ChansBlog: Slow boat to Lao PDR (Lao People's Democratic Republic)

I was sad to leave Chiang Mai but had already stayed 8 days !
I would miss the Britannia Guest house and its pink decor..and of course the owner's funny looking dog (which was very cute till he nipped your feet)...:

I was picked up by a van which then drove us to 'Chiang Khong', the border town on the Thai side of the Mekong river.

There were 3 modes of transport to our final destination - 'Luang Prabang' a Unesco designated World Heritage town in the middle of Laos. You could take the slow boat (which took 2 days but you'd see brilliant scenery and get to know your fellow passengers), the fast boat (if you were a masochist) or the bus which was non-stop for 18 hours !

Map of Laos

By the time we arrived in Chiang Khong, it was evening and we had dinner where i got to know a few of my fellow passengers - an English couple Tom and Robbie and 2 girls from Montreal in Canada - Sophia and Marie.

The next morning, we passed Thai border control and took a boat to the Lao border town - Huay Xai. Laos provides visa on arrival for most countries. The cost for UK citizens is USD 35 (which must be paid in US dollars) and you need a single photograph. After this we were given a ride to a shop where we stocked up on provisions and some booze and then boarded the slow boat...

The slow boat was a long boat with the skipper at the front, a toilet at the back and life jackets, with open sides so you could enjoy the view...

We wiled away our time, playing cards (especially the game Uno), reading, chatting and having the occasional beer..by evening we'd arrived at the stop over town 'Pak Beng'.

From the pier, there was a climbing road to the guest houses and I'd read unscrupulous porters would grab your bags from the boat and charge you excessive fees for hauling them up the road. So i held on to my ruck sack for dear life and jumped on to the pier.
I was one of the last off the boat and there were a handful of touts trying to promote their guest houses. One of them was a pretty lady in a short green dress and for some unknown reason i unwittingly gave her my attention.... the guest house she was promoting looked really nice and she was offering it for GBP 4.25 a night !!! There must be some mistake i thought but there wasn't (beautiful..)... it turned out to be the best value accommodation i'd booked so far on my travels....a brand new bungalow with ensuite and hot water, right on the river..

The view from my balcony in the evening and at breakfast....('backpacking has definitely become a lot easier in these countries' i thought, as i munched on my toast)..

I got talking to one of the staff at the guest house and he told me that it was low season which was why the rooms were this price. During high season (June to February) they charged up to GBP 12 a night. I secretly hoped all accommodation in Laos would be like this! (but had been told it would be a little more expensive than Thailand)...

The Mekong now acts as the western border between Thailand and Laos but he also told me that Thailand had fought with Laos 20 years ago and taken the land to the west of the Mekong, which was formerly Laos. Laoatian men were apparently good fighters and though outnumbered and out-gunned caused heavy casualties among the Thais. Thailand no longer has (or wants) border disputes with the country. Interestingly this is not the case with Cambodia where the Thai and Cambodian armies have clashed recently in the south...

We got back on the boat for another 8 hour journey to Luang Prabang...

Here are Tom and Robbie reading..

Every now and again we stopped next to other boats to load goods and people (through the roof)..one or two hippies at front mucked in with the loading of goods...