Our primary goal in Laos was the world famous UNESCO Heritage town Luang Prabang. To get there, there is – except fly – two options:
The first is a 2-day boat trip on the Mekong. Sound first quite well until we looked a little deeper into the subject. There is a public boat for around 25 € / person, which used primarily by budget-conscious backpackers. Publicly in this case is probably wood class, so wooden benches. In high season the ships are probably so overbooked that not even that is guaranteed, and at nearly 18 hours on the boat. A typical case of “You get what you pay for” … Of course “real” cruise ships, but there’s one loose at 150 € / person, only for stop over at some villages and (once again) a little the term “human zoo “to breathe life. Even that appeared only partially desirable us. As we had read that both days of boating are relatively similar, we had briefly considered the “Speedboat” to take, which manages the route in a day, and only slightly more expensive than the public “Slowboat” is. After a few testimonials about lost luggage to death but was also not a real option for us.
Option 2 goes from the border crossing by bus to northern Laos – almost to the border with China – to where the small town of Luang Namtha to visit, which is situated directly on a National Biodiversity Park (quasi a nature reserve). From there it goes on the bus to Luang Prabang. Alternatively we had even read by a detour, which then take a boat tour on the less-developed and hopefully beautiful river Nam Ou heard what actually rather appealed to us.
You might notice that we easily’s preferred, but unfortunately there was this still a problem that the main activity is hiking in Luang Namtha, what was more difficult due to Kerstins injury. Option 2 However, we boating came on wooden benches also not so much better before, which is why we still opted for Luang Namtha to explore the park, at least with the scooter
After we had experienced at the bus station in Chiang Rai that of the Lao border town of Huay Xai always at 15:00 a bus to Luang Namtha, we therefore sat down at 10:30 in the bus from Chiang Rai to Huay Xai, which directly cross the border and waits also all Immigration matters of passengers. Actually a really good invention, especially when you consider the alternative: a bus to the border town in Thailand, exit at a road junction, Tuk Tuk to the Thai border posts, leaving Thailand, a new tuk tuk on the bridge to the Laotian border post (run prohibited), entry Laos, and even a new tuk tuk to Huay Xai. Unfortunately we had made our bill without the driver in Laos because of the 15:00 bus was without grounds simply deleted, so we had to wait for the 18:00 bus for 5 hours Bus Station to the boundary transgression.
When we had the wait finally bridged look with lunch and movies and sat in the bus, we got even feel how the Laotian driver tick that. After an hour, was stopped first and rumgedoktert something on the bus (probably coolant and brake fluid), after a further 1.5 hours, the bus driver then made a stop so that he could eat a 30 minute evening only 1 hour later to arrive in Luang Namtha. Two stops for 3.5 hour trip is really but a bit exaggerated, right?
Anyway, we eventually arrived around 23:00 at our hotel. So a mere 12 hours for ridiculous 400km crow … How we performed in Luang Namtha, then is the next entry!