Slowboat to Thailand.
Trip Start
Sep 29, 2008
1
19
41
Trip End
Aug 2009
Huay Xai,
Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The boat ride is slow and cold! With temperatures dropping as we head for the border and the windchill biting into us Suzi gets into her sleeping bag. She has the right idea, everyone else in shorts and t-shirts sit shivering until early afternoon when it starts to warm up. The river meanders through the mountainous landscape, the views changing at every turn. The sand banks give way to rocky shores, civilisation to thick jungle. If you ever do this route into Thailand take a fleece and a good book.
We stay overnight at Pakbeng, a motorway service town whose only reason for existence is its location halfway along this tourist route. One night is plenty to spend there, especially with the noise of generators and the dawn chorus of the cockerals.
The second day takes us to the border town of Huay Xai, where the border closes at 5pm! We eventually find the grotty guesthouse we had paid over the odds for after walking the length of the town.
Then its an early start to get into Thailand, waiting at the border gate for it to open. We quickly pass through the formalities and step into Thai soil. We are expecting a minibus ride to Chaingmai, something we had paid extra for in Laos. After waiting for two hours for the minibus to arrive we are told there is no room for us, we are not booked onto it. The travel agents name becomes mud!! A very helpful guy gets us onto the local bus that is going to Chaingmai, but it doesn't leave for another two hours and takes even longer to get there. We settle on this. It's really the first time that we have been conned on this trip.
The bus ride is quite enjoyable, we are travelling with people from the boat and become friends with them. The trip passes quickly and we try our first sticky rice in coconut milk snack. This is to become Daves dessert of choice.
We arrive at Chaingmai and head to our hotel.
