On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 09:04:40 -0800, "Rick"
wrote:
>What currency is best to use in Luang Prabang:
>Thai Baht or US dollar?
When I arrived at the Luang Prabang airport in Oct 2003 I went to the
currency exchange booth and presented a fresh, new US$100 bill. They
lady running the booth shook her head "no" because they didn't have
enough money to cover my US$100 (and other transactions they
expected). So I gave it another try with 1000 (Thai) Baht, she smiled
and the transaciton was completed.
It turned out that exchanging US$100 into Lao Kip would have been a
mistake -- as others have noted expensive items (lodging, upscale
souvenirs, long distance transport) all tend to be priced in US
dollars. (These days maybe euros too).
I'd recommend having some $20's $10's $5's to cover major items and a
whole bunch of $1's for miscellaneous thing. I'd also recommend
getting fresh ones just to avoid problems. Of course that assumes
that's convenient for you and I realize, depending on your locale, it
may not be.
I was there for 4 days and probably exchanged 2000 Thai Baht into Kip
during my stay. Lodging ran $20 per night paid in US currency. All
meals (food was cheap) if I remember correctly were paid for in Kip,
although there may have been a dollar denominated meal somewhere along
the way. Transport up to the Pak Ou caves (boat hire) was priced in
dollars.
Have a great time! |