Laos PDR (People's Democratic Republic or Please Don't Rush)

Goodbye Thailand!

Silly lazy cat at my hostel

I left Chiang Mai a little earlier than anticipated. I had just found a climbing partner who was willing to go with me out to Crazy Horse but my new traveling companion's visa has run out. We left Chiang Mai on a 3rd class bus to Chiang Rai (3 hrs). And it was worth every Bhat. The seats were small, there was no luggage storage and it was a full bus.


We got to Chiang Rai in the evening, checked into a small guesthouse and went out for some food. The local night market in Chiang Rai was quite nice. Very laid back and quiet. We sat down and had some hawker food (again, very good) and chilled out to enjoy the atmosphere. After that we headed back to goto sleep for the next day we were preparing to cross the border.

We had the option to pay a packaged tour 1400 THB to take us across, but we decided that we're going to be cheap. We took the bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong (3 hrs, 3rd class as usual). We went through immigration and got our visa's into Laos. For some reason Canadians have to pay the most for the visa (42 USD, average is 32 USD). Peeved but excited, we headed to the slow boat (800 THB) which was going to take us to our next destination, Luang Probang. This would be a two day journey with an overnight stop in the small town Pak Bang.


Now when i say slow boat, its a little misleading. The boat is slow, yes, but not THAT slow. What makes the slow boat slow, is that it stops in every single little village to pickup and drop off people. And this boat they don't park like in Bangkok, this one takes a while to dock every time. On top of that, i'm sitting on a wooden plank bench (no pillow) which feels like hell after about 10 min. The trip to Pak Bang took 6 hrs. And of course it started raining along the way. Fortunately the boat had tarps which we pulled down to shield us.

This was my first boat

Rain off in the distance

Pak Bang is a serious shit hole. We were only there for one night, and i knew it would be the way it was. I'm glad it was just a stopping point. Thank god that Jason had told me how it was or i might have misjudged the Lao people.

The second boat

Some village kids when we stopped to drop people off

The next morning we were back on the boat (this time a slightly smaller one but with the same amount of people). This time the boat had a slight list to the starboard side and i swear it was going to roll over every time we turned left (but eventually you get used to it). It took 9.5 hrs to get to Luang Probang. There was no food/water available on this boat (the other one had snacks, drinks, etc...), only warm Beerlao (Lao beer). There was some bread available but it was being sold by the woman who also cleaned the bathroom floor with her hands, so no thanks.

What a wicked place to climb! Too bad its a temple cave

The boat ride, aside from the noise, exhaust fumes and rickety boat, was breathtaking. The scenery is beautiful and is a serious journey backwards in time. Waterways are the highways of human past. Before there were trains, planes and highways, everything moved on rivers. Its a weird feeling to sit there and watch the river bend this way and that. Watch the scenery move slowly by. In an open air, wooden river boat sitting on wooden seats, you feel the environment the way people in the past did. Traveling through countries is one thing, traveling through time is another.

Sun over the Mekong River

Time seems to have no meaning out here. The Lao people don't really know what a schedule is and keeping it seems to be the furthest thing from their mind. Its a different way of life out here. An older way of life? A better way of life? Its not for me, but there are some aspects that i think everyone back home should incorporate into their lives.

My new friend. Trust me, these things are huge! They rival my lizard friend in Kanchanaburi!