DO:
Do check expiry dates in Laos (or in any small roadside shop)
Do pay a visit at Kong Lor caves in Laos and eat in the Italian restaurant in Nahin.
Do use the water machine that can be found in Thailand (bigger towns and cities). They supply you with lots of safe water for little baht.
Do try a fresh sugarcane juice over ice.
Do start the day with a Lao coffee with condensed milk.
Do have a munch feast of cheese flavoured corn trumpets crisps (orange package).
Do carry a shit-kit (oral hydration sachets, can of coke, toilet paper and immodium for the unavoidable journeys).
Do check the bolts on your bike and pannier bags after a rocky day.
Do check the price before ordering food, wherever you are.
Do try the Chocolate milk produced by Friesland Foods. Much nicer than the Milo one and bigger cartons!
Do check if everything works in a hotel room and general cleanliness. Spending a night with a broken window on a busy road can lead to morning grumps.
Do bring earplugs.
Do bring a torch.
Do buy big multi-packs of snacks at markets, it will save lots of cash.
Do buy fruit, it is almost always yummy.
DON’T:
Don’t buy the floral scented mosquito coils, the original actually smell less offensive!
Don’t order a chicken paw salad, it is not an error of translation.
Don’t check into the first guesthouse you see in Laos. Have a look around in the village to check out the competition. If there is one, there are likely to be many more just around the corner. Any business idea on this side of the globe leads to copying.
Don’t rent a Chinese made scooter, or plan a stop at the repair shop to replace the bolts lost along the way. Don’t expect too much of the breaking power either…
Don’t trust Lays seafood flavoured crisps…
Don’t buy the multi film DVD copies, all dubbed in Thai.
Don’t try the meatballs, whatever colour, that they like to put in your noodle soup and grill on sticks! Pure retch-making evil.
Don’t bother visiting the Pak Ou caves near Luang Prabang, although the trip on the river is nice. Check for other options.
2 comments
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April 17, 2010 at 11:59 am
David McGrath
very amusing column. takes me back to se asia just reading that
i like the fact that the cheese trumpets got a mention.
i found a very similar product in Japan actually but they were so expensive i was reluctant to buy.
June 24, 2010 at 1:09 pm
johnny
Think the Do’s and Don’t section is big – could be a nice little idea to sell onto Lonely Planet – could be an earner in there as a wider travel advice manual. How to be on the road or something.