Vientiane and the northwest - The Rough Guide to Laos - page 115

but figure on paying 10,000K per person for distances of 1-2km, and adding 3000K per kilo-
metre beyond that.
Bicycles Vientiane is a very walkable city, but bicycles are an excellent way of getting
around, and can be rented at guesthouses and shops around town for 10,000K per day (you'll
need to leave ID or cash as a deposit). There are dozens of places to choose from, but the little
shop called Queen's Beauty Tailors (8am-6pm), next to Scandinavian Bakery, has friendly,
trustworthy owners. PVO also has a decent selection.
Motorbikes You can easily find a motorbike or scooter to rent for exploring the areas around
Vientiane. Although travel speeds are relatively slow, negotiating Vientiane's cluttered roads
at rush hour can take some getting used to at first. Rental motorbikes in Vientiane are mostly
secondhand 100cc step-throughs like the Honda Dream, imported from Thailand. The asking
price is usually 70,000K a day, but it's possible to bargain this down, especially if you want it
for a few days. Most places ask that you leave a passport as a deposit, but we advise against
doing this, as there have been reports of places extorting money out of tourists for “damage”.
A well-established place in the city centre that accepts a cash deposit ($30) is PVO on Fa
Ngum Road ( 021 254354, [e-mail] ).
Buses Downtown Vientiane is too small to support a metropolitan public transport system,
but bus routes originating at the main bus station, next to the Morning Market (Talat Sao
Malls), do connect Vientiane with nearby places on the Vientiane Plain, such as the Buddha
Park.
Taxis Expensive, metered yellow taxis tend to congregate outside Day Inn on Pangkham
Road, just north of the Lao Plaza . Hailing one of these on the congested city-centre roads can
prove tricky. Prices are negotiable and drivers will accept Lao kip, Thai baht or American
dollars. If you're on the meter, a one-way trip to the Friendship Bridge will cost you around
140,000K.
Cars Avis ( 021 223867, avrlaos.com ), on Samsenthai Road, rents out cars, though many
guesthouses and hotels can also make car-rental arrangements (with or without a driver).
< Back to Getting around
ACCOMMODATION
Vientiane has a wide range of tourist accommodation , from cheap backpacker dives to the
regal, colonial-style Settha Palace. Most of the city's hotels and guesthouses are located in the
rapidly developing area around Nam Phou in the centre of town, but others, especially mid-
range hotels, continue to open up beyond here - particularly in the vicinity of Patouxai and
on Luang Prabang Avenue, a quick tuk-tuk ride into the centre. Budget hotels in the central
area are generally housed in renovated older buildings. Rooms at the best budget places tend
to fill up very quickly, even in low season. It's not uncommon to see late arrivals desperately
pounding the pavements looking for a reasonably priced room, as what's left by that time