Spend in Laos

Laos has caused us some initial money-math turmoil. The country’s own currency is the kip, but people also accept the US dollar and the Thai baht. This makes for some interesting math, given that as I write the published exchange rate is…

$1 US = 8033 Kip = 30 Baht

1 Baht = 264 Kip

Folks simplify this to a degree as $1 US = 30 baht = 8000 kip; and 1 baht = 260 kip.

This, however, is the math of the more scrupulous folks. Those that have you over a barrel- like the people running the slow boat on the Mekong – calculate things as 20 baht = 500 kip, which causes you to lose five cents on the dollar. Yeah, it doesn’t seem like much, unless I told you that your bank was charging a five percent international transaction fee. Now, that would probably get your attention.

I have read in travel books several recommendations to use baht in Laos. I can’t see the merit in that recommendation so far. Things get quoted in kip from the start, and any baht translation is probably going to be to your loss. Consequently, I am drawing kip from ATMs now, and exchanging my baht for kip, and doing everything in the currency of Laos.

Doing math in thousands is a bit mind-bending, even after adjusting to doing math in hundreds in Thailand. We got used to certain yardsticks in Thailand: a dinner over 300 baht is expensive, a motorbike should run 150-200 baht a day, a room over 1,000 baht is pricey. Now, we are having to create new yardsticks for Laos, and a dinner costing 60,000 of anything sounds insanely expensive (even if that amount in kip translates to $7.50 US).

Jen made my brain hurt less by pointing out that 10,000 kip translates to $1.25 US. (10,000 kip notes are a staple, and 10,000 kip is the standard charge for a large BeerLao. So, beer math meets money math, which works well for me.)

Even armed with that mathematical simplification, I spent about thirty minutes with a hotel clerk and a calculator working the translation of dollars to kip to baht before we saw eye-to-eye, so it still ain’t easy.

By the way, the room cost us two cases of beer a night.

Expenses for July 20: Ubon Rachathani to Bolaven Plateau, Laos

Expenses for July 20: Ubon Rachathani to Bolaven Plateau, Laos

Taxi: 120 baht (32,000 Kip equivalent) Bus Tickets to Pakse: 400 baht (107,000’kip equivalent) Laos Visa Fees: $70 US (560,000 Kip equivalent) Snacks: 174 baht (46,000 Kip equivalent) Taxi: 30,000 Kip Tuk-Tuk: 40,000 Taxi: 20,000 Kip Dinner: 72,000 Kip Room: 280,000 Kip TOTAL: 1,187,000 Kip

Expenses for July 7: Vientiane to Nong Khia

Expenses for July 7: Vientiane to Nong Khia

Soda: 10,000 Kip (38 baht equivalent) 3% Credit Card for Hotel Khamvongsa Bill: 37,400 Kip (140 baht equivalent) Taxis and tuk-Tuks: 220 baht Lunch: 185 baht Beer, Water, and Such: 500 baht Dinner: 90 baht Room: 240 baht (after deep discounts for electrical problems and having to change rooms) TOTAL: 1413 baht

Expenses for July 5: Vientiane

Expenses for July 5: Vientiane

Umbrella: 123,000 Kip (yes…a fourth umbrella) Hat: 89,000 Kip Lunch: 114,000 Kip National Museum Tickets: 20,000 Kip Wat Entrance Tickets: 20,000 Kip Donation at Wat: 400 Kip Water and Beer: 46,000 Kip Dinner: 80,000 Kip Trinkets: 36,000 Kip Room: 400,000 Kip TOTAL: 928,400 Kip

Expenses for June 28: Vieng Thong to Phonsavan

Expenses for June 28: Vieng Thong to Phonsavan

Breakfast: 40,000 Kip Minivan Ticket to Phao Lao: 60,000 Kip Gum: 6000 Kip Beer and Such at Phao Lao: 15,000 Kip Bathroom Tax at Phao Lao: 2000 Kip Bus Tickets to Phonsavan: 120,000 Kip Tuk-Tuks in Phonsavan: 40,000 Kip Lunch at Ban Sop Lao: 15,000 Kip Beer: 22,000 Kip Dinner at Hotel: 46,000 Kip Room: 450,000 Kip TOTAL: 816,000 Kip