Blogs from Chiang Khong, Northern Thailand, Thailand, Asia - page 4

Into Laos: slow-boat on the Mekong As we drew up in the bus at the bus station in Pai we could tell straight away that this was not the same place we had left a few days previously. The place was very crowded and there were many more stalls blocking the passage of traffic along the narrowing streets. We concluded that people were visiting for the King's birthday, and continued on foot to our guest house. Full. That was the reply to our inquiry after a room, and indeed at the other dozen establishments we asked at. It seems the Thais have a long weekend for the celebrations and Pai is becoming a popular place to go to for this - much like the Lake District on a bank holiday! Even the banks of the river ... read more

We are now nearing the end of the Thailand leg of our journey. On 9th May we endured a seven hour long and hot bus journey from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong, near the border for Laos. The plan being to spend a few relaxing days in the far north of Thailand before continuing to Laos. We have a lovely bungalow with a balcony overlooking the Mekong River and Laos, perfect for chilling out. Yesterday we hired mopeds once again and had a day driving through the countryside. We saw a sign for a waterfall so decided to follow it... and ended up doing some serious off-road shopper bike riding! These bikes will do literally any terrain you try! The waterfall was quite nice, but the route there and back was more memorable for its hills, ... read more

Day 1 (Wednesday) - Par for the course, I slept most of the first half of the bus ride. Along the way we got some stunning views of the countryside. Thailand is a beautiful country with rolling prairies, sharp hills and dense forest. And what is amazing is how fast they all transition from one setting to the next and then back again. There were breathtaking views but perhaps most breathtaking was the thunderstorm that came up in the last 30 minutes of the trip. Light danced all around the windows as the bus jitterbugged with the wind as we climbed around the bends of the highway. We finally arrived and for once no one wanted to leave the bus. It was pouring outside and Chiang Khong was not large enough to support a large bus ... read more

One thing I love in Thailand is that the majority of places you go, whether it be an internet cafe, a hostel, a shopping mart, and most definitely at a temple, you are expected to take off your shoes. I love being barefoot. It's one of the greatest feelings. Everywhere I go, I leave my shoes in the pile of flip-flops right outside the door and they are always there waiting for me whenever I return. Half the time on the island of Koh Chang, my flip-flops were left in the bungalow, because I knew I'd be taking them off anyway. And somehow, it just doesn't feel dirty. It feels right. One thing I hate in Thailand is that on every daytime bus trip there is a stop off in a village where you usually have ... read more

Got up pretty early to catch our bus to Chaing Khong. Waited at the station for ages for the bus, about as punctual as England. We arrived 7 hours later in at the Laos border after very painful Thai music the whole way on the bus. We followed some Europeans who looked more like they knew what they were doing and where they were going. We crossed the Mekong on a ferry to Houay Xai, Laos and after about 20mins of visa paperwork, we were safely in the country. You can tell why so much opium was smuggled over the borders here though, we could've bought anything into the country - no checks at all. Houay Xai wasn't a great town but we were only there one night. We found a pretty cheap place to stay ... read more