Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Money
There's a helpful branch of the BCEL bank (Mon-Sat 8am-noon & 1-4pm) with
exchange services and an ATM on the main street opposite the
Dok Khoun I
guesthouse.
Other banks include the Lao Development Bank on the town's main north-south road, and
an Agricultural Promotion Bank on the same street further south.
The Royal Road: Kasi to Luang Prabang
The quickest route from Vientiane to Luang Prabang is to follow
Route13
north through the
karst mountains of Vang Vieng and up the
old Royal Road
through the mountains north of
Kasi
. Route 13 was laid down by the French in 1943, and although it was improved in the
1960s with American aid, there was very little maintenance on the road until the mid-1990s,
when it was properly sealed. Until that time, this rough track of a road took at best a full 24
hours to traverse, and often as long as three days. The highway was finally completed in 1996
after years of toil by Vietnamese road workers, twenty of whom were killed by guerrillas in
the process. The breathtaking mountain scenery from Kasi to Luang Prabang makes this one
of the most
scenic routes
in all Southeast Asia.
Kasi
KASI
is the northernmost town before Route 13 begins its wild 170-kilometre journey along
steep ridges and around hairpin bends, with headlong views of rugged valleys and remote
mountains as far as the eye can see. The road runs right through the centre of town, forming
the main street. The town itself lies in the attractive
NamLikrivervalley
surrounded by rice
paddies and low hills, with the occasional karst adding an exotic touch to a pretty landscape.
Around Kasi are numerous vast cave systems rumoured to dwarf anything found at Vang Vi-
eng, 60km to the south, but so far plans to develop the Kasi area into a tourist region have
come to nought. If the rumours of Olympic-pool-sized cave lakes and caverns large enough
to house cathedrals are only half true, then Kasi's hopes of being the next Vang Vieng may
some day become a reality. Kasi has a few guesthouses and half-a-dozen decent
places to
eat
; buses plying the road between Vientiane and Luang Prabang usually make a lunch stop
here.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: KASI
Bybusorminivan
Buses from Luang Prabang and Vientiane pull in at a dusty lot, just north
of where Route 13 meets the road to Sayaboury. The main strip is within walking distance
along Route 13. The journey from Kasi to Luang Prabang costs 80,000K per person, regard-
less of whether you go by bus or minivan.
Destinations:
Luang Prabang (3 daily; 3hr); Vientiane (3 daily; 4hr).
