The Border Crossing from Boten to Laos - made easy.

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I get to Xishuangbanna and stay at possibly the world's worst Hostel. If you are ever in the area do NOT go to Many Trees International hostel. If the morose and relentlessly barking dog weren't bad enough then the surly receptionists with little to no English and crap mis information, the absene of decent restaurant or bar, the hardest – plywood beds with risible 2 inch sheets for mattresses, dirty toilets, stained bathrooms make up for it. Its vile. What's worse is i've told a couple of people in Dali i'll be there who promptly follow – I feel guilty. There is a nice hostel with adjoining cafe and restaurant in Xisuangbanna– its called the Mekong. Stay there. Now that we are on the border to Laos its nudging 30 degrees again. The city is hot and cramped. Its famous for its peacock lake which I take a walk around and I go for a nice run along the bridge across the Mekong River. There is a Jade market near by the hostel and the region is famous for its Puer Tea plantations. I buy some of the green variety for my leaky old flask and it tastes good.

There is a wild elephant valley which I opt not to go for on the advice of a local tour guide who tells me its touristy and crowded and the elephants don't like it 😞 The chinese aren't exactly great when it comes to animal welfare – watching the big golden retriever tied up all day at the hostel and barking for attention is heart breaking as are the pet shops I pass crammed with young adult dogs. I decide I will save my money for an environmentally responsible eco project that ensures the welfare of its wildlife (and so should you by the way.) Lonely planet recommends a sancturay for elephants in Cambodia where you can volunteer. It won't let you ride them but they are happy...

You can do trekking in these regions – homestays and hikes around the tea plantations. If i'd had more time on my visa and found some people to accompany me I may have done one. Two people are the minimum and the more people you get in the group the more the price comes down. I find a great cafe with helpful people called The Forest Cafe – run by Sarah. They make homemade bread, chocolate pancakes and great tasting western and Chinese food. Sarah does the treks herself for 300 yuan (about 30 pounds.) Unfortunately she is about to head off on a three day trek which is too long for my visa – but if I had had more time I would have definitely done one – a final chance to see the rice fields and tea plantations of this stunning province.

I've been given loads of differing information about how to get into Laos. The short answer is you can get a bus direct from Jinhong in Xishuanbanna to Luang Namtha just across the border in Laos. It takes about 7 hours and the bus driver stops at the border at Boten so you can get a visa on arrival which costs $37. Its easy and painless. Unlike dealing with the staff of the Many Trees International Youth Hostel or "Many Answers" as I now like to refer to it - who tell me I have to get a visa at the embassy first and that it will cost 50 dollars depending if I want to pay for it to arrive next day. Luckily the Mekong Hostel and Cafe have more up to date advice and inform me that all the bus drivers now stop at the border to sort out visas – and this is confirmed by Wikitravel. I have my final Chinese meal in a restaurant where (thank goodness) the owner speaks a few words of English. Its Sichuan so I end up getting Kung Pao chicken and an aubergine fried in garlic and chilli. Both are fried and swimming in oil. Again i've struggled to eat healthily here and vow to myself to end the relentless ice cream and snickers diet I seem to have started in China -for the rest of Asia. My body is a temple and all that. (except sometimes my mindlikes to say – yes but what your temple needs right now is a banana and chocolate pancake offering...Hmmmm...)

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