.
Now, the procedure here is not really the same for everyone. There is one responsible who will tell you which way you need to follow, if you can directly exit the airport or not, if you have to scan your bag or not, and he will keep all the declarations.
We were among the lucky ones who could exit without any other check.
In the arrival hall, we saw a guy holding a sign with our names on! Our pick-up was there, despite the 1.30 hours of delay… He welcomed us with a huge smile and proudly walked us to his tuk-tuk.
We are finally ready to start our Cambodian adventure!
First stop, Siem Reap.
Luang Prabang: impressions about the UNESCO heritage site
Welcome to Luang Prabang (meaning "Royal Buddha Image"), a colonial Unesco world heritage site!
The city
The best part of the city (according to our taste) is the old town. Once there, you can really smell the French influence: buildings are low and very “European”, and signs are written both in Laotian and in French. Actually, the city is literally full of French-speaking tourists!
This part of the city is not so polluted, only a few cars and scooters drive up and down there. But as soon as you are on the main streets, you can breathe only with your mask on.
In addition to that, compared to other places we have been in Asia, it is quite dirty everywhere and it smells bad: mainly garbage, followed by drains and grilled (burned) food. Everything is thrown on the street, garbage bins are useless… :-(
In Luang Prabang, there are several temples, magnificent buildings, and every morning you can assist to the monks' procession to collect alms.
The city buzzes of orange-dressed monks. It is funny and strange at the same time: almost every monk has alms in one hand, and a smartphone on the other hand. We didn’t expect that... Despite all, they are very devoted and you can feel this mystic atmosphere everywhere in the city.
Globalization has not invaded this city yet. There are no 7eleven or other big chain stores. On the contrary, local shops are very present, as well as manufacture and handicraft.
The people
We must say that here, or in Laos in general, people do not always look super friendly. It is an impression. They do not smile a lot, so they often look angry or disappointed even if they are not. Probably it also depends on the facial physiology, or maybe it is cultural. Or, it is also possible, Laos opened its doors to tourism not long time ago, therefore people are still not so used to tourists.
In hotels and restaurants, almost everyone speaks English. Local people at the market or in the shops, not always… this makes negotiations a bit harder as you have to take out all your signs' skills! It can also happen that some young guys ask you if they can practice their English with you and that it is a project for school.
It is impressive to see how much time this population spends in front of the smartphone! At every free second, they look at it. Chat, movies, games… apparently, everything but useful things.
We had the impression that in Laos everyone works, even kids sometimes. They do whatever they can to earn some money. Many live by creating and selling their manufacture, others own guesthouses, and so on.
We stayed at the My Lao Home hotel, a colonial house restructured according to the UNESCO rules.
The food
Let’s say that Lao cuisine is similar to Thai cuisine. Among their traditional dishes, they have fried noodles, rice, curry, etc., but the taste is slightly different. There is a lot of meat, so for a vegetarian is sometimes difficult to find an alternative.
We found a vegetarian buffet with a big choice of dishes, at the night food market. There, you could fill your bowl with everything (as much as it fits in it) for only 15’000 LAK (1.80 $). You can eat at the unstable tables together with other people, or you can take it away. It is cheap, tasty and social!
Another nice restaurant to go to is Utopia. It is quite famous among tourists as it is a chill-out place, located on the Mekong, with pouffes, with a nice atmosphere. You have several fancy vegetarian options. Cool place for food and relax.
All in all, we must say that there is not a real culture for the eco-system: Laotian eat a lot of meat, all the waste goes on the floor, and it is burned to "disappear".
Authorities
Authority seems not to be very present in the city, and in the country. We didn't see police, soldiers, ambulances or firemen around. Maybe we have just been lucky that nothing major happened while we were there. There were only guards outside banks, to check who goes in and out.
Eco-sustainability
As mentioned, eco-sustainability is still not developed in this part of the world. But there is a minority who tries to improve and launch it, for example going around with an electric motorbike. Unfortunately, they are only a few, and the others do not take a cue...
Another good example we saw, is the Saffron coffee.
They sell organic coffee coming directly from local farms, supporting their great job and promoting an eco-sustainable culture. It is a really tasty coffee, the best we had in all South-East Asia so far :-)
In addition to that, they also had this eco-friendly idea to recycle bamboo straws. They are strong enough to be used several times.
Just for information: plastic straws cannot be recycled, they do not biodegrade and they are among the most found trash in the oceans. It takes up to 200 years for plastic straws to degrade... This said I think we can do a lot to avoid pollution without too much effort.
As said, Laos is a rough country but there is potential to grow in this direction and develop in a more ecological way. Let's see, maybe in a few years things will be better :-) I really hope so because Luang Prabang is a nice city, I liked it a lot.
Talk to you soon!
From Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang [alternative way]
A short guide about how to go from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang.
The traditional itinerary from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang
We checked several backpackers’ blog, and the majority of them follows this itinerary:
DAY 1
- Chiang Mai – Chiang Khong by bus
- 1 overnight in Chiang Khong
DAY 2
- 08h00 am: Chiang Khong – border
- Entry in Laos
- transfer to Huay Xai pier
- 11h30 – 17h00: slow boat to Pakbeng
- overnight in Pakbeng
DAY 3
- 09h30 – 17h00: slow boat from Pakbeng to Luang Pakbeng
We checked some pictures and videos about the slow boat trip, and we noticed that the seats on the boat do not look really comfortable: there isn’t enough space for your legs if you are taller than 165 cm, and the backrest is really low or not existing… We personally decided to experience this “cruise”, but only till Pakbeng.
Here below you will find some of the alternatives, and all the steps we did to go from A to B.
Then, what are the alternatives?
Till Chiang Khong, there are actually not too many options. The easiest way to get there is by bus. Maybe you can stop in Chiang Rai for one night, but it is up to you. Once in Chiang Khong, you pass the border and then you can choose how to reach Luang Prabang. There are several alternatives.
Bus (sleeping bus)
It takes 12 hours to go from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang by sleeping bus, and it costs 160-180'000 LAK (18.50-21 $) per person.
It can be a normal bus or a sleeping bus (with small beds in it). It looks comfortable, a bit bumpy (people say) and not really expensive, but it takes quite long. If you have enough time, it can be worth it. With its cost, you cover the trip and 1 overnight.
You can also travel by bus among little villages, overnight here and there, till you reach Luang Pakbeng. Be aware that the bus doesn't reach every village, so this option may take too long. We experienced a similar option from Pakbeng to Luang Prabang.
Speed boat
It is a 3 meter-long boat, with second-hand car's engine. It takes 6-7 hours (with 1 break in Pakbeng) to reach Luang Prabang. It is faster, but wow… you need to be really brave to go by speed boat (due to high speed, driver and passengers "should" wear a helmet and life vest during all the trip). This boat fits only a few people (6-8) and costs 340'000 LAK (39.50 $) per person. It’s open, you sit practically on the floor and it is known to be a bit dangerous. The boat leaves when there are enough people on board.
Luxury slow boat
The slow boat takes 2 days (you overnight in Pakbeng) and it costs you approximately 130 $ per person, but it includes several services: pick up from the hotel in Huay Xai, coffee/tea and fruits on board, lunches, excursions, drop off at the hotel in Pakbeng and Luang Prabang. Be aware that you have to book the overnight in Pakbeng on your own.
Normal Slow boat
It is a DIY solution. You book the ticket directly at the pier in Huay Xai, and you arrange your stay in Pakbeng on your own. Only the trip is included (no excursions nor meals). The cost is 210'000 LAK (24.30 $).
Our choice
The alternative way from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang
The first plan was to travel by bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, sleep there for 1 night, and the following day to drive 2 more hours by bus to Chiang Khong and go directly to the border for the immigration formalities. Once entered Laos, go to the pier and take the slow boat to Pakbeng, and the following day the one to Luang Prabang.
We thought: “this is a DIY solution, quite cheap, interesting but also kind of stressful… what can we change in order to enjoy the experience and, at the same time, stay in the budget and reach our destination in due time?”.
TIP:
[su_note note_color="#f2f2f2" text_color=“#000000” radius="3" class="p_tip"] One of the solutions is to plan your trip day by day. Go to the 1st destination, see how it goes, and then decide what to do next. [/su_note]
Luckily we didn’t book any hotel or transportation, so we could modify the plan without hassles.
Our only pressure was to leave Thailand in time, as our tourist visa was expiring.
Here below you will find our trip from Chiang Mai to Pakbeng step by step, with all the related information (costs, duration, etc.).
STEP 1: Book the bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong
We planned our departure date from Chiang Mai and we decided to travel by bus directly to Chiang Khong. We selected the VIP bus from the company GreenBus for THB 395 per person (12.50 $).
We asked our host to book the bus tickets by phone for us. It is really convenient: you get a reservation code on the phone and you can pick up the tickets at every "7eleven" (consider an additional fee of THB 25).
Otherwise, you can go to the official Greenbus seller agency in town, and book the tickets there (they also charge a small fee).
In lower season, you can directly go to the bus station, Arcade terminal 3, and buy the tickets at the Greenbus desk before departure. At your own risk :-)
The bus we took left Chiang Mai at 8 am from lane 20 and arrived in Chiang Khong around 2 pm.
STEP 2: get to the bus terminal
The easiest way to reach the bus terminal is in a red car. We stopped one along the street, at 7 am. The guy charged THB 50 per person, which is normal if you go outside the city centre. The trip lasts approx 10-15 minutes if there is no traffic, it’s not too far.
STEP 3: trip by bus
The VIP bus looks expansive, but it is really comfortable for a 5-hour trip. Huge reclining seats with legs support, A/C (it’s actually too cold inside) and WC onboard.
A hostess will distribute water and cookies to everyone at the departure. When you hand in your luggage, you get a number that you can use to pick it up at the end of the trip.
Important: the hostess will ask you if you go to Chiang Khong village or directly at the border. If you go to the border, you will receive the 2 forms you need to fill in (arrival/departure card + visa on arrival) and you need to get out 1 stop before the final one (the hostess will inform you when).
Impressive and recommended!
STEP 4: arrival in Chiang Khong and hotel search
We decided to overnight in Chiang Khong, so we got out at the last stop. The bus stopped along a street, in a village next to Chiang Khong. From there you can walk (5-10 minutes) to Chiang Khong which is basically 1 main road with several shops and guest houses along it. There are only a few tourists so it is not difficult to find accommodation on the spot. We stayed at the Namkhong Guesthouse and Resort. It is a cute and cheap oasis in the green, with free WIFI, swimming pool and restaurant, offering rooms and non-isolated bungalows for a very convenient price. We paid THB 250 per night (7.80 $).
STEP 5: "survive" Chiang Khong
Outside the hotel, you are in the middle of nowhere… we walked up and down the main road, we were the only tourists at that time. Everything is written in Thai and almost no one speaks English. Where did we end up? In this village, you have 2 banks, exchange desks and few b2b shops. There are 3-4 restaurants, and we were very surprised to find 1 Italian restaurant owned by a Thai lady speaking Italian! There is also a Buddist monastery and a nice view of the Mekong.
If you look at the other side of the river, you see Laos!
Despite all, we decided to stay in Chiang Khong for 2 nights. On the second day, we enjoyed the sun in the swimming pool and worked on our projects.
STEP 6: transfer to the border (Thai side)
The border is at 10 minutes drive from Chiang Khong. The hotel arranged a minivan for us and charged THB 60 per person (1.80 $). We arrived directly in front of the building.
STEP 7: at the Thai border
Once inside, you have several desks (for foreigners, for Chinese, and for Lao passports). The foreigner's desk was closed, so we all queued at the Chinese desk. The exit process is very easy: the employee checks your passport and “departure card” (the one you received when you entered Thailand), puts the exit stamp next to the entry one, takes a picture of you, and you are done. You can pass this checkpoint and prepare yourself for the Lao border.
STEP 8: bus to the Laos border
After the checkpoint, you will find another desk where you need to buy the ticket for the bus to the Laos border. You need to cross the Friendship Bridge by bus as it is not possible to walk there.
The ticket costs THB 25 per person (0.80 $), and it is about 5 minutes drive. It is a big bus, so the luggage will be stored below. Bring your belongings with you!
STEP 9: at the Laos border
There are 2 desks: one for the visa on arrival, and the other one for the visa payment. Before queueing, be sure that you have the 2 needed forms filled in, a passport-size picture, and the correct amount of $ for the payment. If you still don’t have the forms, you can find some of them next to the first desk.
TIP:
[su_note note_color="#f2f2f2" text_color=“#000000” radius="3" class="p_tip"] Check if your nationality is visa-free. Sometimes you can enter the country without a visa, for a limited period of time. [/su_note]
Be ready to fill in your personal information, date of arrival, nr of days you will stay in Laos, from which country you are arriving, your race, accommodation in Laos (we just copied a hotel from booking.com and mentioned that) and next destination. So far so good! When you have everything ready, you get to go in the line and wait your turn. At desk 1 they will check your documents and forms, at desk 2 you will pay for your visa.
Make sure to have "clean and new" dollars (not written, without spots, and not too wrinkled).
Afterwards, you still need to go through passport control. You line again and get the entry stamp on your passport with mentioned the date when you need to exit the country. You are done and ready to discover Laos!
Here in this building's area, you can find both ATM and an exchange desk (the exchange rate is maybe not too convenient...). Just outside, there is another desk selling tickets for tuk-tuks going to Huay Xai (both to the village and to the slow boat pier).
STEP 10: transfer to Huay Xai
The tuk-tuk ticket costs 20’000 LAK (2.30 $) and each one can carry 10 people. The driver charged all our luggage on the roof, without any protection or rope. We drove approximately 15 minutes to reach Huay Xai.
The surprising thing is that in Laos they drive on the left side of the car, but on the right side of the road. In Thailand, it is the contrary!
STEP 11: search for a hotel and "survive" Huay Xai
As Chiang Khong, Huay Xai is a road with few buildings along it. There are several guesthouses and a few tourists, so it is really not difficult to find availability for a good deal. Surprisingly, a bed in the only hostel costs more than a double room with bathroom in a hotel. We saw several rooms for different budgets, but in the end, we decided for a double room in the Oudomsin Hotel. The cost was 80’000 LAK per night (9.20 $), including 2 bottles of water per day and room cleanings.
STEP 12: what to do in Huay Xai
Read more on this post dedicated to Huay Xai.
STEP 13: from the hotel to the pier
The pier is actually not too far from the village, it is about 1.5 Km so you can easily walk there. We found a tuk-tuk on our way and brought us at the pier for 10'000 LAK (1.15 $).
STEP 14: at the pier (buy slow boat ticket, have breakfast, etc.)
We arrived at the pier around 9 am. The pier is at the end of a road, where boats are docked. There were only local people and 2-3 tourists there. We immediately went to the "slow boat ticket office", and found out that the ticket there costs even less: 105'000 LAK per person (12 $), till Pakbeng.
The unfriendly employee asked us to fill in a paper with our names and passport numbers, and we got the 2 tickets with assigned seats. Ok, the boat leaves at 11.30 am, so there was plenty of time for breakfast. We went to the only bar with WIFI (there are in total 3-4 bars down there) and ordered bread, jam and butter for 20'000 LAK per person.
Our boat left perfectly on time, but sometimes it doesn't leave until a minimum number of passengers is there.
STEP 15: on the slow boat
This is an experience you need to do at least once in life. It is unique, the landscape is wonderful but the boat itself is not really comfortable. Read more on this post dedicated to the trip in slow boat, with tips and tricks.
STEP 16: arrival in Pakbeng
We were glad to get off the boat. As mentioned, it was a nice experience but 5 hours in that boat is kind of heavy. At the pier, you will see dozens of local guys holding boards with guesthouses' names. They pickup who already booked, and they will try to get guests who didn't book yet. It is advisable not to book in advance, as on spot you will find good deals and enough availability. Do not expect luxury, but the accommodations have everything you need for a comfortable stay. We met Palani, who told us a bit more about his village, Pakbeng.
Everyone has to overnight in Pakbeng as slow boats do not travel when it is dark outside.
STEP 17: departure by bus from Pakbeng to Oudomxay, and from Oudomxay to Luang Prabang
Here you can choose if you want to continue by slow boat or to take alternative transportation. We decided to proceed by bus... It has been a nice experience, even if very long and tiring. You can read more about that in our post.
STEP 18: arrival in Luang Prabang
Few last arrangements before being able to enjoy this beautiful city!
Talk to you soon :-)
Arrival in Luang Prabang: final tips to save some money
At 9 pm, after a 12-hour bus trip, we finally arrived in Luang Prabang.
The endpoint was the Northern Station, which is located outside the city, close to the airport. This means that you need transportation to go to the centre.
Once we got off the bus, we have been assaulted by 6-7 tuk-tuk drivers. Everything went super fast: they put us on a tuk-tuk and started the usual price negotiation when we were already seated. We were on a tuk-tuk by ourselves, not together with the other local people, and we found this situation a bit suspicious... We actually didn't even want a tuk-tuk!
Their negotiation started with the first offer of 50'000 LAK (5.80 $) per person. We tried to go away because it was too much, and the offer suddenly went down to 40'000 LAK (4.60 $). We really didn't like this behaviour, and we actually didn't need to go to the city at that time because we didn't have any hotel booked.
After a short discussion between us, we decided to get off the tuk-tuk and find an alternative.
Is there an alternative to go from the Northern Bus Station to the city at 9 pm? Nope! But no worries, there is always a plan B. We decided to overnight close to the bus station, and go to the city on the next day.
We checked our app maps.me to see if there were hotels around there. Cool, there were 3 guesthouses not further than 10 minutes walk.
We entered the first guesthouse asking for a room. The night watchman was there with some friends. He couldn't speak one word in English, so one of his friends acted as interpreter for us. After an animated discussion, the friend told us that they had an available room for 120'000 LAK (14 $). Whaaat? We were coming from villages where accommodation costs around 50'000 LAK! We said that we didn't have enough money and that we should count how much we had.
In reality, our loot was 164'000 LAK, but we told him we had only 90'000 LAK.
The 2 friends discussed for a couple of minutes and, in the end, we have been told that we could get the room for 90'000 LAK (10.50 $). Great, our strategy worked out perfectly! Probably we could have lowered our loot a bit more, without problems! But anyway we saved a small amount :-) In the evening, it is easier to get discounts because for them it is better to earn little money than have rooms empty. One of the biggest losses for hotels is to have rooms not booked.
We didn't feel like looking further, so we checked in immediately, without registration, without an introduction (check out time, wifi password, etc.) and without a payment receipt. We were so tired that we didn't realize that right away.
So our final plan was to sleep one night there, rest and restore a bit, and the day after go to Luang Prabang by stopping a tuk-tuk on the road for a fair price (not 50'000 LAK per person, as requested when we arrived).
It may sound funny to negotiate on such small amounts. But when you are a digital nomad, you really care about any cent you spend or save. If you make a small calculation you will see that small amounts make the difference.
An example: 50'000 LAK per person is 100'000 LAK in total. If you negotiate the price to 40'000 LAK in total, the difference is 60'000 LAK (approx 7.50 $), which is an important saving for 3-4-km transportation. In this way, in 1 month you save 225 $ (7.50*30), and in 1 year you save 2'700 $! You need to smartly negotiate in order to save money during your long term trip. In the end, together with accommodation and food, transportation has the biggest impact on the budget.
Let's go back to our story. We settled the accommodation, and we kept a generous sum aside for the day-after transportation to the city.
At this point, we only needed something to eat but our budget was very limited (14'000 LAK, not even enough for one fried rice with vegetables). We actually didn't eat during all the day: partially because of the bumpy trip, partially because we didn't have time to buy/eat food.
We went back to the bus station where there was a small street food area: nothing within our budget! Not even packages of cookies or other local snacks... we finally decided to bite the bullet and skip the dinner.
It was already 11 pm, we went to bed and fell asleep before we knew! The alarm went on the day after at 8 am, and we were ready to live another beautiful day.
At 9 am we were back at the bus station, again. We found an officer and we asked him which was a fair price for transportation to the city. He informed us that tuk-tuk was the only solution, and the rate was 20'000 LAK per person. Perfect, we called a tuk-tuk, we paid 40'000 and finally left to Luang Prabang city centre, very curious to discover this colonial city!
