The Best of Cambodia & Laos

298 Immigration to the old town for between $2 and $4, depending on your powers of
persuasion.
Buses to Vientiane leave daily every half-hour throughout the day from 6am to 10pm
and take about 10 hours to cover the 457km (283-mile) route. Going south to Pakse the
first bus is at 7:30am and the last one is at 1:30am the following morning. The journey
is 230km (143 miles) and takes 6 hours. You won’t miss any great sights by traveling at
night since it is a quite dreary road.
GETTING AROUND Savannakhet’s old town is small and perfectly walkable. Quite a
number of guesthouses also rent out motorcycles for between $10 and $12 per day and
bicycles for between $1 and $1.50. There are plenty tuk-tuks plying the streets. Just hop
in and tell the man where you want to go.
SAVANNAKHET CENTRAL LAOS
14
Savannakhet
Banks & Currency Exchange The BCEL (Ratsavongseuk Rd.; & 041/212-26;
open Mon–Fri 8:30am–3:30pm) changes cash and traveler’s checks and gives
advances on MasterCard and Visa. There is also an ATM issuing kip only. Around
the corner the Lao Development Bank (Udomsin Rd.; & 041/212-272) also
changes cash and traveler’s checks and gives advances on MasterCard and Visa.
Embassies & Consulates Given its location both Thailand (Thanon Kuravong;
& 041/212-373) and Vietnam (Thanon Sisavangvong; & 041/212-418) have
consulates in Savannakhet.
Post Office You’ll find the Post Office (Thanon Khanthabuli; & 041/212-205) is
at the southern edge of town. There are many Internet cafes scattered throughout
town. They generally close at 10pm.
Tourism Information The Provincial Tourism Office (Thanon Ratsapanith;
& 041/214-203; open daily 8–11:30am and 1:30–4:30pm), 2 blocks back from the
river near the old immigration office, is well organized. When we went there the staff
spoke English and some French. They had information not only on Central Laos but
also other parts of the country. They can also provide tours and onward bookings.
WHERE TO STAY
Nong Soda Guesthouse This hotel has one major advantage: It is by the river with
two pleasant sitting areas, one downstairs and one upstairs. The outside rooms around
the courtyard are large, clean, a little dark, and perfectly acceptable. It is possible to
wander from your adequate bungalow onto the upstairs terrace and watch the sunset over
Thailand on the opposite side of the Mekong. However, the service here is so bad it is
comical. For the staff at Nongsoda, life is one TV-watching vacation. It was once a restaurant,
but legend goes it failed on account of never actually bringing customers anything
to eat. After 3 days of pushing we got them to boil a kettle (bring your own teabags,
milk, and indeed teaspoon). This must have worn them out because after that the kettle
was mysteriously “broken.” Still, the staff is very friendly, despite their torpor.
Tha He Rd. & 041/212-522. 15 units. 100,000 kip inside; 120,000 kip courtyard. No credit cards. In room:
A/C, TV, fridge.