The Best of Cambodia & Laos

has closed, going on until 2am in practice. Packed and smoky with live sports on TV, it
is a little bit rough and ready to say the least. Open daily 4–11:30pm. Setthathirath Rd.
& 021/222-308.
Spirit House This relaxed bar is part of the chic Beau Rivage Hotel and attracts a
lot of expats with its riverside location and quiet rustic atmosphere. It is characterized by
comfortable cushions and lots of untreated dark wood. It is divided into two parts: One
side is a wooden platform right on the river, while the main part of the bar is a few feet
away on the other side of the narrow road, under the hotel itself. Open daily 7am–11pm.
8–10 Fa Ngum Rd. & 021/243-350. Fax 021/243-345.
The Wind West With a title that sounds curiously like a typing error, the Wind
West has very dim lighting, and a superb live band. This is the late-night venue of choice
for many expats and you don’t see many tourists here. It’s very convivial and becomes
more so as both the Johnny Walker and the Beer Lao flow. It officially closes at midnight
but in reality goes on until about 2am. Open daily 5pm–midnight. Luang Prabang Rd.
& 020/200-0777.
LAO TRADITIONAL PERFORMANCE
There are daily dance performances at the Lao National Theatre (Nokeo Khoummane
Rd. near the junction with Fa Ngum) in high season only. They are about an hour long
and include traditional lowland dancing (Lao Loum) in addition to the dance of Laos’s
other ethnic groups. You can buy a ticket from 5:30pm onward at the theater itself or
from a guesthouse or travel agency.
An even better option is the Phatoke Laoderm at the Senglao Hotel (Chou Anou;
shows begin at 7:30pm). They have nightly shows with classical and folk dancing accompanied
by some fine traditional Lao dishes.
Vientiane
American Express Vientiane’s Amex representative is Diethelm Travel, Namphu
Square, Setthathirath Road (& 021/213-833; www.diethelmtravel.com).
ATMs There are ATMs all over the center of the city, but they are not your best
bet for getting cash from home. They only issue kip (with a limit of 700,000 kip).
They also levy quite a hefty charge on top of any charges your own bank might
levy. If you see a crowd of men in military fatigues carrying AK47 assault rifles
milling around an ATM, don’t be alarmed. They are hired to top up the cash supply.
There’s a Banque Pour Le Commerce Extérieur Lao (BCEL) ATM on Setthathirath
Road (across the street from Joma Café), maximum withdrawal is 700,000
kip. The newly opened Australia New Zealand Bank Vientiane (ANZV) has two
ATMs at their Lang Xang Avenue branch near the Victory Monument (at Blvd.
Khounboulan intersection).
Banks & Currency Exchange Banque Pour Le Commerce Extérieur Lao (BCEL)
is on Pangkham Street down by the river, just west of the Lane Xang Hotel (& 021/
213-200). At BCEL and most other banks, you can exchange money in all major
currencies, change traveler’s checks to U.S. dollars, and get cash advances on Visa
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FAST FACTS: VIENTIANE