the Laotian border

Liza left us in Chiang Mai and returned to Bangkok to go back to work. Monday morning, Dave and I were picked up from Your House Guesthouse in a white van crammed FULL of adventurous backpackers, heading for the Laos border. We had purchased a package trip, something I don't typically do while traveling, but it seemed like the easiest, safest way to do this leg of the trip. I'm glad we did. The group we ended up traveling with was all backpackers, well traveled from around the world, ready to step off the deep end.


Northern Thailand- rice fields and otherworldly rock formations

We spent the whole day in the back of the van, hurdling around corners. I tried to sleep most of the way because we were the last people picked up and therefore squeezed into the back, where the air conditioning barely touched us (did I mention how HOT it was!). My motion sickness wasn't happy. On the occassions that I DID look out the window, there were some amazing views of Northern Thailand to be had- mostly rice and jungle.

We stopped once at a little market on the side of the road- people selling food, unidentifiable delicacies, as kids ran all over the place. I followed my nose to a guy who was making battered and fried green banana slices- oh my god, so good! He would shovel the hot, sweet, greasy chunks into a white paper sack- fill it up for cheap! I shared them around.


cats on a hot straw roof

That night we were put up in a clean and basic hotel, where for a small fee they would take care of all of the red tape, paperwork, and money exchange we needed to cross the border from Thailand to Laos in the morning. I'm sure they were making a bit of money off the process, but the people were genuine and kind, and it really made the whole process easy. The photo above is from the open air covered porch where we ate a decent buffet thai-food dinner (also included)- the cats were playing in the straw of the roof next door.


the boat we took to cross the Mekong River

Tuesday morning we awoke, had breakfast at the same place, and packed our bags. Dave and I made a quick run out for more water in the town- basically one road with a couple of shops. We also bought chocolate and some munchies. Last thing we purchased was two lime green lumpy pillows, to put down on the wooden benches on the slow boat we were about to call home for the next two days. A good purchase for $1.

Back in the vans, and we were dropped at the end of the road where it sloped down and disappeared under the sluggish brown Mekong River. It was already getting hot out as we were directed, mostly through pantomime, to get into these little skinny wooden boats waiting at the river's edge. For a moment I worried that THESE were the slow boats, and it was going to be a very, very long ride.


I hope we don't tip over!!

As it turns out, these boats were simply ferries that took us across the Mekong to the Laotian side, where we were assisted through customs, and then taken up to yet another little office to wait. I ventured out to buy little bananas (some of my favorite!)- I'm sure I was ripped off for the bunch I bought- I wasn't sure of the exchange rate.


the Laotian border- James the Bear remembered his passport


Laos, outlined in blue- the red dot is still at Chiang Mai, Thailand, and the yellow is at Bangkok

The trip ahead of us
We crossed the border (and the river) at Chiang Khong, Thailand, to Houei Xai, Laos, where they processed our paperwork and stamped our passports. Then we loaded up into the long boat, which took us to Pak Beng the first day, and then to Luang Prabang the second day! The map below shows our trip- the section of the Mekong River that we traveled down is highlighted in royal blue. You can click on the map for a larger, clearer copy.