Crossing into Laos

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When I took my cooking class in Chiang Mai, one of the students mentioned The Gibbon Experience to me as something worthwhile to check out while in northern Laos. I had just started planning for the border crossing and wondered what I was going to do once I arrived in Huay Xai.

Once I found out more about the program, the choice was easy. Did I want to start my experience of Laos spending two days on a slow boat to Luang Prabang? or Did I want to hike, sleep in treehouses and use zip lines to soar through the forest canopy in the Bokeo Nature Reserve? I called, of course they had availability, and all I had to do was make it from Chiang Mai to Chiang Kong and across the border to Huay Xai within 24hours to secure my spot. Easy enough.

I'll spare you the details, but it took 5 modes of transport to get me across the border, in part because the direct bus was sold out. I actually enjoyed my bumpy ride in the rusted out local bus, chatting with a few locals, an Australian girl and dozing with the hot breeze pushing through the windows. Much better voyage than the cramped, stifled, and cranky VIP bus I ended up on for the first part of the journey.

Laos really is a developing nation and there is little infrastructure to support tourism. One of the 'quirks' that takes some planning is a lack of ATMs. They are starting to pop up very frequently and guide books can't keep track of it at all, but Huay Xai has a money changer and that is about all. If you find yourself in the area, plan accordingly!

Tiny boat crossed the river with me and my now growing and heavy bag. I'm starting to hate it at this juncture, but am still staying strong with wheeling it about and hoisting it when necessary (which has been very infrequent). My thanks go out to Kelly for convincing me to go for the hybrid bag! I love wheels and this puppy is tough. I got a steal of a deal on a day pack at the Chiang Mai markets so I would have a bag
to hike in with and pack some items for my 3days in the forest.

Arriving in Huay Xai, there is an immigration office to your right and no one is watching to see if you actually stop. I think you could easily get into Laos at this crossing without a proper visa, but I didn't test the waters to see if it would be possible. Danielle - the Australian girl from my bus - was starved and looking for a guesthouse also so we ended up bunking up and wandering the streets to find some fuel. Not an easy task in the middle of the afternoon as it was neither lunch nor dinner and the fires weren't going.

After I check in at the Gibbons, we wander around town, check out the slow boat dock, and stop at the local market which we sniffed out by following the plastic baggies and scooters. We were still operating on Baht and trying to make the mental conversion to Kip and dollars (AUS and US) which led to some insane moments trying to calculate the price of a mango and negotiate with a woman from the village without speaking any Lao. Our evening was spent walking and eating before turning in for an early start the next day.

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Photos

Slow Boat Dock
Sunset at the docks