When I told the official, he actually told me to walk through customs (leaving my passport as collateral) and into the airport forecourt where I could change my various notes to US dollars at the money exchange and then come back and go through immigration - how bizarre. At the money exchange (no cash machines in Luang Prabang airport), I managed to muster $30 from my Vietnamese Dong and Thai Baht and by trading my tenner, I'd make it; however, the woman was having none of my "Royal Bank of Scotland" Sterling note. "No have lady, no have lady" said she, stabbing my tenner with her finger, totally unconvinced of my explanation that Sterling is Sterling. "I show you lady." to which I replied "Yes, I know what Queen Elizabeth looks like thank you very much." In desperation, I even resorted to the words that are spoken by thousands of people across SE Asia at any given moment in time to explain anything and everything: "Same, Same... but different" and at that point I realised I was getting nowhere. Actually, if anything, I was closer to being sent back on the next flight to Hanoi.
