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Published: February 5th 2009
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Polly:
After our short boat ride across the Mekong River to the Laos town of Huay Xai, we filled in our visa applications and paid the US$35 each for our thirty-day visas. They processed these quickly and stamped our passports.
We then walked up the slipway towards the town, stopping at a tour agency to enquire about our onward transport. All the boats and buses from Huay Xai depart in the morning, so we had to stay in the town for a night. We stopped at the first guesthouse, and took a room for 91,000 Laos Kip. The room was comfortable, and the price (approximately 7 GBP) included breakfast.
After dumping our heavy bags we went in search of food. There weren't many restaurants to choose from, but we found a small Indian cafe and had a tasty lunch of curry, rice and a cheese naan.
In 2007, Laos only had one cash machine, located in Vientiane, but thankfully this has now changed, and we found an ATM in the town. We withdrew the maximum amount, 700,000 Kip, and went to book a boat to Luang Prubang. There was also the option of a ten-hour bus, but
we decided that a boat trip would be more scenic. There were two options for this; an eight-hour speedboat, which had a high fatality rate due to the many rocky outcrops along the river banks; or the two day slow-boat, stopping for a night in Pak Beng. We chose the slow-boat, and found the cheapest agent in town, charging us 240,000 Kip each.
By now it was late, and there wasn't much to do in the town so we decided to have an early night. As we were going to be in remote areas for a few days, we found an internet cafe so that we could send a message home and let them know of our whereabouts. It was then that I received a sad e-mail from my Mum, telling me that my Grandpa had died. I felt really emotional, and sad that I was so far away. We searched the town for a phone box, or for a shop selling a local SIM card, but to no avail. We bought two bottles of 'Beer Lao' and went back to our room to try and digest the news. I turned on my mobile and, being so close to
Village kids selling refreshment
These little entrepreneurs dived on board whenever the boat stopped Thailand, I managed to pick up a Thai network, and phoned Mum. We had a sad, but lovely chat, remembering Grandpa.
Part of me felt like I should fly home, but Mum, and later Tam & Sophie, reassured me that it is not what he would have wanted.
The following morning I wanted to use the internet again, but unfortunately it was no longer working! We had our breakfast then went to catch our boat.
The slow-boat was a primitive steel vessel with narrow, two-seater, wooden benches lined up on either side. It was meant to seat eighty people, but by the time we departed, we had counted more than one hundred and thirty passengers. Many of us complained to the captain, but he just became angry and said that he would take down names for insolence! Ross and I had a seat so decided to leave the matter, but there were about forty people crouched on the floor at the back of the boat around the engine. It wasn't the most comfortable seven hours, but the views were spectacular and the rides down the faster flowing sections of the river were pretty exciting. There was a
group of 'gap-year' kids making a nuisance out of themselves, getting drunk, spilling beer, and talking loudly, but nothing an iPod couldn't block out.
When we arrived at Pak Beng we were met with many young men, holding up pictures of their guesthouses. Whilst Ross waited for the luggage, I negotiated a room for 45,000 Kip, as far away as possible from the drunk idiots. The room was basic but fine, and in a peaceful spot.
We then went in search of a phone or the internet, but found out that the town had neither! So we went to get some dinner. Whilst looking at the menu outside, the loudest, most arrogant and obnoxious of the drunks appeared behind us. We were ready to turn around and choose another restaurant when a waiter at a neighbouring cafe lured him and his hareem in with the offer of a free bottle of Lao whisky.
After dinner, and before the generators were switched off, we took our iPods and camera batteries to the 'posh' hotel across the street to charge them, as we had no sockets in our room. Eating at the hotel were a lovely couple from Vancouver
Island, and two Parisian doctors. We had a cup of tea and chatted with them for the evening. We all mused that perhaps the beer-boys may get too drunk and miss the boat the next morning!
We woke up early to secure good seats on the boat and were stunned to see that the one, uncomfortable boat had been replaced with two smaller vessels. One of these was just like a smaller version or the boat we had been on the previous day within church-pew benches, but the other one was like much more luxurious. It had old, leather, reclining minibus seats, and was laid out with its own bar and dance floor/poker table. We chose the VIP option and had a fantastic eight-hour cruise whilst the hung-over stragglers arrived late and had to board the other boat.
When we arrived in Luang Prubang, we were met by the same kind of guys selling rooms. We couldn't believe the prices that they were asking so we set off with our rucksacks, for a long hike around the town...
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