Laos Sabaidee! 2 days cruise on the Mekong

Today we had to leave early from the pens. After a very warm Saifon adoption of the guesthouse, We took a tuk tuk to the port in Chiang Khong. Here we got our exit stamps. Luckily we were there early, so we were one of the first in the queue. Then it was a long-tail boat across the Mekong to Houay Xai in Laos. Here waited at customs, the second part of the border formalities to us. We had to enter three times our data in various forms. We then handed over to the switch all the papers included a photograph and had to wait. The line behind us was getting longer. Finally, we were called upon at the next counter, per person paid $ 30 and got our Laos visa for 30 days. The first hurdle was therefore taken. Goodbye Thailand – Laos Sabaidee!

After the customs we bought the boat tickets to Luang Prabang. A tuk tuk took us then to the port, where our boat was waiting. Unfortunately, it went according to plan until 11:30 clock going and so we had to climb almost two hours of waiting. The “Slow-Boat” had pretty comfortable seats (discarded bus seats, but which were not attached to the floor). The luggage was piled in the back of the boat. With only half an hour late was the 6-hour drive to Pak Beng finally happening (In Laos, there are apparently no clocks, thus half an hour late is still passable ...). Pak Beng is a stopover on the way to Luang Prabang. As. 70 Persons were an Bord. The boat guide said, that our boat would arrive last in Pak Beng and it will therefore be difficult to find a hotel there. By chance, he had but a few rooms, thus he could bring the same to the man. We were misled and did not look like many others, even spot a room.

The trip on the Mekong was very nice. The landscape is characterized by mountains, Forests, Palms, and it's all very green. Because of the dry season and the low water level, there are many rocks in the water. The boat had to pass this and for maneuvering through several rapids. Once it has been fluctuating quite a while. In between, we saw just a few wooden huts and a few very small villages on the banks. The people here live under primitive conditions, middle of nowhere, completely cut off from the outside world. On the banks of the Mekong, they have planted vegetables. The fishermen in their boats have cast their nets and fishing attached to the shore, Women wash clothes, Children played in the water and on the shore. Cows, Water buffalo and pigs were bathed in the river or on the banks. Even gold panners we observed riverside at work.

To pour towards evening then began with rain. When we arrived at our destination after 145 km of the small town of Pak Beng, Unfortunately it was raining still, we decided, I am looking for a room and we are Seppel Baggage care. This was namely the bottom of the pile with all the other backpacks. The steep steps up to the road from the shore were flooded by rain. I luckily found a room quickly (and all the other passengers, which previously had reserved nothing, course) and went back to the boat, where Seppel waited with backpacks. The rain stopped and we were able to bring our luggage to dry accommodation. The night we let a relaxing end with Laotian food.

The next day, the second leg of the cruise waiting for us. After about 7 hours and 165 km by spectacular landscapes we arrived in the late afternoon in Luang Prabang. The trip on the Mekong is a unique and very exciting experience.

Now that we've looked at some guesthouses, we found a nice room in the "Villa Philaylak".