Laos - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 375

ACCOMMODATION
Dokkhoune Hotel Just west of White Orchid along Route
7 T 020 234 2555. With a lobby full of decorative UXO
and good views of the mountains from the hallways,
this four-floor block is in a good central location. The large
but dull room s are a bi t of a disappointment, but not bad
value. Double 80,000K
★

5

the Xieng Khuang Plateau is a place of
great natural beauty and its back roads
are well worth exploring.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By air Tuk-tuks cost 20,000K/person for the 5km ride from
the airport into town. You may even be able to get a free lift
with one of the hotel reps. Note that Phonsavan is marked
as Xieng Khuang on flight schedules. Currently Lao Airlines
only flies to Phonsavan from Vientiane (daily; 30min).
By bus Buses arrive and depart from several stations
across town. When leaving Phonsavan, you may prefer
to book your ticket a day in advance at the Lao Falang
Restaurant (see below). The owner takes a cut of around
20,000K on each booking, but will arrange tuk-tuk
transport to the bus station for you, or even have the
bus pull up outside your guesthouse.
The main inter-provincial bus station, handling arrivals
from Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng, is 4km
west of the centre on route 7; tuk-tuks (10,000-15,000K
per person) will ferry you into town. The Bounmixay bus
station, south of the tourist o ce on route 1D, is where
the majority of buses travelling from Vientiane come to a
stop - tuk-tuks are on hand to meet buses.
Minibuses connecting Phonsavan with Laos' three main
tourist centres depart early in the morning from a lot in
the centre of town, just off route 7.
Destinations from inter-provincial bus station Luang
Prabang (daily; 8hr); Sam Neua (daily; 10hr); Vang Vieng
(daily; 6hr); Vientiane (5 daily; 9hr); Vinh, Vietnam (daily
except Tues; 10hr).
Destinations from Bounmixay bus station

Kong Keo Guesthouse 200m north of Route 7
(follow the dirt track that starts just north of the
Lao Falang Restaurant ) T 055 211354, E kongkeojar
@hotmail.com. The best and most quirky choice for budget
travellers. Rooms are rather small, beds are lumpy and
the bathrooms pretty poky, but the overall vibe of the
place more than makes up for it, with a cool bar-restaurant
and a garden littered with UXO. In addition to tours, they
can als o arrange visas for Cambodia, China and Vietnam.
Double 60,000K
Kounsy At the far eastern end of the main drag, near the
junction T 061 211170. This guesthouse, a short stroll
from the main drag, has a number of basic, rather dark
rooms, t hough th ey're cosier than many others on Route 7.
Double 70,000K
Lao Falang Above Lao Falang Restaurant , just north of
the White Orchid hotel T 020 2221 2456. The cheapest
place to crash for the night, with basic dorm beds above a
restaurant that serves food and beer to a mostly Western
crowd. Automatic motorbik es are available here for
100,000K/day. Dorm 30,000K
Nice Directly opposite White Orchid on Route 7 T 061
312454. Comfortable little en-suite rooms off a lantern-
strung outdoor hallway. The staff are helpful and the place
is in a good location close to the best rest aurants, b ut the
place gets chilly during the winter. Double 70,000K

Pakse (daily;

16hr); Vientiane (7 daily; 8hr).
Destination from minibus station Luang Prabang (daily;

7hr); Vang Vieng (daily; 5hr); Vientiane (daily; 8hr).

EATING
Eating options aren't great in Phonsavan, though there are
a few places to choose from on the main road.
Bamboozle! Route 7, just west of Nisha T 030 9523913.
Bamboo-bedecked, falang -friendly restaurant with a menu
that mixes Western dishes with cheaper Asian staples (the
Lao noodle soup is just 15,000K). Daily 7am-11pm.
Craters East of Simmaly on route 7 T 020 780 5775.
A relaxed place with UXO lined up outside and old
weaponry decorating the interior. The menu offers
everything you would expect from a travellers' café,
including Western breakfasts (from 14,000K), club sand-
wiches (32,000K) and a few good Asian dishes. Daily
6.30am-10pm.
Lao Falang Restaurant Just north of the White Orchid
hotel T 554 06868. Not really recommended for its food
(mains around 30,000K) as service is so slow, but this is
still a good place to grab a Beerlao and mingle with other
travellers. Each night at 6pm the owner screens a film about
the American bombing of Laos. Daily 6.30am-11.30pm.

INFORMATION AND TOURS
Banks There's a BCEL ATM on Route 7, close to the centre;
the main branch, which has a currency exchange, is about
1km west of here, on the same road. Most travel agents,
and some guesthouses, will change currency.
Internet There's an internet café next to Simmalay
Restaurant (daily 7am-10pm), charging 10,000K/hr.
Mines Advisory Group o ce (MAG) On Route 7
W maginternational.org; free. This team of de-miners has
been working in the fields to stop the bombs from ruining
more lives. The o ce is a good place to learn about the
effects and devastation of the war. Mon-Fri 8am-8pm,
Sat & Sun 4-8pm.
Tours There are a number of tour agencies in town that
will organize trips around the jar sites for around 150,000-
200,000K, depending on the number of people. The tours
run by Sousath Travel ( T 020 296 7213, E rasapet_lao
@yahoo.com) are particularly recommended.