Laos

[Coss]

Thanks for that, plans are developing - a year to go though.

 

Cheers

 

Coss

[pattaya127]

dwon the Mekong somewhere near the golden triangle, down to Luang Prabang.

-------------------------------

That was in Chiang Khong, east of Chiang rai. Can be done both ways and in speed boats (3 to 4 hours) or at a leisurely pace, with one overnight stay (I think).

[Encore]

Yes, great trip. Start at Chiang Kong in LOS, cross over to Huay Xai, and take a boat (fast or slow) to LP. Or, take a medium size boat (leaves from the arrival ramp in HX) That takes you a couple of hours down the Mekong to Pak Tha, and then goes up the Namtha river to Luang Namtha.

 

Laos is a great place to visit, and far less 'touristicised' than LOS

[Guest]

I made this trip now!

admittedly: in the rainy season, in September, but it is an unforgettable experience.

 

It is a two-day trip. You start at Huai Xai, opposite of Chiang Khong, on the Lao side. Be there early in the morning (8-9am)at the immigration office at Pier 2 in Chiang Khong. A boat then brings you to the Lao side within a minute. From there a small van taxi brings you to the "small boat pier", a little north of the Lao immigration office.the boat waits till it is full, and then it starts at about 10:30, or later. (there are 2 kinds of boats going down to Luang Prabang: a small baot and a speed boat. Please do not take the speed boat: it is tooo noicy, too expensive and too dangerouse. Within the last 6 months there were speed boat accidents with 6 deaths, because the speed boat drivers took Yabaah.)

 

At first the trip goes down the Thai-Lao border. Here the area is still a little boaring, but this changes when the Mekong goes deep inside Lao. Very exciting landscape! the jungle comes directy to the river, and you pass through a mountain landscape. Fantastic!

 

After a six hours ride in the first day you stay over night in a small village called Padbeng. Nice basic village! i stayed there for 60 Baht a night, with a view over the Mekong. ( i think i never stayed so cheap somewhere in my entire life!) The most expensive hotel charges you there 300 Baht!!!

 

Next day you ride another 6-7 hours, and you pass a cave with 5000 Buddha sculptures about 30 km before Luang Prabang. We made a deal with the captain, and so he stopped there for an hour.

 

I want to highly recomment anybody to do this tour. I think the best time to do it is at the end of September, when the rainy season has stopped, but the Mekong has still a high water level. If you dont do it in or after the rainy season, it is much more dangerouse to do this ride, because then there are a lot of rocks in the river that the boat has to circumvent.

[Coss]

Gentlemen,

 

Thanks for the info, very helpfull

 

Cheers

 

Coss

[johnnyk]

It's a wonderful place, just don't tell everybody.

I like it more than Thai. The people are not money crazy, they live Buddhism while too many Thais just talk it.

The smiles seem more genuine, no cobra eyes.

Sidewalks in Vientiane were in better condition than along Suk, I could actually walk and look around without fear of breaking my leg on something or falling into a hole. Traffic is a joke, mostly motos and not crazed. Laotians don't race to the red light!

 

Oh yeah, P4P is there but not in your face. The tuk tuks will quietly offer to you and in the clubs you can tell who is working and who isn't. Many guest houses don't care and the first place I stayed in offered me a girl, overall the Thai girls seemed prettier.

 

Can't wait to go back.