Sidenote: Example daily expenses (Laos)
February 10, 2024•521 words
Here are my daily expenses from yesterday in Vang Vieng, Laos. I have been tracking my spending using the TravelSpend app ever since my new friend Mari from Chicago told me about, it’s very helpful, thanks Mari! So far most of my purchases in Southeast Asia have been in cash because many places don’t accept card. It’s easy enough to find an ATM (they’re everywhere) and withdraw cash. The currency in Laos is the Laotian Kip (LAK). $1 USD equals about 21,000 LAK, so imagine if you withdraw $100 USD suddenly you are a multimillionaire with about 2,000,000 LAK worth of notes in your wallet!
One night in hostel (Vang Vieng Rock Backpacker Hostel) - 200,000 LAK ($9.60 USD)
This price included free breakfast which was great, I had 2 fried eggs, a crusty bread roll, and plate of fruit (watermelon, banana, and passion fruit). I was in a 10-bed dorm which is quite a lot of (bunk) beds for one room, it seems the less number of beds in the dorm the better, like 4 beds is ideal.
3 bananas and 1 apple from fruit stand - 20,000 LAK ($0.96 USD)
The bananas I’ve had in Thailand and Laos so far are smaller than I’m used to, and are a slightly different texture and taste. They are more dense and chewier. I really like them and usually eat 2 or 3 or 4 in one go! The fruit in general in Southeast Asia has been a highlight.
Bottled water (2L) - 11,000 LAK ($0.53 USD)
Bag of cucumbers - 10,000 LAK ($0.48)
I’ve been wanting to eat some more vegetables so stopped at a farm stand on the way to do my hike, the cucumbers looked good but I wasn’t able to work out quantity/price and communication was difficult with the woman running the stand, I gave a 10,000 LAK note and ended up getting a big bag of 6 cucumbers, more than I needed but it was ok! I’ve eaten 2 so far and they’re crunchy and delicious. I also gave 1 to my Swedish dormmate Klara last night.
Fee to hike to Pha Ngern (Silver Cliff Mountain) viewpoint - 20,000 LAK ($0.96 USD)
I didn’t buy lunch because I had my cucumbers, fruits, and leftover snacks (dried jack fruit and cashew nuts from Luang Prabang) which I ate at the Pha Ngern viewpoint.
Dinner of papaya salad (fresh, spicy, and delicious), Lao noodles, and bottle of water (1.5L) - 80,000 LAK ($3.84 USD)
Packet of coconut cookies for dessert - 8,000 LAK ($0.38 USD)
Van ticket from Vang Vieng to Vientiane - 220,000 LAK ($10.56 USD)
So that’s a grand total of $27.31 USD for the day. I didn’t do all the tourist activities that are popular here like a hot air ballon ride, renting a buggy and driving to swim in the lagoons, etc., which would have cost more, but I had a nice day exploring the area by foot. I am in a van headed to Vientiane (the capital of Laos) now. Happy Lunar New Year! Maybe there will be some festivities in Vientiane this evening.