Currency Exchange -- U.S. dollars and Thai baht are both widely accepted here. The Lane Xang Bank is at Phothisarat Road near the post office. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 8:30am to 3:30pm. You can exchange cash and traveler's checks in most major currencies. You can also withdraw cash using a Visa card. There's another Lane Xang money-changing office on Xieng Thong Road next to the Luang Prabang Bakery. Banque Pour Le Commerce Exterieur Lao has an office on "restaurant row" (tel. 071/252-983).
Emergencies -- For police, dial tel. 071/212-453; for a medical emergency, call tel. 071/252-049.
Internet Access -- Service was once patched through Vientiane, but now cable and satellite connections mean you can easily keep in touch from Luang Prabang. Internet cafes line the busy block of Phothisarat, "restaurant row," and are also scattered about town. Expect to pay around 100 kip per minute (US60¢/£0.30 per hr.).
Mail -- The post office is on the corner of Phothisarat and Kitsalat roads, across from Luang Prabang Travel and Tourism. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8am to noon and 1 to 5pm, Saturday from 8am to noon.
Telephones -- The city code for Luang Prabang is 71. The telephone center in town consists of two booths around the corner from the post office on Kitsalat Road. You can buy local and international phone cards in an office across the street.
