To Udonthani

I woke up at 8:30am.

Today’s breakfast, thank you so much!!

Well, Mon and her husband woke up about 9am, then the husband left to his work.
Mon showed me around by car a little bit.

Mon showed me real Laos.
It’s still in Vientiane, but when we go to behind the main street, we can see such place.
Vientiane is capital but still like this.
She said this is real Laos, Laos is still poor country.
Tourist just walk around touristic area, but this is the real.

But Vientiane changed a lot from 5 years ago.
There are many car and motorbike.
I didn’t see any car on the street 5 years ago, so I surprised!

Then she brought me to bus terminal to buy bus ticket to Udonthani.
The fee was 22000Kip(about 2.20USD), I tried to pay by 80B(about 2.40USD), Thai bahts.
But they said it’s 90B if I use Thai money.

No way! It must be 80B! It’s still I can get change actually!
They changed just 10B, and it was coin, 1B x 10.
It’s so strange, because Lao people just accept paper money, not coins.
But she changed by coins, even 10B less.
I said “it must be 80B, so give me 20B change”, but she said “90B! or pay by Laos money!”.

Oh my, Laos people changed… they didn’t try to cheat foreign tourist when I came here 5 years ago…
Yesterday also Laos staff said cheat price when I got to mini bus from Southern bus terminal, and it was just 5~6km, but she said it’s 15km…

What happened to Lao people…
Laos would be like Viet Nam soon!?!? (sorry for Viet Nam people~)

Anyway, I didn’t buy the ticket.
I tried to find Mon to exchange money, but a Japanese man let me borrow Laos money kindly.
We were same in line.

Thank you so much!!

When I was in trouble, every time someone help me!!
I really appreciate it every time!!（＞▽＜。

Then I bought the bus ticket.

I went back to Mon’s car and talked about this story.
She said, it’s because many tourist come to Laos now, so Lao poeple are getting change for money…so sad..!!
Many people would change because of money, even it’s small money…
Laos changed…

Well anyway, Mon took me to new Italian restaurant that she is the owner, and opened just 3 weeks ago!

Mon is famous fashion designer, she has own boutique and accessory shop, owner of Italian restaurant and the hospital for animals.
She is awesome!!

Real Italian chef cooked it!!
She paid it for me, thank you soooo much~!!（＞▽＜）

Then she took me to bus terminal again.

But traffic jam…I couldn’t imagine it 5 years ago..

I said thank and good bye to Mon, then got on the bus to Udonthani.

The bus is still same from 5 years ago…very old.

By the way, new bus from Japan, we donated the new bus actually, we found the bus in the town.
I’m proud of my country, and I want Laos people think about it, about Japanese tourist.

Bus left at 2pm, then got to border of Laos.
We didn’t need to pay departure tax.

Then we got to border of Thailand.

I got 30 days!! Yeah!!
It used to just 14 days, but from last November it changed to 30days, yeah!!

Then the bus got to Udonthani about 4:30pm, a little bit late as traffic jam.

I wanted to get mini bus for 10B(about 0.40USD) but didn’t come in 30 minutes.

So I took Tuktuk for 60B(about 2USD).
It usually 80B but the driver gave me discount*

Tuktuk~!

He gave me sightseeing information a little bit on the way to other bus terminal.
It was about 8km from first bus terminal to second bus terminal.
He helped me to buying bus ticket to Chiang Mai.
Thank you!!

Udonthani to Chiang Mai 8pm
Including meal coupon, 666B(about 20USD)

I got to this terminal about 5pm, I wrote this blog until now.

This is the bus terminal.
There were just few people..

I bought these for light dinner.
Bread 6B(about 0.20USD)
Soy milk 12B(about 0.40USD)

This is the bus.
Looks very good!!

Inside also gooood!!
My seat was left side, but the right side were wider.
When I said so to staff, staff gave me left side seat, yatta-!!
It’s wide and no one next by me, very comfortable!
This is the VIP bus!! XD

The bus left at 8:10pm from Udonthani.

The lights turned down, but turned at 9pm again.