Lunch: 75,000 Kip Beer: 20,000 Kip Dinner: 113,500 Kip Laundry: 30,000 Kip Room: 194,000 Kip TOTAL: 432,500 Kip
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 August 4: Don Khon
Lunch: 70,000 Kip Beer and Such: 35,000 Kip Gum: 25,000 Kip Dinner: 60,000 Kip Room: 194,000 Kip TOTAL: 384,000 Kip
Expenses for August 3: Don Khon
Lunch: 150,000 Kip Beer; 20,000 Kip Dinne: 67,000 Kip Room: 194,000 Kip TOTAL: 431,000 Kip
Expenses for August 2: Don Khon
Lunch: 87,000 Kip Beer: 20,000 Kip Dinner: 53,000 Kip Room: 194,000 Kip TOTAL: 354,000 Kip
Expenses for August 1: Don Khon
Island Tax: 40,000 Kip Lunch: 57,000 Kip Razors, Gum, and Such: 19,000 Kip Beer and Such: 26,000 Kip Room: 194,000 Kip TOTAL: 336,000 Kip
Expenses for July 31: Don Khon
Snacks: 16,000 Kip Lunch: 48,000 Kip Island tax: 40,000 Kip Beer and Coke: 26,000 Kip Dinner: 72,000 Kip Room: 194,000 Kip TOTAL: 396,000 Kip
Expenses for July 30: Champasak to Don Khon
Minibus Tickets: 120,000 Kip Snacks: 61,000 Kip Bathroom Taxes: 3,000 Kip Lunch: 60,000 Kip Island Tax: 40,000 Kip Beer and Such: 26,000 Kip Dinner: 75,000 Kip Room: 194,000 Kip TOTAL: 579,000 Kip
Expenses for July 29: Champasak
Beer: 54,000 Kip Lunch: 74,000 Kip Room: 288,000 Kip TOTAL: 416,000 Kip
Expenses for July 28: Champasak
Beer and Water: 28,000 Kip Lunch: 67,000 Kip Dinner: 82,000 Kip Bank Transaction Fees: 104,000 Kip Room: 288,000 Kip TOTAL: 569,000 Kip
Expenses for July 27: Champasak
Beer and Water: 28,000 Kip Motorbike: 80,000 Kip Boat to Don Daeng: 100,000 Kip Beer and Water on Island: 12,000 Kip Lunch: 35,000 Kip Dinner: 97,000 Kip Room: 288,000 Kip Laundry: 62,500 kip TOTAL: 702,500 Kip
Expenses for July 26: Champasak
Water and Candy: 17,000 Kip Motorbike: 80,000 Kip Gas: 10,000 Kip Tickets to Ruins: 60,000 Kip Lunch: 47,000 Kip Beer, Water, and Such: 28,000 Kip Dinner: 90,000 Kip Room: 288,000 Kip TOTAL: 610,000 Kip
Expenses for July 25: Champasak, Laos
Money Withdrawal Fee at Bank: 72,000 Kip Laundry: 25,000 Kip Dinner: 99,000 Kip Motorbike: 80,000 Kip Beer:27,000 Kip Room: 288,000 Kip TOTAL: 591,000 Kip
Expenses for July 24: Champasak, Laos
Breakfast: 116,000 Kip Motorbike: 80,000 Kip Gas: 40,000 Kip Tickets to Ruins: 60,000 Kip Water: 5,000 Kip Donation: 20,000 Kip Lunch: 52,000 Kip Beer and Razors and Stuff: 49,000 Kip Dinner: 99,000 Room: 288,000 Kip TOTAL: 809,000 Kip
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 21: Bolaven Plateu, Laos
Lunch: 67,000 Kip Beer and Such: 40,000 Kip Dinner: 60,000 Kip Room: 280,000 Kip TOTAL: 447,000 Kip
Expenses for July 22: Bolaven Plateau, Laos
Lunch: 100,000 Kip (included a generous 45,000 Kip tip) Waterfall Entrance Fee: 20,000 kip Dinner: 75,000 Kip Laundry: 80,000 Kip Room: 280,000 Kip TOTAL: 555,000 Kip
Expenses for July 23: Bolaven Plateau to Champasak, Laos
Tuk-Tuk: 20,000 Kip Snacks: 15,000 Kip Van Ride to Champasak: 40,000 Kip Lunch: 80,000 Kip Motorbike: 70,000 Kip Gas: 24,000 Kip Beer: 30,000 Kip Room: 200,000 Kip Dinner: 86,000 Kip TOTAL: 559,000 Kip
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 6: Vientiane
Lunch: 110,000 Kip Drinks and Water: 27,000 Kip Wat Tickets: 10,000 Kip Beer and Toiletries: 103,500 Kip Dinner: 55,000 Kip Room: 400,000 Kip Laundry: 30,000 Kip TOTAL: 735,500 Kip
Expenses for July 1: Phonsavan to Vang Vieng
Minibus Tickets: 220,000 Kip Beer and Snacks at Mudslide: 120,00 Kip TOTAL: 340,000 Kip
Expenses for July 3: Vang Vieng
Motorbike Rental: 50,000 Kip Gas: 30,000 Kip Lunch: 67,000 Kip Beer and snacks: 40,000 Kip Dinner: 61,000 Kip Room: 300,000 Kip TOTAL: 548,000 Kip
Expenses for July 2: Van Vieng
Taxi: 50,000 Kip Breakfast: 90,000 Kip Lunch: 66,000 Kip Snacks and Beer: 60,000 Kip Dinner: 73,000 Kip Room: 300,000 Kip TOTAL: 639,000 Kip
Expenses for July 4: Vang Vieng to Vientiane
VIP Bus Tickets: 140,000 Kip Snacks for Bus: 45,000 Bathroom Tax and Drink at Bus Break: 7000 Kip Lunch: 105,000 Beer and Such: 37,000 Kip Dinner: 21,000 Kip Room: 400,000 Kip TOTAL: 755,000 Kip
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 30: Phonsavan
Lunch: 47,000 Kip Umbrella: 20,000 Kip Beer and Snacks for Bus: 70,000 Kip Dinner: 48,000 Kip Laundry: 21,000 Kip Room: 450,000 Kip Bank Fee for Credit Card Payment: 54,000 Kip TOTAL: 710,000 Kip
Expenses for June 29: Phonsavan
Motorbike Rental: 80,000 Kip Coffee Stash: 43,000 Kip Lunch: 47,000 Kip Gas for Motorbike: 16,000 Kip Parking at Plain of Jars: 2,000 Kip Tickets to Plain on Jars: 10,000 Kip Beer: 22,000 Kip Dinner: 53,000 Kip Room: 450,000 Kip TOTAL: 723,000 Kip
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
Expenses for June 27: Vieng Thong
Breakfast: 55,000 Kip Lunch: 53,000 Kip Umbrella: 40,000 Kip Snacks and coffee: 29,000 Kip Beer: 30,000 Kip Dinner: 30,000 Kip Room: 50,000 Kip TOTAL: 287,000 Kip
Expenses for June 26: Nong Khiaw to Vieng Thong
Lunch: 39,700 Kip Razors: 25,000 Kip Snacks: 35,000 Kip Taxi to Bus Station: 10,000 Kip Bus Tickets: 220,000 Kip Beer: 20,000 Kip Dinner: 45,000 Kip Room: 50,000 Kip TOTAL: 444,700 Kip
Expenses for June 25: Nong Khiaw
Lunch: 40,000 Kip Dinner: 40,000 Kip Beer and Such: 60,800 Kip Room: 290,000 TOTAL: 430,800 Kip