Laos: Vientiane & Surrounding Area

Laos, the 9th Southeast Asia country I went last two years when Jeff Chuah, a travel blogger told me that he is planning to go there and instantly I asked whether can tag me along and he agreed. Thanks to Jeff too for helping me to buy the airticket cause I was in Hong Kong at that particular moment. This is the first time I travelled with a travel blogger, who shares the same passion and interest - travelling.

#1: I didn't pre-book in-flight meal but was given by an uncle who sat next to me cause I helped him to fill in quite number of arrival cards.

For Malaysian citizens, visa is not required when entering Laos and allow to stay up to 30 days. From Kuala Lumpur, the flight to Vientiane took 1 hour and 45 minutes and without realised it, we had landed safely in Wattay International Airport.

#2: Wattay International Airport

Get In To Town From Airport 

Wattay International Airport is roughly about 4km north-west of the Vientiane city center and in order to access to the city center, there are few transportation mode to choose from; either taking taxi, tuk-tuk or bus. We took taxi which cost US$7 or 57,000 kip. Yes, US dollar is acceptable in Laos but it is advisable to change some kip, their local currency. We changed in airport before taking the taxi as well bought local sim card which comes with data but unfortunately it only last for a day. Paid 20,000 kip (approx. to RM 9) but seems like being conned.

US$1 (Approx. to RM3.50) = 7,760 kip

Where To Stay In Vientiane
There are countless places to stay in Vientiane; from budget accommodation as low as below 120,000 kip (US$15 or approx. to RM50) to splurge hotels as high as over 400,000 kip. I personally would recommend to find accommodation along Rue Setthathirat or Rue Samsenthai which not far away from the Mekong River where most of the budget guesthouses and hotels, bars and restaurants are located. It is advisable to book in advance during the p

#3: Vientiane Garden Hotel - Mid range hotel that cost US$36 per night (including breakfast)

#4: Budget guest house cost 70,000 kip or US$9 (approx. to RM30) per night

Get Around Vientiane
Wandering around Vientiane is practically easier than I thought with less traffic and helpful street signage. Jeff and I mostly walked to all those nearby attractions instead of taking tuk-tuk.

#5: Street sign displayed in French and Lao


#6: Tuk-tuk in Laos almost similar to the one in Bangkok

Sights

1) Patuxai, the Victory Monument 

For panoramic views of Vientiane, climb up to the submit on the 7th floor with admission fee of 3,000 kip and you will surely impress with the spectacular and amazing view.

Opening Hours: 8am - 5pm
Admission Fee: 3,000 kip to climb the submit


2) Wat Si Saket 



Wat Si Saket is the oldest temple in Vientiane containing more than 2,000 sliver and ceramic Buddha images.

Opening Hours: 8am - 12pm & 1pm - 4pm everyday except for public holidays
Admission Fee: 2,000 kip for the local and 5,000 for foreign visitors

3) Haw Pha Kaew



Just across of Wat Si Saket is Haw Pha Kaew, a royal temple built specially to house the famed Emerald Buddha, but today used as a national museum of religious art where it has the best collection of Buddga images in Laos.

Opening Hours: 8am - 12pm & 1pm - 4pm everyday except for public holidays
Admission Fee: 2,000 kip for the local and 5,000 for foreign visitors

4) Black Stupa (That Dam)

The mythical abode of a seven-headed dragon that protects Vientiane but today, it slowly being overgrown again by lush grass vegetation. Black Stupa is located nearby the US embassy. 

5) Pha That Luang



The golden fully covered Pha That Luang is the most important national monument in Laos. This three-layered gilded stupa is a symbol of Buddhist religion and Lao sovereignty. Located about 4km northeast of the city center at the end of Th That Luang, it took us almost half an hour to walk from our hotel to here.

Opening Hours: 8am - 12pm & 1pm - 4pm everyday except for public holidays
Admission Fee: 2,000 kip for the local and 5,000 for foreign visitors

Lao Food 

We came across this small stall selling crusty baguette nearby the bus stop. This French influence food is one of Lao's staple street foods which found at street side stalls. Locally known as Khao Jee, the popular filling of baguette is a set of pork meet, Vietnamese sausage, shredded carrot and radish, few slices of cucumber together with squeezes of mayonnaise and chilli sauce. And how much this baguette cost? 7,000 kip, which less than a dollar. Incredibly cheap!

Night Market

Oh boy! I love night markets and luckily the hotel we stayed, the night market is only a stone’s throw away. This riverside night market begins around sunset when an army of stall vendors ready to set up their red-roofed stalls directly on the Mekong riverside promenade. Fairly typical products can be found here such as Buddhist-inspired paintings and knick-knacks, cheap sunglasses, and Beer Lao T-shirts. No worry about the language barrier as English is widely spoken but be armed with your bargaining skills.

We only spent a day in Vientiane cause on the next day, we bought a bus ticket to Vang Vieng. Stay tune for more!

[Credit To: Wikitravel, Live Less Ordinary, Lonely Planet Southeast Asia On A Shoestring Guide Book]

Capsule by Container Hotel klia2

Looking for a place to crash overnight before catching the next flight but travel alone and in tight budget, Capsule by Container Hotel klia2 is definitely the ideal place for you to have short nap and quick break.

Previous years, I used to either stayed in Tune Hotel (this would be worth staying if two people shared the hotel cost), recharged in Plaza Premium Lounge (quite pricey) or even stayed awake for the whole night before catching my flight on the next morning but that's when I was young and full with energy. However as age is catching up, I found out no matter how tough I was, I still need to find a place to recharge energy and sufficient rest and there's where I found this - Capsule by Container Hotel klia2. Thanks to social media network, nowadays everything can be found by just one click away.

Located on the lower ground floor which just next to the bus and taxi counter, this capsule hotel consists of 79 capsules inspired by contemporary design & sustainable living on the mezzanine floor, upper and lower decks. In order to make reservation, one can either book online or walk-in for three different packages; opt for 3 hours, 6 hours or 9 hours. For someone who always like to book beforehand, I booked via online earlier for 6 hours packages. Upon check-in, guests are required to pay RM50 for security deposit and will be refundable upon check-out. Besides the key for the pre-asssigned capsule given, I was also provided with clean white towel and locker key.

Their locker which for guests to place baggage is located outside and before proceed to the capsule, remember to take all your valuable belongings along with you and things you need to use afterward. Each locker I believe can fit up to 28" of luggage size. 

This access key is very important cause besides in order to access into your pre-assigned capsule, it also use to activate the light and electricity of the capsule.

 The capsule - Perfectly fit for someone short like me. 

I have no problem with their capsule as it was pretty clean and comfortable. Each capsule equipped with two pillows, blanket, foldable table, personal locker/drawer, reading light, power socket and there is even blind which you could fold down if you want some privacy.

Separated bathrooms and toilets

One thing that concern about me is the cleanliness of sharing bathrooms but for this, there's nothing to worry about cause it exceptionally clean with pretty and stylish environment too. The bathrooms are equipped with hairdryer, hot and powerful shower as well as shower gel and shampoo are readily available.

Separated male and female toilets


Common area/Library with book exchange

Will I be back again? Of course I would and eventually I went back and booked for second time when I back from my Bangkok trip last May. It's fairly affordable, clean and most importantly I enjoyed my sleep comfortably before catching my flight back home on the next day.

The one and only downside I experience throughout my stay was the air-conditioner was not cold enough in the beginning and I found it quite stuffy. Another downside if you are light sleeper this capsule hotel might be not suitable as you could hear noises outside of the capsules. And this place is worth to stay in the case of travelling alone cause if two or more people, perhaps Tune Hotel would be the suitable option to stay.

Book online:
3 hours = RM50
6 hours = RM75
12 hours = RM95

Walk-in Rate:
3 hours = RM55
6 hours = RM80
12 hours = RM100

Capsule by Container Hotel

Lot L1-2 & 3, Gateway,
Terminal KLIA2, KL International Airport,
Jalan KLIA 2/1, 64000 KLIA, Sepang,
Selangor, Malaysia.

Official Website Page: http://www.capsulecontainer.com/index.html

Tokyo After 5 Years

#1: Direct flight from Kota Kinabalu to Narita Tokyo with Malaysia Airlines 

I never thought I will going back Tokyo again after 5 years. Initially my plan is flying to Hokkaido which from the research I found, July will be the perfect time to visit there but because this is annual family trip and two of my brothers have never been to 'Land of Rising Sun' before, re-do, re-route and re-change my plan from Hokkaido to the capital city of Japan, Tokyo.

#2: Narita International Airport for the very first time.

Honestly speaking, I can see there is slightly changes of Tokyo five years ago and five years later. First of all, language barrier is no longer an issue as majority of Japanese can speak at least simple English nowadays. Whether we were taking buses, in restaurants, in convenience store, train ticket offices and more, unlike 5 years ago. 

But somehow there is one major issue which I didn't enjoy Tokyo is overcrowded almost everywhere. Even more crowded than Shanghai. I'm kidding not. Three trains approached but we didn't manage to jump in cause it's overpacked with working people especially. What a nightmare!

Talking about my 8 days trip to Tokyo with my family, there are number of places I went for the second times such as:

#3: Akihabara Electric Town - My brothers spent more than 7 hours here.

#4: Shibuya - For crossing street, Hachiko statue, Disney store, best ramen and more 

#5: Tokyo Tower - Came here twice but never got the chance to go up. Came here just for One Piece Store

 

#6: Asakusa Senso-ji Temple 

and even including Harajuku, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and more. 

As for the following, it's my maiden visit to:

#7: Gundam Statue in Odaiba Park 

#8: Rainbow Bridge and Statue of Liberty

#9: Yokohama - Second popular city after Tokyo which less than an hour away

#10: Tokyo Disneyland 

#11: Hakone for Mount Fuji but unfortunately, the weather wasn't on our side

And of course, by end of this trip eventhough we're tired and exhausted, my family and I were really enjoyed each and every part of Tokyo. No wonder people said, "Once Went Japan, Almost Every Year Feels Like Going Back". This is my third times to Japan and I can't wait to look forward for another Japan Trip - prefecture such as Nagoya, Okinawa, Hokkaido and more.

#12: Look what we found in Tokyo - Super-sized soft ice-cream with 8 different flavours

Oh wait! I haven't start to blog about my 2013 Japan (Kansai Area) yet. So many outdated travelogues!

Foodie Friday: Food Around Ipoh Town

Right after we done with the food adventures in Medan Selera Kampar, my friends and I drove to Ipoh which is less than half an hour distance away. As it was still early to check-in into Le Metrotel, we didn't waste any longer of our time but for another round of food adventures. That's what suppose to do when one in Malaysia - Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan!  

Ipoh Mali

Funny Mountain Soya Bean & Tau Fu Fah 

49, Jalan Theatre, Ipoh Town 

As my friends and I were quite full, we decided for light meal instead and we're lucky this popular and famous soya bean and beancurd shop is only one block away from our hotel. Don't be fool by it's funny name cause their handmade beancurd was exceptionally soft and smooth. We even ordered their soya bean and it taste so good too - not too sweet and not too blend for our liking.

Surprisingly, they are too popular until they have "unofficial" drive-thru lane where we saw quite number of customers were eventually stopped by their vehicle in front of the shop and the workers will deliver their orders directly to the customers. 

Restoran Tauge Ayam Lou Wong
49, Jalan Yau Tet Shin



I had it once but it was like almost 10 years ago and now I had it again. I believe this most famous restaurant specialised in chicken bean sprouts and kuetiau in Ipoh no longer need another introduction as it's well-known among the local as well as the tourists.

Complete your meal by ordering a plate of the fat, short and crunchy bean sprouts, tender and juicy roasted chicken together with a bowl of kuetiau.

Tuck Kee Restaurant
61, Jalan Yau Tet Shin


Same row with Lou Wong Restaurant is another tremendously famous restaurant for its delicious fried noodles. We were there by 6.30 pm but unfortunately it was full house and just when we're about to walk away with disappointment, they arranged seats for us at the shop opposite of their restaurant.



Imagine that 4 people ordered 9 meals but luckily we managed to finish them all. Proved that their dishes were pretty good. We also ordered legendary salted chicken (not from Tuck Kee Restaurant) but turned out the taste was so-so only. One of their dishes which is highly recommend is the "Wat Tan Hor".

Foh Sang Restaurant
51, Jalan Leong Sin Nam


And so what's for breakfast? None other than the dim sum as it is quite popular whenever one in Ipoh. Everytime I visited Ipoh, most of my friends would definitely brought me to dim sum for breakfast. As I tried the one in Ming Court Hong Kong Tim Sum previously, hence we opted for Foh Sang which located opposite of it. As it was weekday on that particular day we arrived, hence it was not crowded.

Dim Sum - Simply touch your heart!

Eventually there are more list of what to eat in Ipoh but I doubt my small tummy can fit in all. Sometimes I wonder how a foodie blogger can actually have like more than 10  different meals in a day. A day seriously, not a week.