Crossing to Laos

  Chiang kong, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Saturday, June 21, 2008

By the time we reach Chiang Mai it becomes clear we won't make it to the border today, however there is a bus leaving for Chiang Rai which gets us much closer so we pile aboard that. This gets us into town just in time to find a hostel and enjoy the large night market. Thailand is not the place to come if you have a shopping addiction. The market has bands playing on stage, a huge food court, items from clothes to pets, manicures along the side of the streets. Resist Resist Resist!
 

Crossing to Laos

Friday morning; up and straight to the bus to Chiang Kong, the border crossing into Laos.  3 Hrs and we're there in another food market! We head out in the scorching heat towards the river to get our boat across. A stamp out of Thailand, down the track, through the gate to 'Indo China' and into a small boat for the 2 min journey across the river. It's a little narrow wooden boat that takes us from the banks of Chiang Kong to the banks of Huey Xia. We do the paperwork for our visas and head straight to the bus station however the only buses leaving today left this morning. 

We sit around deciding what to do as the tuk-tuk drivers also sit around eating and drinking and watching us. We wonder why they hang out at the bus station when there are no buses?! Alicia and Rachel go to see if they can find us a hostel while Eriq and I are invited to join the locals with their not so inviting spread of goodness. They are quite insistent and as we don't want to offend so we join them engaging in some interesting conversation. Our few words out of the phrase book don't seem to be greatly understood! All we can work out is that they are trying to share not only their peculiar food but also some moonshine out of an old plastic water bottle. Oh dear! No luck persuading the locals to let us stay, Eriq and I give it a go too, but still no luck so we head back into town where all the guest houses are.

Heave to the gas station

Conveniently we get one by the market and with lovely owners. The hotel is Chinese owned, so another language again and the daughter joins in our chat and card games to practice her English. Although it is better than our attempts at even working out what dialect the family speak, her English is somewhat limited so the card game rules tend to vary as her family watch and laugh.
 
Saturday, 9am, and there's frantic knocking at our door. What have we done now? Its yesterdays Tuk-Tuk driver desperate to take us to the bus.  The bus is at 1pm! We ask him to come back at 12.30pm as originally agreed and head off to the market and breakfast. At 12.25 our Tuk-Tuk driver is ready and waiting - he is keen!