Sunday, January 18, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Travelogue for Vietnam/Laos/China
Fusionoize 2008
This is a summary of all our travel details on the trip that we would want to share with others traveling into the same remote areas or are simply as crazy. This is a round route that would require at least 14 days to cover through overland bus routes and our original itinerary is available on this blog too for reference. Remember to practice responsible tourism and preserve the culture, lifestyles of the people there!
Note: Accurate as of December 2008
Singapore (Budget Terminal) - Vietnam, Hanoi (Noi Bai)
Tiger Airways, booked 6 months in advance - SGD250 taxes included per pax.
Flight takes about 3.5 hours
From the airport to Ga Ha Noi (train station)
Airport Taxi service - 25 USD for a 8 seater MPV
Touts that approached us - 20 USD for a 8 seater MPV
Takes around 40 mins or so
Ga Ha Noi to Ga Lao Cai
3rd Class Sleeper train (overnight) - 88000VND per pax.
*we took the last train @ around 2210 hours; tickets were almost sold out by 2130 (when we purchased them) and only the crazy, the brave or just mad just attempt taking the 3rd class seats overnight!
Departs at 2210 and arrives the next morning at around 0630 in Lao Cai
Ga Lao Cai to Hekou (China-Vietnam border crossing)
Before you do anything, have some breakfast @ one of the many restaurants in town and freshen up.
We chartered a minivan for 8 people for 10000VND per pax. for a 15 mins ride to the checkpoint.
*Apparently some travellers' accounts and the locals say its' a mere 3km to the checkpoint and walking is possible. However from our van ride we doubt its' the 3km we are familiar with (its' waaaay longer).
Hekou Crossing into China
For Singaporeans (or ASEAN nationals), no need for a VISA or anything to go into China. The Vietnam side was particularly slow and inefficient; they were rude and pushy when we did not offer any 'incentives' for them. After stamping passports take a short 3 min scenic walk across the bridge linking both sides and pay 6000VND per pax. (everyone including the locals pay!) for crossing. Chinese customs was a breeze and guards were friendly (esp. if you speak Chinese)
; cleared in a matter of minutes. No baggage check for both sides.
Hekou to Yuanyang (Old Township)
From the border its' a 5 min walk to the town's bus station, ask for directions since its' not highly visible. Theres' only one bus a day leaving here @ 1010 so be sure to catch it; I highly discourage you to be stuck in this town since I did not see anything resembling a guest house! It costs 45 RMB per pax. and the bus captain/driver/ticketmaster was very friendly towards us. If you have missed the bus, you may have to hire taxis to 'chase' after the bus which cost a bomb in our case. BE SURE NOT TO SPEND TOO MUCH TIME IN LAO CAI UNTIL YOU CROSS INTO HEKOU TO MISS THE BUS!
*Theres a new Yuanyang township being built, be specific when asking about buses since both towns are 2 hours by bus apart!
Yuanyang (Old township)
The old township is located on top of a mountain and it gets rather cold at night (10 Deg C in Dec), so please be smarter than us and bring more than a windbreaker and do buy gloves and beanies if you have to! Theres plenty to see for the rice paddy fields around the old township; one attraction you cannot miss is Lao Hu Zhui (Tiger's Mouth), a mountain side full of rice paddy fields that took our breaths away. There are many other sites (all rice paddies though)
that are as beautiful but we only had time to see one. Lao Hu Zhui is a 20 mins drive away from the city centre and it costs 30 RMB per pax. for a 2 way trip there in a chartered minivan.
our accomadation in yuangyang
Yuanyang to Jianshui
Jianshui is a transport hub in the region to get to other detsinations away from Yuanyang. Buses leave here daily to Jianshui and the first buis departs from the bus station @ 0905 for 42RMB per pax. (more than 1 bus daily). However we were lucky when a woman offered to drive us there in her minivan for 40 RMB per pax. Both takes about 3-4 hours to reach Jianshui. You may want to make short stopovers along the way at Yan Zi Dong (swallows' cave)
Jianshui to Jinghong
From the public bus station @ Jianshui, there are 2 public buses leaving here daily for Jinghong, the next major city in the area. the first one is at 1330 and the later one is at 1630. It costs 155 RMB per pax. and its' a sleeper bus that has proper beds for each passenger (its' not as cosy as you think!). For the earlier bus, we arrived in Jinghong @ 0200 in the morning but most of the passengers slept in the bus till 0700 since we were allowed to. The 1630 bus from Jianshui arrives @ around 0700 as well.
Jinghong
This city is like any other major Chinese city; big, crowded with vehicles and people smoking. There are many things you can do here including playing pool, watching movies (yes, theres' a cinema here!) and even purchase Burmese stones from the many jewellers who hail from there.
Personally I would strongly recommend not staying at the Traffic hotel directly next to the bus station as it provides poor service and lousy WCs for a 2-Star hotel. (private joke, sorry....)
Jinghong (China) to Luang Nam Tha (Laos)
The bus station sells direct tickets to Nan Tha (literally as Southern Tower) which is Luang Nam Tha, Laos. This is a new daily service and the bus covering this route was almost brand new and run by a Chinese couple. It costs 70 RMB per pax. and it leaves at around 1040 from jinghong and arrives in the late afternoon @ 1630 in Laos. (trust me, the sun sets at 1730 over there!). The Chinese and Lao crossings are fine and rather efficient; for both sides you don't have to pay anything. No baggage check for both sides. Do note that there are 2 bus stations in town; you get dropped off in the NEW bus station (located near the town centre) but to take buses to other parts of Laos you would have to travel 8-10km out of the town centre from the OLD bus station.
jianshui-jinghong-luang nam tha
Luang Nam Tha
This is a quaint, quiet little town that has its' own rustic setting in the middle of nowhere. You can take a bus to Muang Sing, an Akka people village 2 hours away by bus for an overnight stay if you want something different as well. For travelling around you should hire a bicycle for the day (10000kip for 1 bike). You can also hire motorbikes for the day and explore the Ecotours (I personally think its' a rip-off) outdoor adventures.
Luang Nam Tha to Luang Prabang
The public bus from Luang Nam Tha to Luang Prabang leaves the OLD bus station daily at 0900. Purchase tickets 1 day in advance as I am not sure if there are other buses at later times of the day itself. It costs 85000kip per pax. and its' a winding 8 hour road trip through mountains that is bound to make you hurl. You will be dropped off @ the Northern bus station of Luang Prabang after the sun has set (around 6pm?) and from there you will have to take a tuk-tuk/Strungthew (used interchangeably for this travelogue) into the town centre for 10000kip per pax., its' a 15 minutes ride.
Luang Prabang
This would be one of the highlights of travelling in Northern Laos. Prices are generally higher here for accommodation and meals but the town is more well-developed than other parts of Laos, judging by its' streets, guesthouses and the night market. (shopping paradise, even for a guy like me!) The many beautiful temples and its' rich history is enough to keep you there for a few days for sightseeing or simply RnR after being on Lao roads.
* While you are there, do stop by the Learning @ My Library run by the American non-profit group, thelanguageproject.org. They work towards promoting the learning of English and the teaching of photography as a livelihood for the locals for free. They would appreciate very much an old laptop of yours or any related computer peripherals, photography equipment, English storybooks or simply cash donations.
Luang Prabang to Phonsavanh
This bus departs daily from the Southern Bus station of Luang Prabang to Phonsavanh, a 7 hour ride which is rather winding too. It costs 45000kip per pax. and it departs at 0830; be there earlier at 0800 just in case. Upon reaching Phonsavanh there are many guest house touts around who will offer free rides (10 mins or so) into town if you stay with them. I would recommend the White Orchid Hotel or if not possible, Sabaidee Guest house as a last resort. There are many other guest houses in town as well, but almost all of them look like the set of a typical Chinese ghost flick especially Phonsavanh guest house. (I understand this may be subjective, but if you think you have what it takes then be my guest!)
Phonsanvanh(xiengkhouang province)
Phonsavanh is a rather small sleepy town that pretty much closes by 830pm at night. Theres an excellent Chinese restaurant that serves wonderful eel cooked in various styles that we ate every single meal there (forgot the name but its' the one next to a travel agency). You should also stop by the MAG (mines advisory group) office cum museum to learn abit more about the atrocities of the American bombings of Xieng Khuang Province during the 'Secret War' (they screen related movies for free at night daily). And don't pass up on the Plain of Jars sites, which are the main highlight of the town. All tourists need a tour guide to enter the sites and I highly recommend getting Fue vue or (Witubhmoobvwj@hotmail.com), a local tour guide who speaks good english.
This is a summary of all our travel details on the trip that we would want to share with others traveling into the same remote areas or are simply as crazy. This is a round route that would require at least 14 days to cover through overland bus routes and our original itinerary is available on this blog too for reference. Remember to practice responsible tourism and preserve the culture, lifestyles of the people there!
Note: Accurate as of December 2008
Singapore (Budget Terminal) - Vietnam, Hanoi (Noi Bai)
Tiger Airways, booked 6 months in advance - SGD250 taxes included per pax.
Flight takes about 3.5 hours
From the airport to Ga Ha Noi (train station)
Airport Taxi service - 25 USD for a 8 seater MPV
Touts that approached us - 20 USD for a 8 seater MPV
Takes around 40 mins or so
Ga Ha Noi to Ga Lao Cai
3rd Class Sleeper train (overnight) - 88000VND per pax.
*we took the last train @ around 2210 hours; tickets were almost sold out by 2130 (when we purchased them) and only the crazy, the brave or just mad just attempt taking the 3rd class seats overnight!
Departs at 2210 and arrives the next morning at around 0630 in Lao Cai
Ga Lao Cai to Hekou (China-Vietnam border crossing)
Before you do anything, have some breakfast @ one of the many restaurants in town and freshen up.
We chartered a minivan for 8 people for 10000VND per pax. for a 15 mins ride to the checkpoint.
*Apparently some travellers' accounts and the locals say its' a mere 3km to the checkpoint and walking is possible. However from our van ride we doubt its' the 3km we are familiar with (its' waaaay longer).
Hekou Crossing into China
For Singaporeans (or ASEAN nationals), no need for a VISA or anything to go into China. The Vietnam side was particularly slow and inefficient; they were rude and pushy when we did not offer any 'incentives' for them. After stamping passports take a short 3 min scenic walk across the bridge linking both sides and pay 6000VND per pax. (everyone including the locals pay!) for crossing. Chinese customs was a breeze and guards were friendly (esp. if you speak Chinese)
; cleared in a matter of minutes. No baggage check for both sides.
Hekou to Yuanyang (Old Township)
From the border its' a 5 min walk to the town's bus station, ask for directions since its' not highly visible. Theres' only one bus a day leaving here @ 1010 so be sure to catch it; I highly discourage you to be stuck in this town since I did not see anything resembling a guest house! It costs 45 RMB per pax. and the bus captain/driver/ticketmaster was very friendly towards us. If you have missed the bus, you may have to hire taxis to 'chase' after the bus which cost a bomb in our case. BE SURE NOT TO SPEND TOO MUCH TIME IN LAO CAI UNTIL YOU CROSS INTO HEKOU TO MISS THE BUS!
*Theres a new Yuanyang township being built, be specific when asking about buses since both towns are 2 hours by bus apart!
Yuanyang (Old township)
The old township is located on top of a mountain and it gets rather cold at night (10 Deg C in Dec), so please be smarter than us and bring more than a windbreaker and do buy gloves and beanies if you have to! Theres plenty to see for the rice paddy fields around the old township; one attraction you cannot miss is Lao Hu Zhui (Tiger's Mouth), a mountain side full of rice paddy fields that took our breaths away. There are many other sites (all rice paddies though)
that are as beautiful but we only had time to see one. Lao Hu Zhui is a 20 mins drive away from the city centre and it costs 30 RMB per pax. for a 2 way trip there in a chartered minivan.
our accomadation in yuangyangYuanyang to Jianshui
Jianshui is a transport hub in the region to get to other detsinations away from Yuanyang. Buses leave here daily to Jianshui and the first buis departs from the bus station @ 0905 for 42RMB per pax. (more than 1 bus daily). However we were lucky when a woman offered to drive us there in her minivan for 40 RMB per pax. Both takes about 3-4 hours to reach Jianshui. You may want to make short stopovers along the way at Yan Zi Dong (swallows' cave)
Jianshui to Jinghong
From the public bus station @ Jianshui, there are 2 public buses leaving here daily for Jinghong, the next major city in the area. the first one is at 1330 and the later one is at 1630. It costs 155 RMB per pax. and its' a sleeper bus that has proper beds for each passenger (its' not as cosy as you think!). For the earlier bus, we arrived in Jinghong @ 0200 in the morning but most of the passengers slept in the bus till 0700 since we were allowed to. The 1630 bus from Jianshui arrives @ around 0700 as well.
Jinghong
This city is like any other major Chinese city; big, crowded with vehicles and people smoking. There are many things you can do here including playing pool, watching movies (yes, theres' a cinema here!) and even purchase Burmese stones from the many jewellers who hail from there.
Personally I would strongly recommend not staying at the Traffic hotel directly next to the bus station as it provides poor service and lousy WCs for a 2-Star hotel. (private joke, sorry....)
Jinghong (China) to Luang Nam Tha (Laos)
The bus station sells direct tickets to Nan Tha (literally as Southern Tower) which is Luang Nam Tha, Laos. This is a new daily service and the bus covering this route was almost brand new and run by a Chinese couple. It costs 70 RMB per pax. and it leaves at around 1040 from jinghong and arrives in the late afternoon @ 1630 in Laos. (trust me, the sun sets at 1730 over there!). The Chinese and Lao crossings are fine and rather efficient; for both sides you don't have to pay anything. No baggage check for both sides. Do note that there are 2 bus stations in town; you get dropped off in the NEW bus station (located near the town centre) but to take buses to other parts of Laos you would have to travel 8-10km out of the town centre from the OLD bus station.
jianshui-jinghong-luang nam thaLuang Nam Tha
This is a quaint, quiet little town that has its' own rustic setting in the middle of nowhere. You can take a bus to Muang Sing, an Akka people village 2 hours away by bus for an overnight stay if you want something different as well. For travelling around you should hire a bicycle for the day (10000kip for 1 bike). You can also hire motorbikes for the day and explore the Ecotours (I personally think its' a rip-off) outdoor adventures.
Luang Nam Tha to Luang Prabang
The public bus from Luang Nam Tha to Luang Prabang leaves the OLD bus station daily at 0900. Purchase tickets 1 day in advance as I am not sure if there are other buses at later times of the day itself. It costs 85000kip per pax. and its' a winding 8 hour road trip through mountains that is bound to make you hurl. You will be dropped off @ the Northern bus station of Luang Prabang after the sun has set (around 6pm?) and from there you will have to take a tuk-tuk/Strungthew (used interchangeably for this travelogue) into the town centre for 10000kip per pax., its' a 15 minutes ride.
Luang Prabang
This would be one of the highlights of travelling in Northern Laos. Prices are generally higher here for accommodation and meals but the town is more well-developed than other parts of Laos, judging by its' streets, guesthouses and the night market. (shopping paradise, even for a guy like me!) The many beautiful temples and its' rich history is enough to keep you there for a few days for sightseeing or simply RnR after being on Lao roads.
* While you are there, do stop by the Learning @ My Library run by the American non-profit group, thelanguageproject.org. They work towards promoting the learning of English and the teaching of photography as a livelihood for the locals for free. They would appreciate very much an old laptop of yours or any related computer peripherals, photography equipment, English storybooks or simply cash donations.
Luang Prabang to Phonsavanh
This bus departs daily from the Southern Bus station of Luang Prabang to Phonsavanh, a 7 hour ride which is rather winding too. It costs 45000kip per pax. and it departs at 0830; be there earlier at 0800 just in case. Upon reaching Phonsavanh there are many guest house touts around who will offer free rides (10 mins or so) into town if you stay with them. I would recommend the White Orchid Hotel or if not possible, Sabaidee Guest house as a last resort. There are many other guest houses in town as well, but almost all of them look like the set of a typical Chinese ghost flick especially Phonsavanh guest house. (I understand this may be subjective, but if you think you have what it takes then be my guest!)
Phonsanvanh(xiengkhouang province)
Phonsavanh is a rather small sleepy town that pretty much closes by 830pm at night. Theres an excellent Chinese restaurant that serves wonderful eel cooked in various styles that we ate every single meal there (forgot the name but its' the one next to a travel agency). You should also stop by the MAG (mines advisory group) office cum museum to learn abit more about the atrocities of the American bombings of Xieng Khuang Province during the 'Secret War' (they screen related movies for free at night daily). And don't pass up on the Plain of Jars sites, which are the main highlight of the town. All tourists need a tour guide to enter the sites and I highly recommend getting Fue vue or (Witubhmoobvwj@hotmail.com), a local tour guide who speaks good english.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Travelogue for Vietnam/Laos/China Part II
*Do note that those who wants to do an anti-clockwise route of our itinerary will be faced with much difficulty getting transport from Hanoi to Nam Xoi as direct transport would have to be chartered since there are no direct buses.
Phonsavanh to Sam Neua (Xam Neua)
From here you can take the public bus from the bus station to Sam Neua; it takes about 80000-85000 Kip per pax. and its' a winding 8-9 hour(180km approx.) bus ride. However, you can opt to take the private minivan option provided by the few travel agencies in town which takes about 5-6 hours only for 90000kip per pax. only in a 9 seater Starex(Hyundai) minivan. The difference is that the extra 10000kip per pax. is saved from taking a tuk-tuk to the bus station in Phonsavanh instead, the minivans do offer pick-ups from your guesthouse.
Sam Neua
During the time that we were in this town, there was a Lao-Vietnam ministerial meeting and all the guest houses were full for that week. We could not find accommodation here and thus had to leave for Vieng Xai, a 1.5 hours bus ride away (30-40km) for the night on the day of arrival. However judging from the recommended attractions in the tourism office in Xam Neua, there are plenty of attractions that you should not pass like the 'Stonehenge' and the many waterfalls and hot springs in the area.
Sam Neua to Vieng Xai
From the town center of Xam Neua you have to take a 15 min tuk-tuk ride to the bus station outside of town (don't ask me why they locate their bus stations so far out, I am curious myself!) which costs about 10000kip per pax. Then, from the bus station you have to take another bus (its' just a tuk-tuk, really) that will take you to the bus station in Vieng Xai(its' a 10 min walk from the town centre, unlike the other bus stations) for 10000kip per pax. for 2 hours. The bus leaves at regular intervals daily and ours left the bus station at around 1630 hours. (If I am not wrong, one bus leaves there every 2 hours till evening)
Vieng Xai
This is a place that all travelers should not pass when in northern Laos; a pity so little people know about it. The place is surreal in itself (see our photos, its' definitely worth the trip); there are white cliffs sprouting out in the middle of town alongside houses with no street lighting in town. Its' back to basics here as there is no internet access and hot water has become a luxury. However, the main attractions of the town is the Pathet Lao Caves; there are in total 7 of them in which the Pathet Lao hid out during the Secret War fought with the Americans in the 1960s. One full day would be just nice to view all of them and they all can be reached by renting bicycles (10000kip per bike, 30000kip per pax. for entrance into ALL 7 caves) from the local tourism office. There are only four places to stay in town: Tha Vi Xe Hotel, Naxay 1 GH and Naxay 2 GH and one more that I can't remember. Naxay 2 should be your first choice followed by Naxay 1; Tha Vi Xe hotel was quite a nightmare for us.
Vieng Xai to Na Meo/Nam Xoi
From Vieng Xai your transport options are rather limited: either you back track back to Xam Neua and go to Phonsavanh/Nong Khiaw OR you can choose to cross into Vietnam through Na Meo like us. For the latter, you can choose to either take a bus from the Vieng Xai bus station (ours left at 0800, better be there early) which departs quite frequently for 20000kip per pax. for around 2 hours (55 km approx.) OR you can walk to the main road (linking Xam Neua and Na Meo) which takes about 20 mins by foot and stop a local bus coming from Xam Neua to take you to the border for the same price.
*I would not recommend the latter as the bus may already be full from passengers coming from Xam Neua and cause you to wait for long periods along the road.
Na Meo/Nam Xoi to Thanh Hoa onto Hanoi
The border crossing (international) is rather tricky. First, make sure you have your air tickets printed out or have them on hand that will take you out of Vietnam as the border guards will refuse entry to even foreigners who do not have a pre-arranged way out of Vietnam! (A swedish backpacker was forced to travel back to Xam Neua to print his air tickets after the guards refused him entry into Vietnam, took him 2 days to get it done.)
Next, have at hand something to offer the guards, it will make things get done faster. (For us it was some alcohol the guard 'asked' for, cigarettes would do just fine too). Do note that you have to pay 2000VND per pax. (or the equivalent in kip ) for some health quarantine declaration that is mandatory for all foreigners.
Then, you should change ALL your kip here into VND as it becomes worthless paper outside of Laos. Here they accept your kip for 1.7 VND to 1 Kip while the people in town trade at 1.6VND to 1 Kip. There will be no more chances for you to use your kip anymore, trust me.
Phonsavanh to Sam Neua (Xam Neua)
From here you can take the public bus from the bus station to Sam Neua; it takes about 80000-85000 Kip per pax. and its' a winding 8-9 hour(180km approx.) bus ride. However, you can opt to take the private minivan option provided by the few travel agencies in town which takes about 5-6 hours only for 90000kip per pax. only in a 9 seater Starex(Hyundai) minivan. The difference is that the extra 10000kip per pax. is saved from taking a tuk-tuk to the bus station in Phonsavanh instead, the minivans do offer pick-ups from your guesthouse.
Sam Neua
During the time that we were in this town, there was a Lao-Vietnam ministerial meeting and all the guest houses were full for that week. We could not find accommodation here and thus had to leave for Vieng Xai, a 1.5 hours bus ride away (30-40km) for the night on the day of arrival. However judging from the recommended attractions in the tourism office in Xam Neua, there are plenty of attractions that you should not pass like the 'Stonehenge' and the many waterfalls and hot springs in the area.
Sam Neua to Vieng Xai
From the town center of Xam Neua you have to take a 15 min tuk-tuk ride to the bus station outside of town (don't ask me why they locate their bus stations so far out, I am curious myself!) which costs about 10000kip per pax. Then, from the bus station you have to take another bus (its' just a tuk-tuk, really) that will take you to the bus station in Vieng Xai(its' a 10 min walk from the town centre, unlike the other bus stations) for 10000kip per pax. for 2 hours. The bus leaves at regular intervals daily and ours left the bus station at around 1630 hours. (If I am not wrong, one bus leaves there every 2 hours till evening)
Vieng Xai
This is a place that all travelers should not pass when in northern Laos; a pity so little people know about it. The place is surreal in itself (see our photos, its' definitely worth the trip); there are white cliffs sprouting out in the middle of town alongside houses with no street lighting in town. Its' back to basics here as there is no internet access and hot water has become a luxury. However, the main attractions of the town is the Pathet Lao Caves; there are in total 7 of them in which the Pathet Lao hid out during the Secret War fought with the Americans in the 1960s. One full day would be just nice to view all of them and they all can be reached by renting bicycles (10000kip per bike, 30000kip per pax. for entrance into ALL 7 caves) from the local tourism office. There are only four places to stay in town: Tha Vi Xe Hotel, Naxay 1 GH and Naxay 2 GH and one more that I can't remember. Naxay 2 should be your first choice followed by Naxay 1; Tha Vi Xe hotel was quite a nightmare for us.
Vieng Xai to Na Meo/Nam Xoi
From Vieng Xai your transport options are rather limited: either you back track back to Xam Neua and go to Phonsavanh/Nong Khiaw OR you can choose to cross into Vietnam through Na Meo like us. For the latter, you can choose to either take a bus from the Vieng Xai bus station (ours left at 0800, better be there early) which departs quite frequently for 20000kip per pax. for around 2 hours (55 km approx.) OR you can walk to the main road (linking Xam Neua and Na Meo) which takes about 20 mins by foot and stop a local bus coming from Xam Neua to take you to the border for the same price.
*I would not recommend the latter as the bus may already be full from passengers coming from Xam Neua and cause you to wait for long periods along the road.
Na Meo/Nam Xoi to Thanh Hoa onto Hanoi
The border crossing (international) is rather tricky. First, make sure you have your air tickets printed out or have them on hand that will take you out of Vietnam as the border guards will refuse entry to even foreigners who do not have a pre-arranged way out of Vietnam! (A swedish backpacker was forced to travel back to Xam Neua to print his air tickets after the guards refused him entry into Vietnam, took him 2 days to get it done.)
Next, have at hand something to offer the guards, it will make things get done faster. (For us it was some alcohol the guard 'asked' for, cigarettes would do just fine too). Do note that you have to pay 2000VND per pax. (or the equivalent in kip ) for some health quarantine declaration that is mandatory for all foreigners.
Then, you should change ALL your kip here into VND as it becomes worthless paper outside of Laos. Here they accept your kip for 1.7 VND to 1 Kip while the people in town trade at 1.6VND to 1 Kip. There will be no more chances for you to use your kip anymore, trust me.
Now for the main issue at hand, there is only 1 bus that leaves Nam Xoi (Nam Xoi is the Viet side of the border, Na Meo is the Lao side) for Hanoi via Thanh Hoa which takes about 8-9 hours (we took 10 hours) to Hanoi and 6-7 hours to get to Thanh Hoa. The bus leaves ONLY ON tuesdays, thurdays and saturdays and it leaves at around 1100-1130, one bus only for these few days. IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU MAKE THE CROSSING ON MONDAYS OR WEDNESDAY OR SUNDAY, YOU ARE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! All travelers should take note as there are no guest houses in Nam Xoi and the food there is priced ridiculously high. And heres the best part: the ticket to Ha Noi is 25 USD per pax. (20 USD to Thanh Hoa) which is sky high. But then again, this is the only ride you have out of here, so keep some money to get ripped off here or don't make the crossing at all. (The driver accepts VND too, but at some exchange rate that is highly unfavorable to you thus you should just pay in USD!) You can opt to stop over in Thanh Hoa, a popular beach getaway for Vietnamese that is 3 hours away by bus or by rail to break up your journey. However, for the extra 5 USD you are paying you might as well go straight to Hanoi as it is more worth your while.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
NYAA Follow-up?
Dear Miss Choo,
I am happy to receive your wonderful reply as well. You can contact me at 9******* on my handphone, once again I thank you for your time. I would also be glad to help fellow schoolmates in the months of Feb and March since I would be enlisting in mid-april. I would see you personally on the 12th of Jan, Monday in school then. Thanks!
Cheers,
Jiawei
------------------------------ Original Message ------------------------------
From: Ms Choo Chieh Chen Helen
Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2009 10:17 pm
Subject: Re: NYAA Report
Dear Jiawei
Greetings Ms Choo,
I am Zhang Jiawei from 07S32 and I graduated from TPJC in 2008. I was awarded the NYAA Gold level award in the same year and has since collected the report that I have submitted to the council for vetting. In view of your interest in this programme for youths, I would like to personally hand my original typewritten report over to you so that more youths under your charge can undergo the same experiences as I did. The report will come in handy as an exemplar for report submission as reference material for future students to work with. I will be going to school this coming monday, 12th of January when school reopens. I understand it will be a busy day for every staff member, but could you spare me 15 minutes to go through briefly with you the details of the report between 9 to 11am? Thanks!
Best regards
Zhang Jiawei
I am happy to receive your wonderful reply as well. You can contact me at 9******* on my handphone, once again I thank you for your time. I would also be glad to help fellow schoolmates in the months of Feb and March since I would be enlisting in mid-april. I would see you personally on the 12th of Jan, Monday in school then. Thanks!
Cheers,
Jiawei
------------------------------ Original Message ------------------------------
From: Ms Choo Chieh Chen Helen
Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2009 10:17 pm
Subject: Re: NYAA Report
Dear Jiawei
This is so wonderful! Thank you. Welcome!
Would be so good if you have time in Feb/Mar to talk to interested students.
Pl give me your mobile number so we can arrange a more specific time btw 9 - 11.
I will invite our HOD/PE Ms Tay Chiew Guat to come as well if she is not having class.
cheers
Greetings Ms Choo,
I am Zhang Jiawei from 07S32 and I graduated from TPJC in 2008. I was awarded the NYAA Gold level award in the same year and has since collected the report that I have submitted to the council for vetting. In view of your interest in this programme for youths, I would like to personally hand my original typewritten report over to you so that more youths under your charge can undergo the same experiences as I did. The report will come in handy as an exemplar for report submission as reference material for future students to work with. I will be going to school this coming monday, 12th of January when school reopens. I understand it will be a busy day for every staff member, but could you spare me 15 minutes to go through briefly with you the details of the report between 9 to 11am? Thanks!
Best regards
Zhang Jiawei
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Army Days
HELLO!
Think secondary and JC life went by really fast and everyone is going into army like this week le! hee. and certainly we will miss every single one of us. just hope that as everyone is busy with your army times we can stil find time to meet up with one another over the next few months and play soccer or whatever. thus! i propose that everyone do check the blog regularly to look for updates or anything. if anyone feels like it can also post something about what you have been doing so that we can keep ourselves update with one another and the blog alive too :) hope to see everyone real soon :)
TAKE CARE!
zhan liang
Think secondary and JC life went by really fast and everyone is going into army like this week le! hee. and certainly we will miss every single one of us. just hope that as everyone is busy with your army times we can stil find time to meet up with one another over the next few months and play soccer or whatever. thus! i propose that everyone do check the blog regularly to look for updates or anything. if anyone feels like it can also post something about what you have been doing so that we can keep ourselves update with one another and the blog alive too :) hope to see everyone real soon :)
TAKE CARE!
zhan liang
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Friday, January 02, 2009
FW: Happy New Year
From: tubhmoobvwj@hotmail.com
To: khookymonster@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Happy New Year
Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 19:00:30 -0800
Happy new year 2009
I 'm very happy to hear from you that you are very good in singapore
How do you celebrate the new year in Singapore. For me here we drank alittle of Laolao.But not got drung
I took five photos but i just sent you only two of them i would like to send you more but i have problem with my camera so i just scan them in to the computer and it cost 10000 kip per one photo But How ever i will try to send you more as i can. The students were very happy for help when they recieved the things. The students and also teachers need your more help So please arrange your time to come next year.I'm willing to work with you
Khooky Could you help me some thing? I really need a Computer USB so Could you send me one? and the photos of your school and your city.
Here is my address in Phonesavanh
(342/A Phonsavanh,Xiengkhouang, Loas)
Good luck for the new year
Fue vue or Wi
FW: hi from Phonsavanh
From: tubhmoobvwj@hotmail.com
To: khookymonster@hotmail.com
Subject: hi
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2008 02:05:47 -0800
Hi
I hope that you are doing well in Singapore now. I'm very good here in Laos
I went to my home town last week and gave the things that you left for the students i gave the poor students and t5he orfans by my hand and the rest of the materail i just left them to the teachers and they will give to students later or will use for activities in the class
I try to send you two of the photos that i took last monday
Thanks for your help
Fue vue (Wi)
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