over the river and through the woods, to Laos we go...

Spent the last two days on a long, slow boat plying the Mekong River from the Thai/Laos border south through Laos to Luang Prabang, which has a reputation as the prettiest city in Laos.

So far the main thing of note in this country is the currency: 10,000 Kip to 1 US dollar. If I traded in 100 dollars, I'd be a Laotian millianaire.

Even with the easy conversion, it's a bit tough, since all my money has already been exchanged for Thai Baht (37 to the dollar) and then to Kip. It's also a bit odd to see numbers on a menu like this: 8,000 for a beer; 15,000 for fried rice.

And after a few days in a country where a double room costs about $4.50 and food rarely breaks the $2 mark, I find myself thinking things like: I'm not about to go in that overpriced cafe - food is 60 cents more a dish!
At the night market today I heard an American couple balk at a purchase of a quite intricate carved wooden elephant. The too-high price: $6.