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Published: December 26th 2009
The 2hr bus from Chiang Rai to Chang Khong cost us a whopping 65 THB...or AU $2.20.
The entire distance was travelled with both doors wide open and our fingers crossed our bags didn't fling out on the corners.
Once in Chiang Khong we took a tuk tuk for 30THB each to Thai immigration, got stamped, jumped on a longtail boat for the 2 minute journey across to Laos. Immigration there is quite straight forward. You apply for a visa on arrival, hand them 1300 THB (1500 THB for other nationalities) and a passport photo.
We timed it well and arrived at around 1pm missing the masses that cross before the departure of the slow boats to Luang Prabang at 11am.
We checked into our cute little thatched guesthouse which was 300THB (around$10 AU) and headed down to the pier to have a beerlaos....or two.
In the months leading up to this trip I had researched to no end, an alternative to the cattle-truck-like slow boats that do the trip between Huay Xai and Pak Beng then on to Luang Prabang over 2 days.
After much debating I had chosen The Nagi of Mekong, which was about 5
times the price of the general slow boat and half the price of the Luang Say. For our hefty fee we were promised comfortable seats, a western toilet, hot lunch, accommodation in Pak Beng and a couple of village and cave stops. Fearing all may not be as it seems (as is often the way over here), I was pleasantly surprised when our 40 seat long boat departed with only 10 guests on board and we cruised off in comfort.
The Mekong looks much like a strong latte, it swirls in eddies around boulders and along white sandy beaches. Children wave as they bathe, laughing as they wiggle their bums at us. The journey begins 😊
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