In order to get from Laos to Thailand, there are a number of routes available. Considering we were already in the north of Laos though, and wanted to use buses as sparsely as possible, we decided to take a boat trip from Luang Prabang to the Thai border at Chiang Kong (in Laos it is Huay Xai). By taking the slow boat, it involved 16 hours on the Mekhong over 2 days.
We arrived early in the morning (at 7.30 when the ticket office was supposed to open) and secured good seats away from the noisy engine, which was lucky, as the boat soon filled right up. It was much cheaper than buying a package tour with accommodation included, and we took all the details on how to do it and how much it should cost from this excellent blog.
We passed sublime scenery of thick jungle and admired the meanderings of one of the world's great rivers. It was especially interesting to see how local people interact with the river; using it as highway; supermarket; playground; and source of water for gardens, cleaning and washing. Some of the villages were incredibly picturesque, and appeared to be completely cut-off except for their river access.
The first night we arrived after dark, and stayed in a cheap guesthouse in Pak Beng. It was at the very edge of town, up the hill and where the houses involved in the tourist industry turned into houses for locals, with a stark difference in style and building materials.
The second morning was (relatively) cold and misty, and I regretted having given away my jumper in Vietnam. It made for a majestic scene though, the hills nestled under banks of cloud as we chugged along the river.
Our second boat was quite different from the first, as there were far fewer people - almost all tourists now instead of the equal mix of foreigners and Laotians. We managed to secure a bank of 5 seats so we were able to spread out and change our positions throughout the day, which made it much more comfortable. Yet again, this was due to our being early on the boat - at least an hour before departure.
We arrived in Huay Xai before dark and stayed at a guesthouse rather than trying to dash for the border before it closed. Had we succeeded in getting across to Thailand, we would have still had a 5 hour mini-bus to Chiang Mai, and we were sick of moving by that stage. The next morning we took the ferry across from Laos to Thailand, both borders taking less than 15 minutes each - a very dignified crossing.
We arrived early in the morning (at 7.30 when the ticket office was supposed to open) and secured good seats away from the noisy engine, which was lucky, as the boat soon filled right up. It was much cheaper than buying a package tour with accommodation included, and we took all the details on how to do it and how much it should cost from this excellent blog.
We passed sublime scenery of thick jungle and admired the meanderings of one of the world's great rivers. It was especially interesting to see how local people interact with the river; using it as highway; supermarket; playground; and source of water for gardens, cleaning and washing. Some of the villages were incredibly picturesque, and appeared to be completely cut-off except for their river access.
The first night we arrived after dark, and stayed in a cheap guesthouse in Pak Beng. It was at the very edge of town, up the hill and where the houses involved in the tourist industry turned into houses for locals, with a stark difference in style and building materials.
The second morning was (relatively) cold and misty, and I regretted having given away my jumper in Vietnam. It made for a majestic scene though, the hills nestled under banks of cloud as we chugged along the river.
Our second boat was quite different from the first, as there were far fewer people - almost all tourists now instead of the equal mix of foreigners and Laotians. We managed to secure a bank of 5 seats so we were able to spread out and change our positions throughout the day, which made it much more comfortable. Yet again, this was due to our being early on the boat - at least an hour before departure.
We arrived in Huay Xai before dark and stayed at a guesthouse rather than trying to dash for the border before it closed. Had we succeeded in getting across to Thailand, we would have still had a 5 hour mini-bus to Chiang Mai, and we were sick of moving by that stage. The next morning we took the ferry across from Laos to Thailand, both borders taking less than 15 minutes each - a very dignified crossing.
