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Vientiane has many foreigners, including Pakis and Africans. Migrant laborers staff businesses. The one other foreigner on the international bus was a black woman, she was 50 baht short for her visa fee and Lao immigration refused baht coins, so the bus went on without her. The Mekong River promenade is awesome, but I'd rather stay in a real 100% Laotian neighborhood than this gentrified tourist zone where a basic hotel room goes for $19 or so.

Thai data signal reaches across the river, but peters out once you move inland.

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Food prices in Vientiane are significantly higher than Thailand, despite's the kip's steady depreciation. 65K for pork fried rice is about 100 baht, double the cost in a similar food court setting in Udon Thani. The pork has zero flavor, it was just tossed on top cold. The rice has black flecks on it from a dirty wok. Now I'm beginning to see why Vientiane disappoints travelers. Virtually zero owner-operated eateries in the city center. Is it gommunism which discourages competitive individual enterprise for price-fixed collectivism?

>>2743171
it's just a small market, no competition. lao people don't eat that stuff when they go out. all they eat is pho or vietnamese food, so the only people buying it are farang. if you want to eat well, eat like the locals. i guarantee you none of htem are looking at that shitty menu you posted in picrel.

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I got a "hello, boom boom? " from two women on a motorbike last night. Others look at me in a rather appraising manner. Two Lao cuties were flirting hard with a handsome French boomer on the riverfront.
>>2743346
Vientiane is a very sprawling city, most streets near the center are non-residential and have nothing whatsoever in the way of food. I'm gonna relocate east of the bus station today in search of the authentic Vientiane. Had enough of the African staffers at my hotel. The Vietnamese owner accused me of smoking but it was the room adjacent, where a bogan spent half an hour at 4:30 am going "it's me mate open the fawkin door". Then the Africans beating the sheets and joking loudly outside my window at 8 AM...I'm kinda missing Thailand.

>>2743171
China and Vietnam are communist and food prices are ridiculously cheap. With China, quality is also very high.

The problem is any tourist-oriented location will rip you off. There's Chinese and English on that menu. No local is eating there.

>>2743378
i wonder if the chinatown area (sanjiang) is a good place for food in vientiane. it does seem they hav eat lot of authentic chinese eateries

>>2743346
>>2743378
This is cope. Restaurants in Laos are more expensive than Thailand, Vietnam and even parts of China. Laos doesn't make any thing so they need to import everything, it inceeses costs.
Source: I lived there for 3 months.

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Lao Telecom customer service center in central Vientiane was a very pleasant experience. Picrel. 120K ($5.50) got me a SIM with a 30 day plan, 20 GB data.
>>2743386
Good tip, anon. I unknowingly passed the area by yesterday, everything looks to be north of the main highway which was gritty and lined with small industrial shops in the Chinese fashion.

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>>2743388
Less than $2 for this fried rice at a sidewalk eatery, dutifully prepared from scratch and so much tastier than that tourist place. Of course there's no cute 16 yo waitress here, kek.

>>2743424
Slumbo are you now in Laos? I guess I’ll go to the French riverfront next

>>2743366
>I'm kinda missing Thailand.
Everyone tries to dog me for yapping about pattaya and pecker play and without fail, these poodles end up reluctantly agreeing with me that the place can’t be beat.

They’ve got it down to a fuckin science

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>>2743427
Got 60 days here with the e-visa.

First thing I see upon exiting the guesthouse is a 30 yo dominatrix in shorts straddling the lap of a Lao manlet, getting right up in his face berating him (for his impotence, I assume) and even getting physically aggressive. This in plain view next to a busy road, kek.

Picrel is one of the little burger joints here, they are frequented by privileged youths. 1 USD = 21800 kip.

>>2743455
>4 dollars for a double
Nice.

>>2743424
>salt water
>oiled starch
>10g of protein
>$2
sounds about right

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This place is reportedly top-notch, with fully furnished kitchens in every apartment. USD payment preferred. It's in a residential neighborhood with numerous embassy compounds and a fair share of small eateries as well. On the cheap end is the Oulayphet Hotel, 250K or $11.50 for a room. Lil pouty cutie behind the reception desk.

>>2743445
>Everyone tries to dog me for yapping about pattaya and pecker play
No. We "dog" you for being a retarded security guard who can't afford to travel and only ever goes to Pattaya when he does. You shouldn't be on /trv/, you're just a disabled normie

>>2743470
>Lil pouty cutie behind the reception desk.
Well take a fucking pic then m8!

>>2743471
I literally can afford to travel you fucking moron, I’m just prioritizing other things. Only trust fund kids and people who got lucky with crypto can afford to travel perpetually so Kys

>>2743473
>>2743471
All of you faggots should stay out of Laos and go back to Pattaya. We don't need you shitting up every goddamn country in the region.

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I'm not a big fan of the Fr*nch but goddamn do they make a delicious ham & cheese croissant with some creamy imported frog cheese and a lightly glazed crispy outside. 35K or $1.60, it was amply sized too.

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For those too poor to eat meat barbecue, there is grilled rice on a stick. It has more flavor than expected, at least the spicy version does.

Just finished pakse loop. The tiger waterfall is not traditionally part of it but very worth it if you don’t mind hiking 2 hours

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>>2743487
How touristy is southern Laos? Did you ride your own bike, hire a guide or use public transit to get around? I'm interested in heading down the Mekong if it means escaping the tourist throngs of Luang Prabang and other points north of Vientiane.

Beerlao seems to narrowly beat out Red Horse in cost per volume, with a 500 mL can of Beerlao going for 20K or $0.92, but the 6.9% ABV of Red Horse puts it slightly ahead of Beerlao as far as getting drunk cheap. Nonetheless, Beerlao is a superior beverage, just like Laos is a superior country.

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>>2743473
>I literally can afford to travel you fucking moron, I’m just prioritizing other things

>>2743476
>All of you faggots should stay out of Laos
I lived in Vientiane for a year. Know your place, normie

>>2743496
>>2743487

if yoyu go to champassack try a place called Garden Cafe that opened recently in an old traditional home (which belonged to a prince). you have to turn off the main road to get there

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>>2743472
No creepshots but the picrel on display in my guesthouse is sweet. Too bad it is right next to a noisy road. I can see the sun set over Thailand from the fourth floor.

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This jumbo fish burger is no joke!

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>>2743487
>pakse loop
>Mae Hong Son Loop
>Ha Giang Loop
driving around and seeing beautiful nature in SEA seems kino but these routes are very popular amongst backpackers which makes it seem fucking gay to do. Especially when many tourists come from tours where the group is sometimes as big as 20-50 people.
>yeah I love paying some third world guy to drive me and 30 other people around in the mountains for a couple of days so we can stand in line at different viewpoints to take a picture for Instagram showing how we're "real travelers"!

look at the pictures for this vietnamese tour:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g293924-d17445440-3_Day_Ha_Giang_Loop_Tour_from_Ha_Noi_and_Return-Hanoi.html

I've done enough tours in Thailand to know it will be hell on earth to be around those people the whole time
>just do the loop alone then
yeah but these groups will still be there, and the restaurants and hotels will be catered to these people which makes them feel very not authentic

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>>2743527
words cannot express how much I would loathe being apart of that group

Laos does have stray dog problems. The first one was a neighborhood mutt who merely needed a stern admonishment to mind its own business. The second incident was after dark on a mostly deserted road; my spidey senses heard claws on concrete and I turned around to see two dogs running up behind me. One fled as soon as I turned around; the other briefly tried to stand its ground, but got driven away so forcefully it ran out of my sight. A peaceful dog when spotted would continue past you going on its way; the behavior of this pair indicated a foiled surprise attack.

>>2743464
kek this, SEAtards always "omg food is so cheap" and then the pic is always a small serving of something you'd give a rabbit

>>2743546
nigga please, that $2.50 jumbo fish burger taller than my heckin beercan

saw a sign downtown that said anyone involved in a barfight would be subjected to 6 months prison or a 100 million kip fine, about $4800 USD

which would you choose?

>>2743516
>This jumbo fish burger is no joke!
Very nice. How much for that?

>>2743527
You should get just ahead of them and then find a sharp cliffside hairpin turn. Empty a gallon of oil on the road, go sit somewhere comfy and smoke a cigarette while 36 barefoot faggots with fake sewn-in dreadlocks crack off rocks as they plummet 2000 feet.

>>2743527
I did pakse and thakhek loop few weeks ago and barely saw any tourists. Ha Giang was hell. there was more tourists than locals, I would not even mind if they were not mostly loud drunk up british and bunch of white roasties.

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>>2743528
>>2743527
holy mother of r*ddit

>>2743573
I choose to walk away and not stick around to get picked up by the ratmonkey hybrid town guards.
>>2743528
>>2743607
>nooo! People having fun!!!??? Nooooo!!!!

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>>2743612
I've always felt repulsed by this >>2743607 sort of "people having fun". What sort? This guy, on a group tour with two guides, a humiliation ritual tour group helmet STRAPPED firmly around his jaw, performing some feminine gesture with two other men, as if celebrating a remarkable and challenging adventure while in the safety of a well-established hand-holding routine. That non-virile looking tourist won't speak to them again after that tour, let alone care about their well being once he's left, so I don't understand the fake nods and smiles, nor the ingenuine comradery that's being displayed. It aggravates me.

A smiling Vietnamese woman in Ninh Binh STRAPPED a cone hat with a pink strap on my head when I parked my motorcycle at her parking spot, SANS a tour group. I obliged to wear the cultural-appropriation-hat, despite it having mold on it, and went for a short walk. When I returned, I gave it back to her, and her smile remained, but her eye contact was withdrawn. She started INSISTING I buy a coconut to drink. I said no several times, and on the 4th no, her smile IMMEDIATELY transformed into something unfriendly and belligerent, ordering me to pay for parking in an official tone.

Similar events were conspired many times, "hey, you're so good at riding a motorcycle!", "hey, you're vietnamese is really good", "hey, come for a drink", to which I reply with a terse "no", and their ethos' swing around and they act butt ached.

Back to the Hai Gong Goons, >>2743528 these people are fine. They aren't remotely as goofylicious as >>2743607

>>2743528
I hate Anglo men
>>2743630
>When I returned, I gave it back to her, and her smile remained, but her eye contact was withdrawn. She started INSISTING I buy a coconut to drink. I said no several times, and on the 4th no, her smile IMMEDIATELY transformed into something unfriendly and belligerent, ordering me to pay for parking in an official tone.
I wouldn’t last long in Vietnam. That kind of repulsive insincerity, wearing a smile like a shitty Halloween mask from party city, and that feral greed would make me snap.

At least in Thailand they’re more skillful and gracious about the maneuvering so that you don’t feel slighted or offended in a similar situation.

>>2743636
Vietnamese don't understand gracefulness. They are always direct to the point of rudeness, it's their culture. It's really frustrating to be unable to give as good as you get in their language, which verbal impotence of course elicits their contempt. Being shouted at is disrespectful behavior. Choose to do business with well-mannered people if any are present.

Laotians on the other hand seem shy around foreigners, often struggling with the language barrier. Being gentle and patient is the best choice here.

>>2743748
>which verbal impotence of course elicits their contempt
Thais have a higher threshold and only quickly get snappy if you interfere with commerce during your verbal retardation (which I respect)

>>2743630
>I've always felt repulsed by this >>2743607 sort of "people having fun".

you have what is called 'social anxiety disorder'
it's usually caused by some sort of childhood trauma like bullying or ostracization either real or imagined
you hate it when you see people having fun, because as a child you were excluded from those type of things by people who hurt you, or you believed you would not be allowed to join
so, you forever associate 'people having fun', with pain and isolation
the more isolated you were as a child, the worse it is

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Sanjiang is a gated Chinese colony bustling with commerce and construction. Definitely a work in progress, as demolition of old structures is still underway. There are market streets with numerous eateries and fresh fruit. People are surprised to see a white guy here.

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The gate security here wasn't stopping anyone - the traffic was snarled enough as is - but YouTube vloggers have been hassled at other Chinese colonies in Laos.

>>2743765
Stop it I'm crying rn

>>2743630
You have definitely dethroned me as the most mentally ill on this board. I kneel, your schizoidesty

>>2743765
you forgot to mention the most important element, resentment of rich fucks who can spend money like water, drinking at bars and going on tours and living their escapist fantasies while everyone else is stuck in the grind of daily routine be it working or wandering

>>2743825
>everyone else is stuck in the grind of daily routine be it working or wandering
Tardguard?

>>2743825
I have a quarter of a mil last time I checked etrade, and I'm not even 27 yet. I'm also neither for or against Mangione's crime. Resentment of the rich doesn't really resonate with me.

>>2743765
Social anxiety disorder? According to the DSM-V, here https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519712/table/ch3.t12/, let's see, maybe I do.
a. Work meetings can be stressful. I don't like presenting things I have no faith in, but outside of work things are fine.
b. see above.
c. see above.
d. see above.
e. <no E for DSM-5>
f. no.
g. no.
h. correct, I don't do drugs.
i. no.
j. no.

>>2743791
Who are you?

>>2743886
No we're talking about something real here not the dsm pseudoscience.

>>2743892
Okay, then how do you, with your real talk, evaluate it?

the only reason I want to go to Laos is because I like Mel Gibson's Air America

>>2743937
I was told by a British boomer that if you go to Laos you can umm uh set yourself back 15 years as in uh haha

>>2743886
>Who are you?
He's tardguard. Brown poor

>>2743944
>I was told by a British boomer that if you go to Laos you can umm uh set yourself back 15 years as in uh haha
Wut? You fucking retard

>>2743956
Hi cuckshed
>>2743957
>he doesn’t get it
My day 1s get it.

Sometimes opportunities for academic enrichment present themselves out of the blue. After checking out of my old room overlooking the boulevard and hanging around the park with my bags for a bit, I set out looking for a cheaper and quieter place to stay. Following signage to a local guesthouse, I was welcomed by a short plump girl with brown skin. She took 500K for my two night stay and handed it to the matron.

Her bubbly personality appealed to me as she immediately offered to be my tutor. When I expressed interest, she moved my bags into the room and shut the door. The size of the study materials to be tackled made her extremely eager to begin tutoring ASAP. 400K was her initial asking price for a vocabulary session, but alas my wallet only had 377K. She took 300K and we got academic, quickly moving beyond the warmup and vocabulary bit. Having been entirely unschooled for over half a decade, I struggled with effectively applying the study material, despite trying multiple approaches. We took a break with the class unfinished and went out to the ATM, where she waited outside the booth as I pulled some cash. On the way back she bought me some grilled bananas as a gift. The fee requested for full tutoring was a bit higher, 300K + 500K, but after some stalling she said she'd accept an additional 300K. I handed her 400K and we returned to tackling the problem after getting the study material in working order. This time I let her stay on top of the task; the length of the problem drove her into a frenzy, but at last the solution broke through. Still glazed in sweat from her prodigious efforts, she bid me goodbye and expressed a desire to tutor me again tonight.

700K kip = $32 USD.

IDK who the guy in her apartment is, her tutoring manager perhaps. The 500K figure was his idea.

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Laotians can be such hicks, they'll collect wood and start a little fire on the sidewalk in downtown Vientiane.

The people in the lower-class neighborhoods seem friendly, if a little less dignified and face-saving than Thais. I saw an old couple squabbling, the woman swiped at the man's face and he backed into the road heedless of oncoming traffic.

Second overland vanlifer spotted on this trip. They're always German.

>>2744074
Huh, slumdork? Surprising if so

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>>2744218
Yep
She came by again around 8:30 pm insisting on another round of tutoring, although I was tired and noncommittal. After some coaxing on her part, including arithmetic practice with the number 69, we both tried our hardest to solve another problem. 20-30 minutes later I had to take a break. She asked for 300K and pointed out evidence that my approach was too in-depth and causing damage. I responded that her tutoring fees were making me feel exploited and that our study sessions were over. She said she felt sorry for my academic difficulties, promised to bring over some takeaway food, but changed her mind and didn't come back.

Merry Christmas, monkey huggers

>>2744074
>The size of the study materials to be tackled made her extremely eager to begin tutoring
>the length of the problem drove her into a frenzy
shut the fuck up dude lmao. Your megalomania is off the charts. We know you pulled up with your 5 inch pecker and she’s used to getting cricket dicked by somchai and bonsanong from the boys club.

Please get over yourself

>>2744338
My shoes are size 13 BTW
How bout yours, Mr. 5 incher?

>>2744341
>keeps it vague with a shoe meme
Par for the course lmao

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Typical budget guesthouse in Vientiane; this one doesn't show up when you search "Hotels" on Google Maps. All rooms in Laos so far have had a fridge, a chair, and a ventilation fan. None of them have had a desk. The TV may be ancient or unusable, but the A/C unit is modern. 250K or $11.50 is the prevailing base rate. The ruelles are narrow, quiet and sometimes squalid. I saw a grandma with a black eye carrying a baby yesterday. Disrespectful or snarky behavior toward a foreigner seems entirely absent here.

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"Sawadee" is the polite greeting exchanged when commencing business. "Ka" and "khap" are universal terms of respect in royalist Thailand, but don't seem to be used in communist Laos. Numbers in Lao are the same as in Thai. Sometimes "phan" (thousand) is added, other times it's implied. Most prices are in multiples of 5000.

>>2744336
you take pictures of every mundane thing you see, but not of the whore you shagged on Christmas? post it faggot

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>>2744407
As you wish, my negro

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>>2743959
Tardguard has only ever been dumped by a filipina in PH and cried and spent all his BTC in Pattaya. What is the brown broke retard doing in a Laos thread?

>>2744420
Well..well..well

Looks like slumbo had himself a sunkissed slumho :D

>>2744420
mmmh... slightly trashy milf from the slums phenotype. My ex thai gf had an aunt like that...
Makes me jealous

>>2744350
Are you going to Luang Prabang? Wanna see it

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Phongsavanh Bank charges 2% of the transaction amount as an ATM fee. By comparison, the flat ATM fee comes out to 6.3% for a 3500 baht withdrawal in Thailand. Thai ATMs spit out 1000 baht notes worth $29 USD; Lao ATMs spit out 100K kip notes worth $4.50, or 50K kip notes once the 100s run out. You could have an inch thick wad of bills in your wallet here and nobody will think anything of it.

Laundry service in Laos looks expensive; I saw 25000 kip per kilo advertised, or about $7 for your typical 6 kg load. In Thailand, I could wash and dry up to 10 kilos for $2.50 at a 24 hour coin-op. With the mild temps and low humidity, I've decided to change clothes every other day instead of daily.

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>>2744435
Luang Prabang just got rated the top tourist destination in all of Asia for 2025. https://www.vientianetimes.org.la/freefreenews/freecontent_247_Luang_y24.php

Continuing down the list of stereotypical degenerate tourist behavior, I'd like to dose shrooms and ketamine in Vang Vieng. In all my travels I've encountered LSD time and time again, but have never once been presented with magic mushrooms. It's inexplicable. A private room in VV can be booked for $8 USD even on a weekend ahead of the New Year.

>>2744420
Tfw no orange snackhog gf

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Why do people say Vientiane is boring? Maybe it's just the New Year, but the riverfront is popping with a huge array of choices for an evening outing. Not with deafening music and haranguing touts, that's not how Laos does things. They're classy here. All of the visiting blacks I've seen have been on their best behavior. Most young Lao women are proper little ladies and don't give foreign men the eyeing, but some of the bars have a fair number of unaccompanied women. Several white businessmen were on dinner dates with Lao women. The biggest disappointment for me is the limited selection of tasty treats at the night market, nothing like Thailand. It's 95% apparel & accessories. That being said, the handmade crispy ice cream cones were top-notch. A bumper car ride at the carnival costs $1.40 and goes on for a long-ass time. Even loner guys can buy a $1 pint of cold beer and sit back watching everyone else have fun.

>>2744459
I couldn't even spend an hour there. Sitting in a hotel room is more enjoyable than that river market. You must be scared of being alone.

>>2744459
Comfy trip reporting anon. I used to work in Vientiane, I used to find the little fair rides by the river a beautiful place to people watch. Laoatians are good people

>>2744459
that looks like such a dump, but I'm glad you enjoyed your time there. Yummy ice cream!

>>2744449
BTW she was embarrassed to be photographed without her makeup on

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>>2744460
Slow strolling is my favorite; seat rotting is for boomers. Show consideration for others who are busier than you, briefly meet the eyes of anyone who notices you, and learn about human nature by observing the small details of routine activity.
>>2744472
Vientiane is one of the most pleasant cities for walking in Southeast Asia, apart from the filthy fuckin diesels filling the air with pollution.

>>2744485
How intrusive are your thoughts when you're alone.

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>>2744483
She reminds me of my paler mommy from chiang rai *sigh* <3
>>2744472
>Show consideration for others who are busier than you.
It’s a privilege to seat rot amidst a hive of activity surrounding you

>>2744495
cute cute CUTE!!!

>>2744506
^_^ !!!!!

>>2744420
you couldve done a lot worse

>>2744425
same thing as you.
what are you doing outzide of the /PHG/, cuckshed?

>>2744485
>Slow strolling is my favorite; seat rotting is for boomers. Show consideration for others who are busier than you, briefly meet the eyes of anyone who notices you, and learn about human nature by observing the small details of routine activity.

fucking cringe. i bet you thought you sounded so wise typing that.
i travel to exploit. to take what and give them as little of my income as possible. My white cock and cum is all the tip they deserve.

>>2744515
Yeah, I'm leaning towards that, just exploit them as much as possible. I'm tired of their bullshit. They do it to me everytime I'm vulnerable. I just paid 14 dollars for a meal that was 90 percent rice, in a country where 5 dollars gets you a kilo of ground beef, and the average monthly rent is 250 dollars. I paid 40 dollars for a meal the first day in country when I just got done flying half across the planet and being up for 40 hours. That's what, a 1/6 of their monthly wage for 10 minutes of work. That meal should have came with a blow job.

>>2744518
Lol damn. Slumbo is mask off after smashing the Laotian cheeto snacker

>>2744532
No. I'm in Europe right now. The last three months in Asia was relatively good. I don't particularly remember any scum. Not that I haven't had my fair share of run-ins with low-lifes in Asia, just had a nice lucky streak going. But all of the, being on my best behavior, adjusting to people's cultures, is over. I've been traveling for over a year nonstop, and not once has someone met me halfway while trying to make them comfortable adopting their norms and gestures. They take my kindness, and think they can run all over me. Well, now I'll tell you when your food is shit(99% of it is), and too expensive(99% of it is), that you're a rat bastard coward thief hiding behind a smile(99% of them are). Even if you bow down to the ground trying to save face, I'll still see you as an animal, unworthy of my respect.

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>>2744495
Bet she's quite a bit slimmer than my slampig but ugh, niggerdoodles.
So many Thai sluts have them, I've noticed.
>>2744515
>>2744518
You exploiters always seem so angry and frustrated, like the only satisfaction you get in life comes from demeaning everyone around you.
My first meal off the plane in BKK was less than $1 and eaten on a shady bench right outside the complimentary shuttle stop used by airport workers. Goddamn was I glad to be back in Thailand.
>>2744534
Sounds like you've made some bad health choices which have put you in a perpetually unpleasant mood. Hard to appreciate food when you are always struggling with poor digestion, and your daily drinking habit only worsens the problem. Everyone sees right through the veneer of politeness you put on; they think "go home grumpy foreigner, we don't want your bad attitude here." Being treated so dismissively reinforces your negative attitude. You cope by lashing out against people who are merely living their ordinary lives in the only place they've ever known. Sad.

>>2744510
>cuckshed
I'm not that guy. I've traveled almost 90 countries

>>2744515
>My white cock
Tardguard, most of us are not new here. You're brown and disabled and poor

>>2744609
>You exploiters always seem so angry and frustrated
It's mostly tardguard. He works 12hr shifts 6 days a week where he has hours upon hours for self-improvement and education but spends it on here LARPing as someone who travels. He writes and cries every now and then about how poor he is and how he only wants to be a DN. He only goes to Pattaya. He never travels elsewhere. He's the least traveled anon on here snd the most prolific poster. Anyone who calls him a loser gets labeled "cuckshed" some other loser who he had a historical beef with on here.
Most anons on here are well traveled and chill but we just get buried under a thousand posts by this disabled loser

>>2744609
What's sad, is you being surrounded by pure unadulterated shit, and pretending to be happy, at least online anyway. You're insane if you can't see or smell the pollution and how it affect the humans you're around. You want to be better than me, help them fix their shithole. You sure as hell ain't doing that with your blog post. That's purely for the attention. For you, not for them. And don't fucking lie to me again. It's bad enough you lie to yourself. But I want tolerate it.

>>2744614
>>2744618
This is exactly what I want to see. Cuckshed is unknowingly my attack dog. I just have to feed him a few kibbles and he goes schizo and starts attacking larpers who pretend to be me while I watch. Good times. Carry on.

I’m glad slumbo finally met his match and succumbed to a pecker player. Laotians are the new wave. Soon beach road will be little “Vientiane.” All the Thai girls will flat-footedly STOMP by the demure and polite Lao qts and attempt to bully, intimidate, and scare them off, but the Lao are known to “kill with kindness”

Kop jai durr :)

>>2744625
You want to know the truth: that's not who who I am. And I played both parts. I'm the modern day Stephen King. Remember that, the next time you think you're having a "conversation" on here. I'm in charge.

>>2744625
>I’m glad slumbo finally met his match and succumbed to a pecker player. Laotians are the new wave. Soon beach road will be little “Vientiane.” All the Thai girls will flat-footedly STOMP by the demure and polite Lao qts and attempt to bully, intimidate, and scare them off, but the Lao are known to “kill with kindness”
>Kop jai durr
Wtf is this schizo drivel? This is unreadable

>>2744633
Schizo tardguard again. What is your life outside of /trv/? Absolutely nothing I'm guessing

>>2744647
I'm an author.

>>2744648
>I'm an author
That's not how you spell autist, retard

>>2744669
*artist
Damn spell check.

>>2744672
>*artist
You spelled faggot wrong, retard

>>2744676
Don't you get it. I don't need sleep. I don't need water. I don't need food. I just need your seethe. This is my board. Are you sure you want to waste your precious life here giving me want I want.

>>2744677
>I just need your seed

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>>2744625
I paid for two more nights here and the family who owns the place invited me to share their breakfast. The matrons said "you family, same same". Aw, so sweet. First time that's happened in Asia. Surely they know what transpired on Christmas, but there's a complete lack of any snarky farang remarks or disapproving looks like you'd expect from Thai matrons.

BTW her roommate is a twink. He was pressuring her to get money from me as evidently she was behind on her share of the room rent. I said no more tutoring sessions, but she damn well knows her enthusiasm for the subject matter awakened my studious nature. Now it's sleepless nights and a test of willpower...

>>2744677
I will always win based on the fact I am not poor, not brown and not a security guard. You can never attain this level of comfy.

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>>2744677
>pic rel me reading your brown squeeling

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These passionfruits are perfuming my room with their intoxicatingly sweet odor. Only 12K or $0.55 for four!

I've been very impressed with the freshness and prices of the fruit sold from shops and carts all over Vientiane. Most of it imported from China. Local produce like the lettuce and cucumbers is also great. Some fresh carrot juice for 25K made me shit five times in 24 hours, other than a sore butthole it had no other bad effect.

Yesterday a drunk guy invited me to drink beer at his fly-infested shop, but I got a huge bowl of chicken soup instead. Served on the side in a grimy tray was some of the most delicately crisp and tasty lettuce I've ever eaten.

Common sight here is the woman doing all the food prep work while the menfolk loaf around. Then come evening they dip into her cashbowl for some beer with their buddies while she rests in a chair nearby with a weary patient expression. Sometimes he hollers at her to show he's in charge. I'm no feminist but their behavior often seems disrespectful.

>Mae Hong Son Loop
Didn't see any of that backpacker faggotry except in Pai during the high season, accommodations are mostly all thai style private hotel and dirt cheap.

Nothing's preventing you from renting a motorbike by yourself and having fun, except being a pussy.

>>2744348
Lack of desk kinda sucks, how bad was the wifi? Although the visa policies make Laos unrealistic for anything other than tourism anyway.

>>2745007
WiFi generally sucks. This room has a desk and the property WiFi has no rangeban, but the WiFi only has 2/5 bars on my laptop. The other properties in Vientiane were even worse, with Internet access regularly dropping out altogether even when the WiFi stays connected.

It's kinda cool how each room at this guesthouse is different, even cooler that they gave me one of the nicest rooms they have. Not so nice is the leaky plumbing and mediocre cleanliness. At least the bathroom here has a drain trap and an outside window, so it smells fresh. The first hotel I stayed at in Vientiane had an evil-smelling bathroom...of course after enough time in Asia you become indifferent to bad odors. Walk by a rancid stretch of sidewalk soaked in years' worth of trash juice and buzzing with flies, and instead of being disgusted, your stomach will growl thinking of what to eat for lunch at the nearby stalls.

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Had an unfortunate misunderstanding with an old lady selling fruit. I selected two oranges and held up two fingers but she assumed two kilos and began adding more to the bag. I said no, two, so she got a second bag and began putting oranges in it. Again, no, only two oranges. I got the two oranges in the bag and was charged 20K, which is yee seeb paan in Thai...but in Lao it was saab paan. (Other numbers are identical in both languages.) I pulled out 10K, and she got mad, so I took out 5K more and she got madder. One of her crone friends began trying to take money from my wallet and I blocked her hand. Now they were all mad at me, so I put down the oranges, took back the 15K and walked away to abusive comments. Thankfully I don't have to walk down that stretch of road again...

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Two months in Thailand and I didn't see a single wreck. One week here and I've seen three accidents, all involving scooters. Laotians lack the smooth, predictable, reactive driving skills of Thais.

>>2745000
good job putting the brand name in focus, goy

>>2745100
Cope and seethe, carry-on fag. Where I go, my knoife goes.

>>2745035
>she assumed two kilos and began adding more to the bag.
Nope, she knew you meant two oranges and tried to bully you into spending more money. Luckily you got out of it unscathed.

>>2745090
what camera are you using

>slumbo goes mask off the microsecond he gets a test boost from getting his tip wet

topkek

>>2745035
wow, people go through life being unable to buy fruit from a lvl1 merchant?

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Duck soup with egg noodles, large, 45K.
>>2745129
Beware of doing business with old Asian women missing most of their teeth. They're very short-tempered as a general rule.
>>2745133
Moto G6 phone. Bought it for $65 on Amazon. An upgrade from the $25 ZTE phone I carried last year.
>>2745139
I buy fruit every day for breakfast, kek. Most Lao people are very leisurely in their business dealings; they're not about the hard hustle or quick sale at all. That being said it's cute how the young mom at the little shop on the boulevard jumps up and runs pell-mell into the store every time I show up to snag a cold can of Lane Xang for 10K or $0.45 apiece. Lane Xang is also brewed by Lao Brewing Company, but far less prevalent than the ubiquitous Beerlao, which sells for 14K a can.

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Someone needs to feed this poor diseased creature one last meal and then put it out of its misery :\

>>2745290
I can't be the only one who wants to know what that prolapsed anus tastes like

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Most local eateries in Vientiane close on Sunday, so I walked to the Xang Jieng market for lunch, where everything is open. Here's one of the menus at a little eatery there. The yakisoba at another joint was delicious but only had like 10 grams of chicken.

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The menu prices in Chinese yuan came out to 65K in Lao kip. This stuffed bread reminded me of a Mexican torta, but clearly inferior...no mayo, no avo, no lettuce, no tomato, no pickled jalapeños.

>>2745305
Keep the food pics coming anon. How long you staying in Laos? What's your guess on what that dog's anus tastes like?

>>2744459
>on dinner dates with Lao women
not likely. those are usually men visiting with their thai or khmer girlfriends

>>2745090
it's a shit country without traffic rules or traffic police (except where they have their checkposts for extorting bribes) and almost no street lights, so accidents are common, try not to get in one

>>2745302
you pay in renminbi or kip?

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Picrel: man harvesting greens next to an open sewer in Vientiane.
>>2745339
You're probably right. Secks is actually illegal for foreigners in Laos, kek. Ironically, it's less risk to bang a hooker than to have a girlfriend. Some incel might get jealous and report you.
>>2745311
Gawd, you ass eaters are something else. My stamp is valid until February 19th. Visa on arrival is somewhat cheaper but only gives you 30 days, making the eVisa a better deal.
Getting a little antsy on my 8th day here, was gonna stick around for the New Year festival but looking at all that rugged terrain on Google Maps is making me want to get out there and experience it RFN. Look up a place like Xanamkhan on Google. You can't find ANYTHING about it. There are no ATMs out there in the boonies, so you better bring a fat wad of kip along.
>>2745343
In Thailand or Malaysia letting people in is considered common courtesy, but drivers in Vientiane generally don't hit the brakes to let cars or bikes pull out in front of them. Nonetheless, people still do it.
>shit country
Overall I'd say that Laos is a LOT more pleasant than the Philippines. Of course Vientiane is only 560 people per square kilometer, while Manila is 21700 people per square kilometer. Laotians do seem more graceful than Filipinos, but it's easier to be graceful in a quiet and spacious environment.

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This stage is rocking every evening at the night market outside the Parkson mall, sometimes to my annoyance as it's not far from the guesthouse. Good spot to buy some tasty bites and sit on a bench watching all the little Lao cuties go by. Food's pretty good.

>>2745365
>Look up a place like Xanamkhan on Google. You can't find ANYTHING about it. There are no ATMs out there in the boonies, so you better bring a fat wad of kip along.
Sounds nice anon. I'll be in Laos in March. Would like to know what this Xanamkhan is like. Get out there and take some pics and give us a trip report. Enjoying this so far.

>>2745293
Like tavern ham soaked in mayo and worcestershire sauce and left out for an August overnight in Yuma. Don't ask me how I know.

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>>2745430
You're a lucky man

>>2745365
>open sewer

that's not the sewer. it's the old city moat, now it's mostly runoff water.

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Delicious NY cheesecake with buttery graham crust served by a refined young lady at a spotless café near the South Korean embassy. 65K or $2.95.

>>2745604
>South Korean embassy.
Can you take a picture of it? Also the chinese embassy.

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Thai food here can be had for about the same price as in Thailand. 40K for cuttlefish pad see ew = 62 baht. Crunchy onions and dried chili as table condiments, but no pickled chili provided, which is sacrilege in Thailand.

>>2745606
North Korea's compound would be more photo worthy, you'd think.

Jeezus. That phat ho named Poi or something along that line gotta pay her rent again. She spotted me returning to the property after lunch and ran out of her room wearing only a towel to shout a greeting at my back, no dignity whatsoever. I gave her a funny little wave and went up the stairs as she watched to see which room I was now staying in. (I moved to a new room after our last encounter.) Then after I opened the door to her knocking, she tried to force her way into my room grabbing my pecker. Anticipating such a move, I blocked her entry and told her "no". She pouted and fussed, stuck her fingers around the edge of the door to keep it from closing, demanded my phone number, etc. All the while somebody was on videochat on her phone. My face hardened and she realized that further provocation was not a wise choice as I said "goodbye" and shut the door.

Might as well check out tomorrow and hop a bus for wherever.

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This spinach lasagna was delicious. 50K at a grimy night market in the middle of the tourist district.

Gripes about the Chinese...they will serve a foreigner food they wouldn't touch themselves, because they know it's gone off. With rare exceptions you can enjoy quality food at an quiet Thai restaurant any day of the week, but when you pass a glum-faced Chinese proprietor presiding indifferently over his array of empty tables, keep walking. Every time I've ignored this rule, my gut has paid the price.

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Seen these growing on trees here. When ripe, the scales peel off easily. The interior is soft, juicy and very sweet with strong floral notes, pear and pineapple as well. They are easily bruised and have poor shelf life; most of the ones offered in the market were turning black and sprouting mold. 60K per kilo was the asking price. Anyone know their name?

>>2745943
These have to be very ripe. When you eat them, it's normal for the skin to be turning black, that's when tehy are ready for eating. THe one in the picture is not yet ready, you can tell it's too firm. Let it sit for a few days until it's so ripe that the outside skin just slips off and you can easily dismantle the fruit with just your fingers. These are a type of custard apple. In Laos they are called "mak khiap" and are considered one of the choicest fruits.

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Sunday morning sing-along: A circle of Asians sitting under a shade tree on the riverfront, strumming a guitar and singing "Country Roads, Take Me Home" with big grins on their faces.

You can't help but be charmed by these people.

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Hostels are absurdly cheap in Laos. I booked one of the nicer properties on Agoda for $5.05/night. Free breakfast, great common area, and the dorm has a balcony. Two mid brown girls working in the lobby café laughing at funny tiktoks and smiling at me when I walk by. Nobody else in the 8 person dorm. Loner's luck, checking into a steeply discounted hostel bunk and having the place to yourself.

Laundry folks were also friendly. Wash and dry service for ten days of clothes came out to 50K or $2.75 for 3 kilos. I forgot a pair of pants and offered to pay more, but they said no problem. Clothes will be ready tomorrow despite the holiday.

>>2746011
Don't they hav ea huge bedbug problem in the hostels over there? Since they are very ignorant people and don't know anything about pest control or prevention

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These durian popsicles are intensely delicious, but so rarely encountered. In 60 days in Thailand I only got to enjoy one. A swarm of Chinese tourists descended on the vendor in the temple courtyard here shortly after I snagged one. Only 20K and three times as big as your typical boring Nestle popsicle, even comes with a skewered cup and spoon. The last scoop just as delectable as the first.
>>2746306
Chinese vermin sprays are cheap and easily available in most Third World countries, versus the US where only specialist contractors are allowed to spray for bedbugs. Never encountered the chinches myself in all my shithole hotel stays.

>>2746314
Will look for them. Looks creamy and delicious

>>2746011
what do you value in life? Not even being facetious here. Do you have some accrue sense of the finiteness of life so you spend like a pauper to maximize your freedom? What’s your value system

Has anyone been to Savannakhet? Looks a pretty nice place to chill

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>>2746338
>Savannakhet
It's a good alternative to Vientiane for entry on an eVisa. Making the connection through Mukdahan isn't as easy as the bus from Udon Thani to Vientiane, which departs from a terminal conveniently close to the train station. Khon Kaen seems like the logical transit point, but its bus station is 6 km from the city center. Pain in the ass.
>>2746326
I value listening to the girls having a tickle fight in the hostel staff room, kek.

Saw some actual paupers earlier, a recycler family with two small children left to their own devices while the adults scavenged. Their idea of play, tearing apart foam packing material with their teeth like baby chimps.

Living on ≈$10K a year puts me right at the global average. It doesn't feel poor. I enjoy regional mobility at the expense of local mobility, i.e. my own transport. My German grandma would go grubbing in wintry fields searching for frostbit potatoes missed during harvest in an attempt to quell her hunger. That was only the beginning of her life of travail. Meanwhile I scarf down a jumbo beef burger just to put a smile on the burger lady's face for the New Year. This life is as much privilege & luxury as my peasant genes can handle.

Sir more Laos travel stories for our good reading sir

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Pretty good free breakfast for a $5/night hostel

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It gets primitive-looking awfully quick heading to the northbound bus terminal on the outskirts of Vientiane. Everything near the road caked in dust.

Very glad I have a small duffel and daypack, as the only luggage space in the vans is underneath the seats. Take the gallon jug out of the pack so it doesn't leak all over my laptop, kek.

13K for the ride to the terminal, 130K or $6 for the 140 km ride to Sanakham. You can go anywhere in Laos and even some destinations in China from here. BTW if you're a tourist NPC following the tourist trail, you can take the bus to Vang Vieng straight from the city center bus terminal.

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Departure board times and prices might as well be ignored. On your ticket will be written the 4 digit number on the van's license plate.

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I feel sorry for those people who are not able to produce a bowel movement exactly when they want to, i.e. after breakfast and before checking out.

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Yes, I walked across this pedestrian bridge.

The bus to Pak Lai stopped at the junction 17 km from Sanakham, but I let myself be herded back on board to stay on it til the end of the ride. Pak Lai is the next town on the Mekong after it turns north into the Lao interior.

There is no consistent Romanized spelling for many places in Laos. Google Maps is very inaccurate here; OsmAnd is superior.

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The terrain along the way was very hilly on both sides of the river border. Everything caked in dust. The highway was mostly decent but had some rough patches. The name of the junction village is Nonsavan, but not only is it missing on Google Maps, the dirt river road to Sanakham is shown as the principal highway and the actual highway over the mountains to Nonsavan doesn't even exist on the map.

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Spotless room for 200K or $9 a night at this group of three beautiful hotels in Pak Lai. Minimal road noise, the dust and traffic of Highway 4 is routed away from the riverfront here. To check in I went poking around and caught the housekeeper checking herself out in the mirror. Lao women giggle a lot when they like a guy, their little laughs make me chuckle and turn me on too. I like catching them in candid moments, putting on a mischievous expression like I was privy to some naughty secret, and speaking in a low deep voice to them. The chick next to me on the bus offered me snacks and wanted to chat as well, though we didn't get far with the language barrier and she was so tired I had to tap her awake when we arrived.

Philippines was nothing like this, those pinays couldn't care less about one quiet odd guy in a sea of noise and constant hyperstimulation.

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Pure Lao kino

>>2746670
Laos people are salt of the earth. Except for VV where meth and K and all nasturtium shit has corrupted them. Take more food pics anon, I'm in Manila atm eating fucking garbage

>>2746647
40yo boomer here. Is it just zoomer backpackers out there?

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>>2746698
I saw two boomers and one bearded 50 yo motorbike tourist around the lodge after I arrived. There are so many guesthouses in Paklay, apparently built by local bigshots in an effort to attract visitors. So many people wave and smile and say "hello" here that it almost seems like they were instructed to do so.

The Lao entrepreneurial spirit seems lacking, particularly on the microbusiness level. To put it simply, Lao life doesn't revolve around business like it does for so many Thais. These people much prefer living at leisure. The roadsides are covered in fine silt from rainy season flooding that doesn't ever get swept up. Other than the farmer's market in picrel, there were few people offering any food or crafts of their own creation for sale in the village. Most of the little shops are very messy and prefer to sell cases of warm beer rather than cold singles.
>>2746696
There are several restaurants serving food in the village, mostly the basic Thai style soups and stir-fry dishes. The people running them seemed like beaten-down wageslaves resigned to long hours of servitude. In Thailand, most of the places I dined at were part of someone's house, with the living quarters immediately behind the dining area. That's not the case here.

>>2746888
This is standard SEA shanty town vibe

>>2746888
>basic Thai style soups and stir-fry dishes
Show them anon. Some of us are eating our daily goyslop rations here

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>>2746895
You can get really hungry wandering around in rural Laos. Everyone wants to say hi and look at you, but nobody wants to cook for money. Most they'll do is sell you a cold drink. A girl hanging out with her teen friends on their back porch shouted "I love you!" at me just before I passed out of sight. IDK how communism works here, are people assigned to restaurant duty? Does every household with schoolkids over 12 get an electric riding scooter from the government? I haven't seen a single kid on a regular bicycle; only a few old grandparents still push pedals here. They'll all whipping around on scooters.

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Today I hiked a dusty & steep farm trail to the top of the ridge overlooking Ban Pangkha. The Mekong River valley is out of sight in the background. One of the pluses of gommunism is the ability to go exploring in a land without being hindered by vast private estates. The only private property here is personal property (houses, yards, possessions).

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3 PM and I can finally put something in my belly from the dining shack near my guesthouse. Lesson learned two days in a row...always eat a proper meal before any excursion in Laos.

Hitchhiking seems an option for getting around given the friendliness of the people. But I've seen how the villages have nothing to offer outsiders except their curiosity.

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OsmAnd indicated a ford on the shortcut to the river road...it wasn't wrong.

>>2746974
Simple goodness. How much did that cost?
>>2746982
Love the rural purity of these people

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Yes, people ride their motorcycles across these skinny planks. Some seem unworried, others pucker up.
>>2746984
Standard prices in Laos...
35K for soup. 56 baht versus 40-50 in Thailand.
40K for set meals. 64 baht versus 50-60 in TH.
5K for fried egg. 8 baht versus 10 in TH.
15K for soda. 24 baht versus 20 in TH.
In rural Laos, 25K for bottle of beer. 40 baht versus 65-70 in TH.

Base room rates in low-demand areas 200K-250K, i.e. 320-400 baht. In Thailand 350-400 baht was standard for a room in low-demand areas. The mid-tier destinations start at 320-400K, i.e. 480-640 baht. 500-650 baht was about what I paid in Thailand's mid-tier destinations on past trips.

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>Foreign language menus no problem. Just use Google Translate bro!
>The menu as translated by Google

>>2746989
How much is a cocktail over there Laosanon? I am assuming you are a man of taste

>>2746984
>rural purity
lol
lmao

>>2747084
>lol
>lmao
>t. urban impure

>>2743482
So what do you do here? Walk around and eat shitty food? What’s the point?

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>>2747092
I don't deal in existential doubt anymore. It is the product of a consciousness attacking itself, an autoimmune disorder of the brain.

This enormous bowl of beef & vegetable soup is very nourishing, but she sure skimped me on the beef for the $4.50 price tag. I was expecting a big hunk of tender meat, but I got a handful of chewy shreds instead.

Tomorrow I want to head downriver to Xenethao, where the Thai - Lao border departs from the Mekong.

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Seems I'm paying for the setting...

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These seem a little tricky to operate, gotta keep a good grip on the handlebars.

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These orange sausages have dill mixed in with the meat, I like em. 10K apiece. The grilled pork skewer was also good.

Posted prices are rare out here, unlike Vientiane. Some people overcharge foreigners. Overall, indifference reigns. Buy or don't buy, come back again or leave disgruntled, pay extra or dispute the price...whatever. Money isn't that important to these people.

>>2747289
Ah yes fermented, sour mystery meat in papaya leaves (seriously it’s good)

>>2747075
beware of methanol poisoning!

>>2747309
>sour mystery meat
it's pork, no mystery

First two weeks in Laos versus first two weeks in Thailand...visa fee excluded.
>Daily average: $23.16 LA, $22.24 TH
>Lodging: $150 LA, $152 TH
>Food: $103 LA, $123 TH
Lower food spend in Laos does NOT reflect lower prices, but rather a combination of fewer options and a diminished appetite.
>>2747084
People here are highly social with low inhibitions. When boys & girls pair up, they make babies like nature intended. Foreigners are still exotic here; everyone calls out "farang" to those nearby when they spot me walking along the street. Then all the kids wave and shout "hello". Yep, even the pretty young girls.
>>2747334
Two drink choices out here: Beerlao and Heineken. That's it.

>>2743424
>dutifully prepared from scratch and so much tastier than that tourist place
KEK, you are a faggot

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Delicious seafood dish from a sidewalk dining pavilion deep in the Asian interior...will my asshole regret it tomorrow? Sure tastes great. There is a nicer restaurant across the street with 20 tables but never a single customer. I stepped inside to check it out, but the staffers were so despondent that it didn't seem wise to eat there.

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They say a van to Thongmixay leaves from this bus stop this afternoon. The village is 47 km down a road to nowhere, which is great because I'm tired of the highway traffic in Paklay. Google Maps shows three guesthouses and two restaurants there; it is also near Nam Phouy National Park.

>>2747392
>they make babies like nature intended
No, they don't. Dating isn't even a thing there and premarital sex is definitely forbidden. If you want to have sex, unless she's a prostitute, you have to pay the dowry and get married. There are still young marriages in rural areas, but in general they are marrying later and later as everywhere else in the world. There's no such thing as single mothers in Laos.

The Akha have sex cabins but I don't konw what that's about. Every Akha father has to be build a little cabin for each of his sons supposedly, which they use for trying out mates. But don't know if this really true.

The Hmong might still practice bride kidnapping but that seems to be going out and even polygamy is no longer practiced as before. You can go check out the situation in Phonsavan and give us an update.

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Muang Thong is 8 km from the Thai border; the arrival of a foreign duffelpacker here did not meet a warm reception. The contrived friendliness of Paklay is a tortuous 50 km ride away. (I saw a mom there instructing her daughter to wave and say "hello" to the passing foreigner.) One guesthouse full, a second closed, a third had a protective mama dog with six puppies and a grumpy guest who got annoyed at me asking him for a room because he was sitting in the courtyard. He nonetheless called the proprietor, who got me a room. The only place to eat here sells noodle soup, and the owner is friendly, so I had two bowls. A pair of local cuties v-chatted with a simp as they ate at the next table over. Niggerbeats thump from a neighboring property. Alas, there is no idyllic escape from globohomo in the Laotian hinterlands.

>>2747591
Soup looks decent. Hows the beerlao?
>8 loaves of bread
Lol

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF0dIl5_5kk

Good docu on Vang Vieng degeneracy
I hate toorists

100+ strong wedding party rocking along with live music blaring past midnight. So much for peace and quiet in the remote village.

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Mama was less wary of me in the morning. BTW there are ATMs out here, they're just not on the map. Most popular tourist draw is the nearby elephant sanctuary, which has many glowing reviews from visitors who have stayed a while.

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Walked 20 km today on two searches for food in neighboring villages...got detained by the immigration police in a village near the Thai border. He brought me to a tiny shop serving noodle soup, chatted a while in English, than asked me to pay for his M-150 energy drink. I obliged, as otherwise I wouldn't have found anything to eat.

Just my luck, the sprawling family compound next to my guesthouse obliged me with a plate of pad kra pao today. Yesterday they said "no" like everyone else I'd asked. Some people seemed angry that I'd even think of walking up and asking them for a meal. It's not like people are dirt poor here; Xaignabouli is one of the wealthier rural provinces with paved roads and lots of nice villas.

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little troublemakers

>>2747987
Omgggg SEApup ^_^

>>2747974
are you a pensioner, anon?

>>2747974
Where else in Laos are you going this trip?
How long is your whole trip abroad?

>>2747987
Those seem like some very shitty shoes to be doing your daily incel walks.
They look like Chinese crap for $20. Amazing!

>>2748025
I think they look nice, classic style.

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>>2748025
Canvas top shoes are awesome for dry weather; your feet never really get sweaty, unlike the shitty plastic shoes. The rubber soles are about to wear completely through in multiple places, sadly. They cost me $42 in the USA.

Babby's first hitchhiking trip successfully accomplished, with a tractor service technician on his way to Vientiane picking me up and dropping me off in Paklay after a couple brief errands and a translate-app chat with a pair of charming old ladies at his shop. I paid him the 70K bus fare after he dropped me off at a riverfront guesthouse, which he was happy with. He showed me some very beautiful places down in Kenthao, so heading down there is next on my list.

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The rural villages look lifeless when the kids are in school, but then they get let out and the streets are full of life.

>>2747997
Nope. Nine weeks of $20/hour menial labor in America last year added $5200 to my bank balance, after taxes and living expenses. Plus $340 bonus pay, plus $400 from selling my van, plus whatever tax refund is on the way, $700 or so.

Eleven weeks of travel plus flight has cost me $2400. Cost overrun is no big deal, there's a fat reserve cushion underneath.
>>2748011
No trip end date yet. In Laos I'll go anywhere that has lodging & dining.

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Been very impressed with the quality of Laotel data service for $0.09/day. Even in the remote hill country villages I can stream music with barely a hitch. America's cellular networks are trash by comparison, especially if you have a plan with a "discount" carrier. Your stream constantly drops out even with full-strength signal as Gooder Goys with their $50/month unlimited plans get their needs prioritized.

>>2748238
>Middle of fucking nowhere par excellence

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Interesting. The BCEL ATM charged my account for a 1.5M kip withdrawal, then the screen froze up and the cash was never delivered. My card was released after the timeout, and the charge was promptly reversed.

>>2748238
kek this looks AI generated with how shitty those cable lines are

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After two days of food deprivation up in the hills, Paklay now seems like a land of plenty teeming with food options. I recommend fasting for a solo traveler struggling with chronic unhappiness who seeks to reset his priorities. If you are a meat eater and a beer drinker, your body should be able to handle fasting well. Beer drinking every day causes undigested food to accumulate in your gut, and a couple days of sharply limited caloric intake coupled with physical activity gives your body a chance to burn it away.

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Kenthao is awesome. The bumpy 60 km ride here in the back of a pickup truck carrying 12 other passengers left me covered in a layer of dust from head to toe. This fan-cooled, cold-water room cost 120K or $5.50/night. Cheapest room in all my travels. It's in a nice quiet compound well away from the highway junction, where Route 4 turns west to service the other scattered towns of the region. With high temps around 77° F and lows around 55°, there is no need for A/C whatsoever. Thai goods make their way into Laos here, so the village market has a lot more goods than you'd expect, and people seem eager to do business.

>>2748538
>Kenthao is awesome
Why? Why should anyone go there? How are you finding these cheap guest houses?

>>2747019
ill have the Boiled fish... actually fuck it ill be adventurous Boil the whole sea

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>>2748549
My room had a complimentary pair of women's panties hanging in the bathroom. Is that not awesome?

I never know what these banana leaf bundles will contain. Bamboo shoot and mushroom stew...okayy. Everyone at this market did business in Thai baht. Bold schoolgirls tried out their English on me. Every time they thought of something else to say, the three of them would U-turn and pull up next to me on their scooter again, all giggling and giving me mischievous looks. They are so uninhibited, it's adorable.

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>>2748549
All these places I've stayed at have markers on Google Maps and OsmAnd. They have street signs as well.

The dude I hitched with showed me pics of a beautiful rushing waterfall and jungle trails that he said were in Kenthao district.

The Hueang River divides Thailand and Laos from its source to its confluence with the Mekong 35 km downstream from Kenthao.

>>2748590
What are the food options like in this one?

>>2748590
nice senery. is the water too cool for taking a dip this time of year?

>>2748795
Lol. Not everywhere is winter in the world retard. It's dry season in Laos

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>>2748594
There's a really nice eatery located in the middle of nowhere on my street. Of course, their menu prices are in baht, and even when paying with kip, businesses here often give change in baht. 100K is worth 159 baht - the lowest in its history - but the cashier last night rang my payment up as 145 baht. I need to confirm the exchange rate in advance to avoid such sneaky overcharging.
>>2748798
It's pretty chilly here. Evenings are in the 60s. The sun is warm, however.
>>2748795
I might splash around later, though wading across the border can get a foreigner in deep doo-doo.

>>2748798
>dry season in Laos
which is also winter, dum dum. i'd like to see you freeze your ass off in samneua!

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Almost started speaking French after this enormous dish of stir-fried frog. Richly flavored with mild smoked chilis, it included a head and a couple backbones...everything but the guts and the croak, in fact. The entree cost 100K or $4.50. Rice and water were extra. Paying with Lao kip meant 6% higher prices for the convenience of the 15 baht : 10,000 kip exchange rate. On top of that they tried to slip in a 10K foreigner surcharge just for the hell of it, but I insisted they honor their menu prices. Carrying small denominations is important in these situations; you should never expect to be given change after disputing a charge.

Tap water in Laos is safe to drink due to the newness of the infrastructure. I stumbled upon the water treatment plant here, it looked very new and was humming along nicely, purifying water to First World standards so it can be sprayed on the village roads for temporary dust control.

>>2748858
>stir-fried frog
Revolting. I would fight anyone who ate that

>>2748858
>n the water treatment plant
how about teh sewage plant? curious where all the flushed water goes.

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A gambling hall set up in the middle of the river road and packed with old people on a weekday afternoon.

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Cheap local desserts are all right. I only wanted to buy one, but the old lady sold me four for less than $1. The eateries near the market are dirt cheap too. Pork fried rice with an orange juice drink for 35K or $1.60. Typically the combo costs 50K.

A guy came into the street leading a bicycle and shouting various greetings at me last night. Then he started walking right next to me as I was making my way back to Kenthao village by moonlight. He seemed rather soft in the head, so I let him walk alongside. Maybe he was afraid of the guard dogs along the way, who did their usual barking act but did not approach us. As we passed through the village he shouted at everyone he knew "hey look who I'm with" or something like that. At last he stopped at his house and I could continue on to my room in peace. Two young monk novices did a similar thing in Thongmixai, sticking close to me on their bicycles and acting very curious as I walked to a neighboring village. Younger people here are more friendly, while older folks tend to be shy and wary of a strange foreigner.

>>2749213
>He seemed rather soft in the head, so I let him walk alongside.
You should've pinned him down and busted a nut inside him

>>2749213
they wantt o practice english with you. you should talk to them