Voen Sai
On the banks of the Tonle San, Voen Sai is a bustling little village of Chinese, Lao and Kreung minorities. This is a good place to buy authentic Chunchiet handicrafts for half the price sold in Ban Lung. On the other side of the river is the wealthy Chinese settlement that sits alongside the Lao village. Small ferries can take you across for lOOOr return. To get here on your own, the road from Ban Lung is in poor shape and can take around two to three hours of dusty driving, the distance is...
LUANG PRABANG PROVINCE Nong Khiaw Muang Ngoi
Nesded next to the looming limestone cliffs ofPhu NangNawn Sleeping Princess Mountain , Nong Khiaw is a quiet market town on the banks of the Nam Ou. The location is stunning, but most travellers only stop for a short break before catching a boat further north. Those who stay and explore the dramatic surrounds are rewarded with walks to nearby caves and Hmong villages. The friendly guesthouses, on both sides of the river, are markedly less busy than the bungalow huts of Muang Ngoi Neua. Nong...
GETTING AROUND Sjx
Airport taxis cost 120B. Pick up a ticket at the taxi kiosk just outside the baggage-claim area, then present the ticket to the drivers outside arrivals. The airport is about 3km from the city centre. Public bus 4 red sdwngthdew, 15B and 10 white bus, 10B run from the airport to Th Tha Pae between 6am and 9pm. You can charter a tuk-tuk or red sdwngthdew from the centre of Chiang Mai to the airport for around 65B. Hordes of red sdwngthdew circulate the city with fares of 15B to 20B per person,...
Sleeping Eating Mjy
Huanam Hotel 04261 1137 36 Th SamutSakdarak r 150-320B S S Rooms aren't quite as slick as the lobby. They are, nonetheless, good value in a good location. Mountain bike rentals are 100B per day. Submukda Grand Hotel 0 4263 3444 72 ThSamut Sakdarak rSOOB 3 This shiny new tower was erected in 2006 to cash in on the expected rise in tour-bus business the bridge would bring. Rooms are boxy, but they're good. To Thai-Lao P.nondzhip Bridge .TT fa f gt i Kabao 2 km Huanam Hotel Ploy Palace Hotel...
Phu Khao Khuay National Protected Area
Covering more than 2000 sq km of mountains and rivers to the east of Vientiane, the underrated Phu Khao Khuay NPA www.trekklngcentrallaos .com is home to several waterfalls and a herd of wild elephants. Phu Khao Khuay pronounced poo cow kwai means 'Buffalo Horn Mountain' and is home to three major rivers flowing off a sandstone mountain range into the Ang Nam Leuk Reservoir. The main attraction is the wild elephants, which make regular appearances at their
Tonle Sap The Worlds Greatest Flood Barrier
Asia's largest freshwater lake and the world's biggest fish bowl, the Tonle Sap is an ecological wonder. It is connected to the Mekong at Phnom Penh by a 100km channel, known as the Tonle Sap river. In the wet season the level of the Mekong rises and backs up into the river, causing it to flow northwest into the lake, which then swells from 2m deep and 2500 sq km to 10m deep and 13,000 sq km. In the dry season, when the Mekong level is low, the Tonle Sap reverses its flow, draining the water...
Tubing
Tubing down the Nam Song has become a rite of passage on the Indochina backpacking circuit. And it has to be said, it's a lot of fun. The tube renters have formed a cartel that operates from a shed near the old market site the price is fixed at US 3.50 for the trip, including your tube, life jacket and the t k-t k ride to the launch point 3km north of town. The trip can take two or more hours depending on river conditions and how many of the makeshift bars you stop off at en route People have...
GETTING THERE AWAY Aco
Luang Nam Tha's airport was being turned into an 'international' airport when we passed. When it reopens expect Lao Airlines 312180 to resume flights to from Luang Prabang one way US 45 and Vientiane US 84 . Charter boats make the wonderful trip along the Nam Tha, through truly remote country, to Pak Tha on the Mekong, or all the way to Huay Xai. They leave from the boat landing 7km south of town on the Nam Ha, and cost about US 100 to Na Lae, US 170 to Pak Tha, or US 180 to US 200 to Huay Xai....
Weather Hill Station 1
Mama Cambodia 012-221468 mains USS2-3 5 breakfast, lunch amp dinner 'Mama' is a middle-aged woman with a talent in the kitchen that could make you discard your own. Unlike the bizarre beauty queens laminated into her menus, her traditional Khmer meals are authentic and tasty. KhmerGourmet 012-1799450 S breakfast, lunch 8t dinner Saviours of the sweet tooth, fresh pies, cakes and cookies line the display cabinet of this caf , but its piece de resistance is the coffee machine, a proper one, that...
Wat Si Saket
Built between 1819 and 1824 by King Anou-vong Chao Anou , Wat Si Saket Map p272 cnrTh LanXang amp Th Setthathirat admission US 0.50 S8am-noon amp 1 -4pm was the only temple to survive the sacking of Vientiane in 1828. Chao Anou, who was educated in the Bangkok court and was more or less a vassal of the Siamese state, had Wat Si Saket constructed in the early Bangkok style, but surrounded it with a cloister similar to - but smaller than - the one that surrounds Pha That Luang left . The...
Crossing Into Thailand Cham Yeam To Hat Lek
From Krong Koh Kong, you need to cross the toll bridge 11B for a bike 44B for a car to reach Cham Yeam 10 minutes . Take a moto 80B to 100B including toll or charter a taxi 200B including toll . Once there walk across the border to Hat Lek where there are minibuses and pick-ups waiting on the other side for easy transfers on to Trat or Ko Chang. For information on crossing this border in the other direction, seethe boxed text, p158. moto for a whole day of sightseeing, taking in the waterfalls,...
Siam Square Pratunam
Siam Sq lies conveniently along both Skytrain lines. A low-key, DIY traveller community bunks down on Soi Kasem San 1. Pranee Building Map ppll8-19 0 2216 3181 931 12 Soi Kasem San 1 r450B g One of the cheapest options on the street, Pranee isn't fancy but the rooms are large with air-con and hot water the bathrooms are a tad decrepit. Wendy House Map ppll8-19 0 2216 2436 Sol KasemSan 1 d incl breakfastfrom 1000B E As professional as they come with genuine Thai-style concern for the guests....
Maha Leap Pagoda Complex
The Maha Leap holds significance for the locals as this is one of the last remaining wooden pagodas left in the country. Over a century old, it was only saved by the temple-burning Khmer Rouge because they found use for it as a hospital. Many of the Khmers who were put to work in the surrounding fields perished here, and 500 bodies were thrown into graves on site, now camouflaged by a tranquil garden. The pagoda itself is beautiful. The wide columns supporting the structure are complete tree...
Spas Massage
Depending on the neighbourhood, prices for massages tend to stay fixed around 250B for a foot massage and around 500B for a body massage. Wat Pho Map pp118-19 0 2221 3686 Th Sanamchal S 8am-5pm runs the nation's premier massage school p 115 and has air-con service there, but the massage pavilions inside the temple itself provide a greater sense of tradition. Spas are becoming increasingly popular in Thailand, and while Health Land Map pp118-19 0 2637 8883 www.healthlandspa.com 120 Th Sathon...
Chiang Khong
More remote yet more lively than Chiang Saen, Chiang Khong is an important market town for local hill tribes several villages inhabited by Mien and White Hmong are nearby. Lots of travellers pass this way between Thailand and Laos. Several banks have branches in town with ATMs and foreign exchange services. There is no shortage of lodging in town, much of it on the river. Reuan Thai Sophaphan 0 53791023 p_durasawang hotmail.com 8 Th Sal Klang r 200-600B S has spacious rooms in a beautiful teak...
Old Quarter 1
American Club 1 C5 D5 Domestic Post Office 4 C4 Ethnic Travel 6 B2 Handspan Adventure Travel see 56 industrial amp Commercial B2 International Post Office see 4 Ocean Tours 9 B2 ODC Travel 10 C2 SOS international Clinic 11 B5 Thang Long Bookshop 12 C5 UK Embassy see 11 D4 C5 Bach Ma Temple 15 B1 Highway 4 see 62 'Hanoi Hilton' 16 A5 Memorial House 17 C2 Ngoc Son Temple 18 C3 SF Salon amp Spa 19 C1 St Joseph Cathedral 20 B4 Women's Museum 21 B5 Artist Hotel 22 C5 Church Hotel 23 B4 City Gate...
Eating Xoo
Boon Ni Yon Uthayan 04524 0950 Th Si Narong per plate 15B S breakfast amp lunch Most of the food for this vegetarian buffet is grown organically just outside the city. Kai Yang Wat Jaeng 081709 9393 228Th Suriyat mains 20-100B S lunch It looks like a tornado whipped through this no-frills spot, but the chefs cook up a storm of their own. This is considered by many to be Ubon's premier Yasothon, 100km northwest of Ubon Ratchathani, just might be Thailand's most dreary provincial capital - except...