We were in Laos in March/April and loved it. We didn't find it remotely
expensive -- in fact, it is one of the cheapest places we visited. You can
obviously pay a variety of costs for lodging depending on what your
standards or requirements are. We generally paid between US$2 and
US$4/night. Food was slightly more expensive than in Thailand, but probably
because we tend to buy off the street vendors in Thailand, and in Laos, we
had to eat in restaurants (there WERE no street vendors). Generally, we
paid no more than a dollar or so for a meal..and it was always quite a NICE
meal.

Our trip log is he http://www.kirkanddonna.com/rtw/Laos.htm

My favorites were in the North...it was so untouched and beautiful. But, we
ALSO enjoyed Luang Prabang (the water fall and the New Years festival, which
continued on for over a week!) and even Vang Vieng, which is becoming more
and more touristy by the moment (but it was still a nice relaxing place to
hang...especially after being on the road for so long). My least favorite
place was probably Vientiane.

Let me know if you have more questions!

Donna
"alan jacques" wrote in message
...
Hey there,
has anyone been to Laos recently?
I was there 10 years ago and it was beautiful but mostly closed.
I'm concerned that it's now full of tourists and expensive.

What does accomidation cost? A meal?
What does it cost to visit the plain of jars?
Any suggestions and travel recommendations would be welcome.

Thanks for your help -Alan.





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