Bold purple above...
Can you tell us of all the people made thru that check out...how many do you think just hand over $10 to $20 to bribe them?
and... what do you expect the consequences will be?
I hate to do the wrong thing and I am considering waiting for 2 hours for them to search....
Tell more about your opinion on this matter. Is it really necessary?
A. Be prepare to “donate” 20-30 dollars to the customs clerk. He will not hassle you or check your bags, it’s well worth it.
@NceegVaj
2 things at the airport that might cost you Money... 1- Custom/Border Agents. 2 - Baggage Handlers.
Customs Agents first. Laos has border agents, like most countries that you will visit, and they are there to make sure that you pay import tax or duties accordingly. Basically, they don't want you to bring in items of value without paying tax on it. It happens here in the US too, when you're on you way back. It's the little form they have you filled out before departing the airplane. The only difference is that in Laos, not everything is defined as taxable and even when it is defined, it is up to the discretion of the border agent.
In a nutshell... they can hold you and will ask you about everything that's in your suitcase... digital cameras, camcorders, memory, cell phones... etc. So, you can sit there and explain everything to him with your official Custom/Border Crossing form... which can take hours and get out without paying a penny (if you're lucky). OR you can pay the customs agent the 20.00 bucks and have him wave you thru... the choose is yours. For me personally, my time is too valueable and I don't want to be the grain of sand in the engine. I consider the 20.00 dollars part of the price of visiting Laos... Pay the guy the 20.00 bucks and 5 seconds later, you're out the door to your waitng relatives.
In my suitcase, I had 8 digital cameras, 1 IPOD, 1 Camcorder, 1 bottle of Patron, 1 bottle of Jack Daniels, 2 Remote Control Cars. On my body, I was carrying an IPHONE and 1 HP laptop. Again, I could have argue and may have gotten away without pay a penny... but I consider the 20.00 part of the trip and nothing more. Got out in 10 seconds and without a single word. In my book, that is well worth it.
Baggage Handlers... these are the guys who help you with getting your suitcases onto carts so you can wheel them out onto the street, to your waiting relatives or taxi. If you don't want help, just politely say no thanks. If you do need help... 1 - 2 dollars per suitcase is the normal tipping rate. This also happens here in the US, when you check into a hotel room or at the airport, so nothing new to explain here.
@ baddabing
100.00 dollars a day was my average spending budget. I was there 22 days and spent 2000.00 dollars. This included all of my hotel stays, food I ate and transportation
. Please keep in mind that I had a personal driver and VAN for 10 days and rented a scooter for another 10 days.
Like I said, you can and will probably spend less if you want... or more. 100.00 was just my experience and having only been there once, it may not be the correct average among all travellers. For the rest of you who is trying to budget your trip... here are some of the averages for what everyday items costs.
Bottle Water - Small (2000 kip), Medium (3000 kip) and large Liter (5000 kip)
Pho - 5000 kip in small towns like Nong Hai and KM 52, 10,000 kip in large cities like Vientiane, Phonsavan and Luang Prabang.
Ready to eat meat - 70,000 kip for 1 Kg of bbq pork. 10,000 - 20,000 for a cooked tilapia and 50,000 to 60,000 kip for a whole chicken.
Fresh meat - 35,000 to 40,000 kip for 1 Kg pork. 40,000 to 60,000 kip for 1 Kg of beef, and 30,000 to 40,000 kips for a live chicken.
Soda - 5000 kip for a can, same for juices.
Beer - 10,000 kip for bottles, 5000 kip per can.
Rice with meat dishes - 15,000 to 25,000 kips is normal.
Street food - Chicken Feet, Chicken Hearts, and Chicken Stomachs are 1,000 kip per BBQ stick. Steam Buns are 4,000 to 8000 kip each. Boiled Corns are 4 for 10,000 kip . Rice cooked in Bamboo are 5000 to 8000 kip each.
I had a plate of fried grasshoppers for 15,000 kip... a plate of deep fried swallows (whole bird with guts) for 50,000. I was too scared to try anything else that was strange.
Current Exchange Rate for Laos... 797500 kip for 100.00 US dollars when I was a the airport last. Rule of thumb for me... 1 dollar is 8000 kips. Good luck and hope this helps everyone...
LHG.
Topic: Going to Laos... For Dummies (Like Me) (Read 227126 times)