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Peak"},{"term":"Vientiane"},{"term":"Vietnamese"},{"term":"Vins Santiago"},{"term":"Wanagiri Gate"},{"term":"White Island"},{"term":"Xavierville"},{"term":"Yangon"},{"term":"Yehliu GeoPark"},{"term":"Yodobashi"},{"term":"Zambales"},{"term":"alone time"},{"term":"anonas"},{"term":"anonas extension"},{"term":"artsy"},{"term":"awkward"},{"term":"ayala museum"},{"term":"bencab museum"},{"term":"blogging"},{"term":"board game cafe"},{"term":"bonding"},{"term":"book launching"},{"term":"bukidnon"},{"term":"burgers"},{"term":"buried bodies"},{"term":"burnham park"},{"term":"cafe"},{"term":"cafe by the ruins"},{"term":"cagayan de oro"},{"term":"camera"},{"term":"cash"},{"term":"concert"},{"term":"covid-19"},{"term":"credit card"},{"term":"day trip"},{"term":"dip n dough"},{"term":"discovery country suites"},{"term":"dream catcher"},{"term":"epicure"},{"term":"facebook"},{"term":"finance"},{"term":"finn"},{"term":"food park"},{"term":"four seasons hotpot city"},{"term":"game room"},{"term":"garden"},{"term":"gola"},{"term":"guest post"},{"term":"happy new year"},{"term":"highlights"},{"term":"home stay"},{"term":"hot air balloon fiesta"},{"term":"hotel review"},{"term":"hotpot"},{"term":"ililikha artist village"},{"term":"ilocos norte"},{"term":"ilocos sur"},{"term":"india"},{"term":"instagram"},{"term":"introvert"},{"term":"kapitolyo"},{"term":"libis"},{"term":"life lately"},{"term":"lilac"},{"term":"maginhawa"},{"term":"manila eats"},{"term":"matcha"},{"term":"middle eastern"},{"term":"mt"},{"term":"mt. binicayan"},{"term":"mystery manila"},{"term":"national parks in india"},{"term":"niku-q"},{"term":"overnight bus"},{"term":"packing tips"},{"term":"packing tips and tricks"},{"term":"pampanga"},{"term":"pasig"},{"term":"photo"},{"term":"photo walk"},{"term":"random"},{"term":"review"},{"term":"rustic box"},{"term":"san mateo hot and cold spring"},{"term":"secret garden"},{"term":"serviced apartment"},{"term":"shabu shabu"},{"term":"shawarma"},{"term":"singlish cafe"},{"term":"smx convention"},{"term":"snacks \u0026 ladders"},{"term":"social media"},{"term":"south"},{"term":"squad"},{"term":"takami"},{"term":"traditional arts and ethnology centre"},{"term":"twitter"},{"term":"vigan"},{"term":"white beach"},{"term":"white water rafting"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Living in the Moment"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":""},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/feeds\/posts\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3760548448812987226\/posts\/default\/-\/travel+misadventure?alt=json-in-script\u0026max-results=6"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/search\/label\/travel%20misadventure"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Maaya Legaspi"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/10175924963575211047"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh3BjOMHg0AVmLcjpZy8qmbyHpgkPV4x4Q0ibrw3T2WG035M3C-LPhQaxlHgzbpRR2yKGPoJvWQ2gQNBv9HYgnKtPki7fFwSbKW7zU8zCn2kYWN8CUhjWNo9iCX6IHMgQ\/s220\/IMG_5916.JPG"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"2"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"6"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760548448812987226.post-8890567025545896016"},"published":{"$t":"2019-03-16T17:14:00.000+08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2019-03-16T17:14:26.663+08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Agoda"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Airbnb"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Aranyaprathet"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bangkok"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"border crossing"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cambodia"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Giant Ibis"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Khao San Road"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Poipet"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Siem Reap"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Southeast Asia"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"THA Hotel"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thailand"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Travel 2018"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"travel diaries"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"travel misadventure"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Cambodia-Thailand Border Crossing and Airbnb-Agoda Misadventures"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Ccenter\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WrkQT1i4_vQ\/XIy7i-bmHHI\/AAAAAAAAZGg\/y35dVtnVP4UwzFWo-f2YZKAShvp8tTjywCLcBGAs\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Cambodia's side of the border on Poipet\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1200\" data-original-width=\"1600\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WrkQT1i4_vQ\/XIy7i-bmHHI\/AAAAAAAAZGg\/y35dVtnVP4UwzFWo-f2YZKAShvp8tTjywCLcBGAs\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B3.jpg\" title=\"Cambodia's side of the border on Poipet\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nIt was our third day\nbackpacking and this I swear is one of my most hassle days in 2018. I am not\nexaggerating that. We had a very stressful problem with our Airbnb host and\nAgoda booking. But first, let me start the post by narrating how we did border\ncrossing by land! \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nI am always a fan of\nborder crossing because living in the Philippines means we don't have a\nneighboring country that we could travel to by land so it was really fun\ncrossing borders and observing how just by one single border changes how the\nway people live. This is most evident when we crossed the Laos-Thailand\nborder. The way the drivers navigate is different from both countries. In Laos,\nthey follow right-hand drive while in Thailand, they follow left-hand drive. So\nyou could literally see differences by just how we changed lanes when we arrive\nin the border of Thailand. Little things like that fascinate me.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\n\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"\u003EAnyway, back to Siem\nReap. I had to research this thoroughly because if not done right, border\ncrossing will get more hassle. Upon searching the world wide web and countless\nborder crossing guides, they all say one same thing, there are A LOT of\nscams happening. With my \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/2017\/04\/from-getting-ripped-off-in-hanoi-to.html\" style=\"font-size: 9pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eexperience in Hanoi being scammed by a taxi driver\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"\u003E, I\nknow we have to be vigilant since I think this is one of the meccas of scammers. The thing is, when you cross\nborders, you cannot do it during an overnight trip because the immigration\noffice will be closed by that time. Unlike airports whose immigration is manned\n24\/7, these border immigration offices only open in the morning and close at a\ncertain time so better check the time to avoid problems.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nOf course, the initial\nplan was to ride an overnight bus but since the immigration office closes at\nnighttime, we opt to take the day bus. There was an overnight bus but the\nreviews were all terrible like some would say the bus was very small, there are\ncases of where some of the belongings got lost, most would say they feel it is\nnot safe, and they had to wait for the immigration office to open.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nSo when we established\nthat we will take the morning bus, there's one bus line that netizens always\nrecommend, the Giant Ibis. I cannot remember if we booked the ticket online or\nif we booked it via our hotel. \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-gSDmkUfP02E\/XIy7nCYJ5fI\/AAAAAAAAZHI\/tDGndXIgn6AhTRCVtu8zp6iYQidrdPMGwCEwYBhgL\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B5.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Giant Ibis bus ticket from Siem Reap to Bangkok\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-gSDmkUfP02E\/XIy7nCYJ5fI\/AAAAAAAAZHI\/tDGndXIgn6AhTRCVtu8zp6iYQidrdPMGwCEwYBhgL\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B5.jpg\" title=\"Giant Ibis bus ticket from Siem Reap to Bangkok\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003EOur bus ticket\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nThe morning of our\ndeparture, we were picked up by a tuk-tuk going to where the bus was parked. I\nlike how they pick up passengers instead of just waiting for them to arrive.\nMaybe it's to avoid long waiting time and not knowing whether the passenger\nwill show up or not? \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nOnce we were at the\nplace where the bus was parked, there was also a mini convenience store. We\ndecided to get some food because it would be a very long ride. I think 8 hours\nmore or less. Good thing we got food from the store because we had problems\nchanging money later that day in Thailand's border. \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nThe border is located\nin Poipet for Cambodia's side and Aranyaprathet for Thailand's side. The area\nwas very busy that you should be attentive all the time. \u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EALWAYS\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E hold on to your\nbelongings. \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-JblIK44ymSY\/XIy7nhBixuI\/AAAAAAAAZGw\/dF4rCqJNnVQDcz3f2O6K4ZqslhrOQoMLQCEwYBhgL\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B4.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Thailand's side of the border\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1425\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-JblIK44ymSY\/XIy7nhBixuI\/AAAAAAAAZGw\/dF4rCqJNnVQDcz3f2O6K4ZqslhrOQoMLQCEwYBhgL\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B4.jpg\" title=\"Thailand side\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003EThailand's side of the border\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nAnyway, when we arrive\nat the border, fortunately, we didn't encounter any issue. Since we have Philippine passports, we are entitled to a visa-free entry. However, for\nwestern people, I heard rumors about how they always have a hard time passing\nthe border with different scams targeted to them here and there. \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nWe had to alight the bus and go to the immigration office ourselves. They said the bus will\nwait for us at the other end. \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nI guess it took us\nmore or less 15 minutes in the Siem Reap border then we had to walk all the way\nthrough the Thailand immigration. Now, this is where it gets interesting\nbecause, during the time we were there, there are limited signs to where you\nwill need to go in order to go to the Thailand immigration. It was a long walk\nand you can easily get lost. \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nWhen in doubt, ask for\npeople who looks like a tourist too because locals can scam you and might bring\nyou somewhere else. Tourists might not know as well but at least you know you\nare with someone who is also looking for the correct place. Walk as fast as\nyou can and move faster because remember, the bus is waiting for you.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nThailand immigration, on the other hand, is very different from Siem Reap. Well, for one, it is\nairconditioned. Imagine walking under the sun at a southeast Asian country, the aircon was such a relief.\nLOL. Also, this is where the line gets long. We are already worried about the bus leaving us but luckily there are also other passengers from the bus who are\nin the line. \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nOnce we got our\npassport stamped, we hurriedly walked to the other end to ride the bus. The guy\nthere told us to eat lunch first because the bus was not ready. So we\nlooked for money changers and actually went to ALL banks and money changers we\ncould see but they don't change Philippine Peso and Cambodian Riel to Thai\nBaht. LOL. We didn't have any USD with us so we are all starving. Thanks to the\nsnacks we got from the convenience store, we managed to get through the day.\nThe bus also took a lot of time before we were asked to ride again. \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nI think it was 4 or 5\nPM when we arrive in Bangkok. Finally!!! It was soooo exhausting. Our first\nstop was Khao San Road since we were dropped off nearby, we decided to eat\nthere first and change money. First order of business? Pad thai and mango\nsticky rice of course! Oh, how I miss legit pad thai. If you don't know yet,\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/2017\/08\/sea-life-bangkok-ocean-world-and-khao.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EKhao San Road\u003C\/a\u003E is like a party and backpacker street in Thailand. This is where\nyou will most likely find cheap hostels starting from 350 baht per night. This\nis where we stayed when my father and I backpacked in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/search\/label\/Hanoi\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHanoi\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/search\/label\/Laos\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELaos\u003C\/a\u003E, and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/2017\/08\/sea-life-bangkok-ocean-world-and-khao.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBangkok\u003C\/a\u003E.\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-77clzq9O91A\/XIy7lOxakVI\/AAAAAAAAZGk\/bVkN7xPY_qsQfKTPXTGJa9s6uuiRjMYpwCEwYBhgL\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Shrimp pad thai from Khao San Road\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-77clzq9O91A\/XIy7lOxakVI\/AAAAAAAAZGk\/bVkN7xPY_qsQfKTPXTGJa9s6uuiRjMYpwCEwYBhgL\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B1.jpg\" title=\"Pad Thai\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-2HxMlkUv_B8\/XIy7oXEz7aI\/AAAAAAAAZHM\/PLAE9SSk5nQGZse9zhEO8qaIl1Q9YFRcwCEwYBhgL\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B6.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Mang Sticky Rice from Khao San Road\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-2HxMlkUv_B8\/XIy7oXEz7aI\/AAAAAAAAZHM\/PLAE9SSk5nQGZse9zhEO8qaIl1Q9YFRcwCEwYBhgL\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B6.jpg\" title=\"Mango Sticky Rice\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"\u003EThis time, since I am\nwith my mother and my sister, I am pretty sure they will not like the room\nsituation in Khao San Road. It was decent but well, you know what I mean.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nAfter eating, we\ndecided to go to the Airbnb place I booked. AND GUESS WHAT?! THE HOST IS NOT\nRESPONDING TO ME. Take note this is already 7 or 8 ish in the evening, we are\ndead tired, and we might not have a place to stay in for the night. It sounds\nfunny to me now but believe my horror and my stress when I thought we had no\nplace to stay in. What's a girl gotta do you ask? I tried contacting Airbnb. I\nused my PH number (which was billed 1000+) for the call I made. Huhu. To make\nthe story short, they gave us $50 to go and book a hotel where we can stay in\nfor the night then they will find us a place the next day in Airbnb where we\ncan check in.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nSo I booked via Agoda.\nMy patience was getting shorter and shorter and the fatigue is eating me alive.\nGUESS WHAT?! The hotel we booked was fully booked!!! We had to climb a flight\nof stairs with our luggage only to find out it was freaking fully booked. By\nthis point, I feel like crying already. To make it worst, my card was already\ncharged. \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nThe people in the\nhotel though recommended one hotel which is just nearby. They made the call for\nus and told the other hotel that we are coming. Agoda, on the other hand, assured\nme that the payment will be refunded plus they gave a voucher I can use on my\nnext booking. I am not pleased with the voucher, just imagine the hassle. And\nall the taxi fare we had to shoulder because of all this. \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nBut thank God though\nbecause the hotel we stayed in for the night was sooooo posh and has one of the\nmost amazing beds I slept into. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.tha6.com\/rooms\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ETHA Hotel's\u003C\/a\u003E interiors are amazing, and again, the bed!\nI cannot stress this enough. LOL. Maybe it was just that we were all tired but\nwe all agree that the bed was soft like we could sleep in all day.\nUnfortunately, we just have one night in this hotel and our call time the next\nday is early. \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nThe hotel's details are as follows:\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: Tahoma;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003E2 Ekamai 6 Sukhumvit 63 Phra Kanong Nua Wattana Bangkok 10110\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: Tahoma;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003ETel+662-7140888 Fax +662-7140999\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: Tahoma;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003EEmail: info@tha6.com\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-cf93lZBqaQY\/XIy7q-vAhJI\/AAAAAAAAZG4\/fNm0U2OVzeA3fqAUPb8ruEwzjdXIe2XbQCEwYBhgL\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B7.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"THA Hotel Lobby in Bangkok\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-cf93lZBqaQY\/XIy7q-vAhJI\/AAAAAAAAZG4\/fNm0U2OVzeA3fqAUPb8ruEwzjdXIe2XbQCEwYBhgL\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B7.jpg\" title=\"THA Hotel\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PC86vOutLdw\/XIy7sXBZ8CI\/AAAAAAAAZG8\/0mJS-X-ZCV0Azva1fNDhvRUoZsQXdNy7gCEwYBhgL\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B8.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"THA Hotel interior\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PC86vOutLdw\/XIy7sXBZ8CI\/AAAAAAAAZG8\/0mJS-X-ZCV0Azva1fNDhvRUoZsQXdNy7gCEwYBhgL\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B8.jpg\" title=\"THA Hotel\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nEverything about the\nhotel is aesthetically pleasing. We were able to rest at around 11-ish that day. So sad that we weren't able to maximize our stay in that hotel because our call time the next day is super early.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\nSo that's how we spent\none day in our Siem Reap-Bangkok trip last year. Good thing I still remember\nsome of the details. Hehe.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-grsevCcVrk0\/XIy7mJlaoxI\/AAAAAAAAZHE\/U4lyeVyx2gUvFKDVQwJbkpQ6Nq92lR8BQCEwYBhgL\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"THA hotel lobby in Bangkok Thailand\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1143\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-grsevCcVrk0\/XIy7mJlaoxI\/AAAAAAAAZHE\/U4lyeVyx2gUvFKDVQwJbkpQ6Nq92lR8BQCEwYBhgL\/s1600\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B2.jpg\" title=\"THA hotel lobby in Bangkok Thailand\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"\u003EI would say Airbnb\nhandled our concern appropriately but I still wish this incident didn't happen.\nTheir support calls and checks in on us, they are also very responsive. As for the host? I don't know what\nhappened to him. He had many good reviews so I don't know what happened to him that\nnight. All's well that end well I guess. :)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;\"\u003E\nUp next: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cimg src=\"http:\/\/i65.tinypic.com\/veyq90.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/feeds\/8890567025545896016\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/2019\/03\/cambodia-thailand-border-crossing-and.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3760548448812987226\/posts\/default\/8890567025545896016"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3760548448812987226\/posts\/default\/8890567025545896016"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/2019\/03\/cambodia-thailand-border-crossing-and.html","title":"Cambodia-Thailand Border Crossing and Airbnb-Agoda Misadventures"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Maaya Legaspi"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/10175924963575211047"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh3BjOMHg0AVmLcjpZy8qmbyHpgkPV4x4Q0ibrw3T2WG035M3C-LPhQaxlHgzbpRR2yKGPoJvWQ2gQNBv9HYgnKtPki7fFwSbKW7zU8zCn2kYWN8CUhjWNo9iCX6IHMgQ\/s220\/IMG_5916.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WrkQT1i4_vQ\/XIy7i-bmHHI\/AAAAAAAAZGg\/y35dVtnVP4UwzFWo-f2YZKAShvp8tTjywCLcBGAs\/s72-c\/Cambodia-Thailand%2BBorder%2BCrossing%2Band%2BAirbnb-Agoda%2BMisadventures%2B3.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"},"georss$featurename":{"$t":"Krong Poi Pet, Cambodia"},"georss$point":{"$t":"13.6579053 102.58090259999994"},"georss$box":{"$t":"13.4110233 102.25817909999995 13.904787299999999 102.90362609999994"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760548448812987226.post-5532936593234049064"},"published":{"$t":"2017-04-14T15:51:00.000+08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2017-05-12T00:01:38.018+08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Hanoi"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Laos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Luang Prabang"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Scam"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South East Asia"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"travel"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"travel 2017"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"travel diaries"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"travel misadventure"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Vietnam"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"From Getting Ripped off in Hanoi to Struggling to Change Money and Almost Losing my Passport in Luang Prabang"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Ccenter\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-b9iH7XBVD0s\/WOkjV6PEDCI\/AAAAAAAAIWk\/S8VVTwoOvJ4kz0VSmif5RNHLldMZWJw6QCLcB\/s1600\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B6.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"From Getting Ripped off in Hanoi to Struggling to Change Money and Almost Losing my Passport in Luang Prabang\" border=\"0\" height=\"438\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-b9iH7XBVD0s\/WOkjV6PEDCI\/AAAAAAAAIWk\/S8VVTwoOvJ4kz0VSmif5RNHLldMZWJw6QCLcB\/s640\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B6.jpg\" title=\"Post cards from Laos\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n I'm writing this on my iPad's note app. We're currently here in Luang Prabang and it's 11:14 PM local time as I write this. (If you're reading this, I am probably already home) Well.. This is our second day touring. We're supposed to tour \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/search\/label\/Hanoi\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHanoi\u003C\/a\u003E, Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/search\/label\/Bangkok\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBangkok\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n We left Hanoi this afternoon and well... This day was all sorts of misadventure. Our first day in Hanoi was fun. Really fun. We saw Hoan Kiem Lake, watched Water Puppet Show (my second time to watch, the first one was when we visited Ho Chi Minh city last 2015), watched the locals, and eat Vietnamese food.\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n The food was awesome as usual. I have high regards with Vietnamese food as it is healthily yummy. They always put vegetables on everything and it's just delicious on its own. It has its own distinct Vietnamese taste than when you eat it somewhere else, you would know it's Vietnamese food. So yeah, basically our first day went smoothly. And so when we approached our second day in Hanoi, I thought it would still be as pleasant as it was on our first day.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n Don't get me wrong though, I still enjoyed our second day but getting ripped off by a taxi driver who I thought was only super friendly to keep on talking and talking. Turns out he just wants to get our attention so we wouldn't look at the meter from time to time.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-S-ljTOQ1fdg\/WOkjEoo1VVI\/AAAAAAAAIW4\/kDe_bn_ZaQAOGbcVpzO_yecelKsctt6uQCEw\/s1600\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"From Getting Ripped off in Hanoi to Struggling to Change Money and Almost Losing my Passport in Luang Prabang\" border=\"0\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-S-ljTOQ1fdg\/WOkjEoo1VVI\/AAAAAAAAIW4\/kDe_bn_ZaQAOGbcVpzO_yecelKsctt6uQCEw\/s640\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B1.jpg\" title=\"Streets of Hanoi\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003EStreet of Hanoi\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n This kind of scam is very popular in Vietnam especially in Hanoi as taxi drivers already has reputation for always trying to rip off people. \u0026nbsp;Well, not all but I think there are a lot of them. And when I searched the internet, there are actually a lot more scams you can imagine happening in Hanoi and most of it are from taxi drivers. I must still be thankful that we only encountered one.\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n Everything was fine. We ate our usual breakfast buffet at the hotel. Got ready and packed our stuff, checked out since we depart for Luang Prabang for that night. We still left our bags at the reception though so we can still roam around and see different tourist sites. And since cabs in Vietnam are relatively cheap (if you hail the right ones), we thought of riding a cab to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum so we wouldn't have to walk. Our fare costs around 40000VND or roughly around P85 which was okay. This was the usual fare, average fare in other words.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n We went inside the mausoleum and saw the remains of the most influential leader of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh. I'm very sure every Vietnamese people would like to visit this place to give respect. We also had coffee in a nearby coffee shop. And even though this is my second time in Vietnam, this was my first time to try their famous black coffee with condensed milk. My verdict? It is soooo good! I don't usually drink coffee but if this is what I get to drink every day, then consider me a heavy coffee drinker! \u0026lt;3\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-34sjdGY90ro\/WOkjGLyQvaI\/AAAAAAAAIW4\/5Ikhjyz0pV4xWBbD0fkIysNZ-zys6m1lQCEw\/s1600\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"From Getting Ripped off in Hanoi to Struggling to Change Money and Almost Losing my Passport in Luang Prabang\" border=\"0\" height=\"430\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-34sjdGY90ro\/WOkjGLyQvaI\/AAAAAAAAIW4\/5Ikhjyz0pV4xWBbD0fkIysNZ-zys6m1lQCEw\/s640\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B3.jpg\" title=\"Temple of Literature\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003ETemple of Literature\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n I usually get active on normal 3-in-1 coffees. So just imagine how the coffee would affect me. I still had to keep calm though. And there. Right after we had our coffee and some yogurt with jelly, we then hailed a cab again going to The Temple of Literature. Me and my father were even thinking of which tourist site should we go next.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n So while we're supposedly hailing a cab, a driver out of nowhere went to ask us on where are we going. Turns out his cab was parked along the street. So just like any normal taxi-tourist interaction, we rode the cab and the driver started asking questions which I thought was just normal since they just probably want to know more about the foreigners going to their place.\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n My father was the one who's engaged in the conversation. While me, I was just staring at the meter and looking outside from time to time. But then, I spaced out! Demn. Maybe I was still sleepy or maybe the driver got my trust I no longer stare at the meter. And after some time, I was just shocked to see the meter already past 300000VND!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n The meter was also going up like it was a timer. It's not stopping. And when I was already ready to question the driver, he stopped the car and said we're already at the temple. Maybe he caught me staring at the meter because we're actually not yet at the temple we're supposed to go to! He just stopped the car and asked us to pay what's shown on the meter.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-__Ti_Lnmi94\/WOkjj9OOpwI\/AAAAAAAAIW4\/M-yiK8MwIiASNY9JdRoFZ2PPYyXQHOtygCEw\/s1600\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B4.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"From Getting Ripped off in Hanoi to Struggling to Change Money and Almost Losing my Passport in Luang Prabang\" border=\"0\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-__Ti_Lnmi94\/WOkjj9OOpwI\/AAAAAAAAIW4\/M-yiK8MwIiASNY9JdRoFZ2PPYyXQHOtygCEw\/s640\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B4.jpg\" title=\"Inside Temple of Literature\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n My father was shocked too! Imagine my horror that time. That was like a trip from the airport to our hotel! I am not prepared to pay 400000VND, especially that I still want to change some of it to Lao Kip when we arrive in Luang Prabang and that all of my money are budgeted. I don't know how I would contest with the driver. We don't want to cause any fight since we're in a Foreign land. Imagine what we could have done and bought with 400000VND! It is roughly P1000+!!!\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n Of course, I know these type of scams happen anywhere especially to travelers. I don't know why locals think that travelers have lots of money. Didn't they know that we spent lots of time and effort on our day\u0026nbsp;jobs just to afford traveling? And not even a luxurious one! Budget traveling to be exact. Doing these to tourists would lose the reputation of their own city.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n Lucky for them, Vietnam has an amazing history and food so it can somehow make up for their behaviors. But then again, it is not right to do such thing to travelers. Or even with the locals. This is probably one of the experiences I won't forget. The taxi driver seemed so nice! I guess \"looks can be deceiving\" is always applicable anywhere and everywhere. \u003Ci\u003E*sigh*\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n I keep on repeating to myself on what I could've said to the driver. I could've said we were not going to pay since it's obvious that he cheated, I could've asked him to go to the nearest police station( I don't see any though). I could've raged but I was too shock to know that we're actually victims of taxi scam I only read on the internet.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n I wanted to shout at the driver, get mad, get angry. My father was also angry. But no, we couldn't do anything so even though I don't want to pay. I gave him the 400000VND he easily got from us through cheap scam. What a sad day. :(\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5VEVSlTE_D4\/WOkjF_SOh6I\/AAAAAAAAIW4\/ooPPKFj9wXwaXhrkNryIzvYn41CX0AYNgCEw\/s1600\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"From Getting Ripped off in Hanoi to Struggling to Change Money and Almost Losing my Passport in Luang Prabang\" border=\"0\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-5VEVSlTE_D4\/WOkjF_SOh6I\/AAAAAAAAIW4\/ooPPKFj9wXwaXhrkNryIzvYn41CX0AYNgCEw\/s640\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B2.jpg\" title=\"Motorbikes in Hanoi\" width=\"426\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003EMotorbikes everywhere\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n But we still got a whole day ahead of us! No time to get sad. :(\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n And when we got off? We still had to walk to go to our destination. I just wanted to get back to the hotel. I didn't want to continue touring anymore. I am not also much attentive to the details of the temple we visited. I just want to lay down and rest. Our money was already budgeted. And that 400000VND was supposed to be the money I will use to buy some souvenirs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n I just kept thinking that the money fell from my pocket. It could have been prevented but as what others say, charge it to experience. Manila drivers have cheap scam and tricks too but Hanoi drivers are much worse! I swear. If this ever happens again to me in Vietnam, I now know what to do.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n After seeing the entirety of temple of literature, we decided to go back to the hotel and just eat our late lunch in nearby cafes. We saw a Jollibee branch so we tried it. And actually, it took us a lot of time to order because our money isn't enough to buy the stuff we want to order. Lol! We decided not to change money and withdraw anymore because we'll be departing to Luang Prabang anyway.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n We just maximized the money left. And guys, Jollibee in Vietnam is kinda healthy too! They serve vegetable soup together with your chicken joy! It even has a vegetable side dish. Hope they also serve it here in Manila!\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-zuPQ6pLeO8M\/WOkjjwmV3aI\/AAAAAAAAIW4\/4wEedgGf8wQ6UP43FnxPtQ2oMyg90aNswCEw\/s1600\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"From Getting Ripped off in Hanoi to Struggling to Change Money and Almost Losing my Passport in Luang Prabang\" border=\"0\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-zuPQ6pLeO8M\/WOkjjwmV3aI\/AAAAAAAAIW4\/4wEedgGf8wQ6UP43FnxPtQ2oMyg90aNswCEw\/s640\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang.jpg\" title=\"Hoan Kiem Lake\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003EHoan Kiem Lake\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n We took a cab again but as we went inside, my father already talked to the driver. Let's just say I got traumatized with what happened that on the cab we took going back to the hotel, I just stared at the meter. In the end, we owe him 99000VND which is still expensive compared to the ones we had on our first day. This second driver probably also trying to rip us off without being too obvious.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003Ci\u003EEdit: fell asleep while writing so this is the second part. Still in Luang Prabang. About to check out in a few hours.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n So we left Hanoi that night. We arrived in \u003Cb\u003ELuang Prabang\u003C\/b\u003E at around past 8. We didn't have any Vietnamese dong left. And when we arrived, it seemed that all of the banks and money changers in the entirety of Laos doesn't accept Philippine Peso! Like WHAT?! I can't blame them though. Filipinos aren't fond of visiting Laos so why would they offer to change peso to Lao kip, right?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n The only way we can have money is to withdraw again. Which we did when we arrived in the town center. BTW, Luang Prabang is a province in Laos. And even though it is a province, you can most certainly see a lot of stuff here than Vientiane, Laos' capital city.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-lCLnnR0ubz0\/WOkjWVCiBJI\/AAAAAAAAIW4\/R-LyRz--P8oIL_B00v3681eW8RVvILD1QCEw\/s1600\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B5.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"From Getting Ripped off in Hanoi to Struggling to Change Money and Almost Losing my Passport in Luang Prabang\" border=\"0\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-lCLnnR0ubz0\/WOkjWVCiBJI\/AAAAAAAAIW4\/R-LyRz--P8oIL_B00v3681eW8RVvILD1QCEw\/s640\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B5.jpg\" title=\"Wat Manorom, Luang Prabang\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003EWat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n While we're waiting for our bags, we saw a mini stall that sells sim card. And while we're buying the sim card, that's where we found out they're not familiar with Philippine peso and that banks don't change it to Lao kip.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n Our saver? My father still has Thai baht kept in his journal from when we backpacked in Thailand way back in 2015! Thai baht btw is accepted to everywhere in Laos. You can use it as a local currency. Same with dollars. If you buy something in the market, or just anywhere in Laos, they will just look for the exchange rate and you can pay with THB or USD.\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003Ci\u003EJust a side story: We also got scammed by the sim card vendor. We paid for the 3 days unlimited data, but on our second day in Laos, it expired. The vendor also said that we can use it in Thailand, but no. It's too good to be true. So in the end, we had to topped up so we can use data while in Vientiane.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n So yeah, after buying the sim card, we looked for a mode of transportation that can bring us to the town center. There are airport taxis. So we took it since it's the only one available. We paid for 250 Thai Baht which was okay? I really don't have any idea if it's the right amount as this is the only time we rode a taxi in Laos.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n In Luang Prabang, there are no taxis in the town center. Only tuktuks, and tuktuks that claimed to be a taxi. We managed to get through the night with only the Thai baht my father has.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-iSNOneti6ag\/WOkjja8FHBI\/AAAAAAAAIW4\/ot2se1lKAo0BEMyOWhcgvyFiWW2F944GgCEw\/s1600\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B7.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"From Getting Ripped off in Hanoi to Struggling to Change Money and Almost Losing my Passport in Luang Prabang\" border=\"0\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-iSNOneti6ag\/WOkjja8FHBI\/AAAAAAAAIW4\/ot2se1lKAo0BEMyOWhcgvyFiWW2F944GgCEw\/s640\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B7.jpg\" title=\"Luang Prabang\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n So how did we managed to have cash in Laos? ATM withdrawal. Not bad. The bank\u0026nbsp;charges P150 per international withdrawal which I don't know if it's already a good practice or not. But the thing is, at least we managed to get some cash or else we'll rot in Luang Prabang without having any means to change money.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n Learn from our mistakes and research if your local currency can be exchanged to Lao Kip if you're planning to go here. If you're still aren't sure after thorough research, \u003Cb\u003Eit is best to change your money to USD before flying here.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n Thank God for ATMs! Oh well. So now we have cash, we continued with exploring Luang Prabang as planned. Our itinerary on our first day was to go to Kuang Si falls on the afternoon. This falls we're talking about is a must see in when Luang Prabang. I won't talk much about that here.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n What happened was, after we explored the whole Kuang Si area, we ate a snack at one of the stalls nearby. Well, we haven't had decent lunch for that day yet because we're running late for the pickup time so we just moved the eating part on a later time which is our afternoon snack. We had pork bbq btw.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-cwUYK-vuFUU\/WPB6xNfTfhI\/AAAAAAAAIX4\/DJ4btALd87YGZdClhM15D7qZdJ2iUqcCQCLcB\/s1600\/Luang%2BPrabang.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-cwUYK-vuFUU\/WPB6xNfTfhI\/AAAAAAAAIX4\/DJ4btALd87YGZdClhM15D7qZdJ2iUqcCQCLcB\/s640\/Luang%2BPrabang.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n \u003Ci\u003EKanom Krok (Grilled coconut pancake)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n So while eating, I was also organizing my stuff and my bag and also looking at some Instax photos I took during the trip. There's this pouch where I put all the flyers, brochures, basically everything that has to do with paper that's given to us during the trip. I'm keeping those as souvenirs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n It was cool only that my passport was also kept in this pouch. So while fixing my stuff, I apparently forgot to put the pouch back into my bag. And you know what makes it worse? The fact that I haven't noticed my passport\/pouch is missing until the staff from the stall gave it back to me!\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n Good thing though is that after we left their stall, we went to buy drinks to another stall. And they were looking for me the whole time! They knew that I won't be able to go back to Manila if I don't have my passport. Guess my good karma is at work. And luckily, these good people are the ones who saw it because if not, who knows what will happen next. I might still be in Laos preparing and fixing documents\/papers for a new passport. Imagine what a hassle it could be.\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n Lesson learned! Always get a hold of your passport and check your belongings before leaving! But aside from all these stuff, there are many more things that happened. I guess every travel has its good and bad, especially for backpackers. But if you will ask me, I don't regret anything. Only lessons learned and stories to tell. :)\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n So guys, please don't make the same mistakes!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n Safe travels!\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter\u003E\n \u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003Ccenter\u003E\n \u003Cimg alt=\"From Getting Ripped off in Hanoi to Struggling to Change Money and Almost Losing my Passport in Luang Prabang\" src=\"http:\/\/i65.tinypic.com\/veyq90.jpg\" title=\"From Getting Ripped off in Hanoi to Struggling to Change Money and Almost Losing my Passport in Luang Prabang\" \/\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/feeds\/5532936593234049064\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/2017\/04\/from-getting-ripped-off-in-hanoi-to.html#comment-form","title":"11 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3760548448812987226\/posts\/default\/5532936593234049064"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3760548448812987226\/posts\/default\/5532936593234049064"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.maayalegaspi.com\/2017\/04\/from-getting-ripped-off-in-hanoi-to.html","title":"From Getting Ripped off in Hanoi to Struggling to Change Money and Almost Losing my Passport in Luang Prabang"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Maaya Legaspi"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/10175924963575211047"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh3BjOMHg0AVmLcjpZy8qmbyHpgkPV4x4Q0ibrw3T2WG035M3C-LPhQaxlHgzbpRR2yKGPoJvWQ2gQNBv9HYgnKtPki7fFwSbKW7zU8zCn2kYWN8CUhjWNo9iCX6IHMgQ\/s220\/IMG_5916.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-b9iH7XBVD0s\/WOkjV6PEDCI\/AAAAAAAAIWk\/S8VVTwoOvJ4kz0VSmif5RNHLldMZWJw6QCLcB\/s72-c\/Hanoi%2B-%2BLuang%2BPrabang%2B6.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"11"},"georss$featurename":{"$t":"Luang Prabang, Laos"},"georss$point":{"$t":"19.8833959 102.13468740000008"},"georss$box":{"$t":"19.8236684 102.05400640000008 19.9431234 102.21536840000007"}}]}});