Laos - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 351

MONEY AND BANKS
Lao currency is the kip and is available in
100,000K, 50,000K, 20,000K, 10,000K,
5000K, 2000K, 1000K and 500K notes.
here are no coins in circulation.
Although a 1990 law technically forbids
the use of foreign currencies to pay for
local goods and services, some hotels,
restaurants and tour operators (usually
when the price is over 200,000K) actually
quote their prices in dollars and accept
payment in either baht , dollars or kip .
At the time of writing, the o cial
exchange rate was around 8000 kip to
the US dollar, 13,500 kip to the pound
sterling and 240 kip to the hai baht.
You can find ATMs in almost every
large Lao town, and most will accept
both Visa and MasterCard. Withdrawals
usually incur a local charge of 20,000K,
though there are machines that will
dispense money without charging (your
bank may still charge you). It's a good
idea to have a decent supply of US dollars
or hai baht in cash if you intend to
spend time in the remoter parts of the
country, or if you wish to leave Laos and
re-enter (the visa on arrival fee is only
payable in dollars). Major credit cards are
accepted at many hotels, upmarket
restaurants and shops in Vientiane and
Luang Prabang, and most tour operators
will accept card payments. Cash advances
on Visa cards and, less frequently,
MasterCard are possible in most major
towns. Bear in mind that you cannot
change kip back into dollars or baht once
you have left the country. Travellers'
cheques are no longer accepted by any
banks in Laos.

5

EMERGENCY NUMBERS
In Vientiane dial the following numbers:
Dial T 190 in case of fire, T 195 for an
ambulance, or T 1191 for police.

MEDICAL CARE AND EMERGENCIES
You'll find pharmacies in all the major
towns and cities. Pharmacists in
Vientiane and Luang Prabang are quite
knowledgeable and have a decent supply
of medicines.
Otherwise, healthcare in Laos is so poor
as to be virtually nonexistent. he nearest
medical care of any competence is in
neighbouring hailand, and if you find
yourself a icted by anything more serious
than travellers' diarrhoea, it's best to head
for the closest hai border crossing and
check into a hospital. If you're in
Vientiane and the problem is not urgent,
you could also try the Alliance
International Medical Centre ( T 021
513095 W aimclao.com) at the Honda
Complex on Souphanuvong Road.

INFORMATION AND MAPS
he Lao National Tourism Administration
(LNTA; W tourismlaos.org) operates
o ces in most major towns, and the staff
are generally well trained and
knowledgeable, though the level of
English spoken varies from o ce to
o ce. Green Discovery and Diethelm
Travel ( W diethelmtravel.com), two
privately owned companies with o ces in
most major towns, can also provide
reliable information. Word-of-mouth
information from other travellers is often
the best source, as conditions in Laos
change with astonishing rapidity.
Good maps for Laos are di cult to
find. he best road map of the country is
the Laos PDR Map published by Golden
Triangle Rider and available in Vientiane
or online at W gt-rider.com. Other
detailed maps of the country are also
available from bookshops in Vientiane
(see p.363). For town maps, in addition
to those in this topic, Hobo Maps
( W hobomaps.com) provide easy-to-use
maps of various tourist towns, which are
available online or from local bookshops.

COSTS
Given the potential volatility of the kip,
some mid-range hotels and tour agencies
have opted to fix their rates to the dollar.
However, prices for guesthouses,
transport and entrance fees will almost
always be quoted in kip. Some of these
places will also accept dollars and hai
baht, but the rate will always be more
favourable if you pay in kip, and most
local businesses prefer it.
While restaurants and some shops have
fixed prices, you should always bargain in