With a couple options to get us to Laos we choose the two day slow boat. Laos Airways is not recommended by the US State Department and the fast boats would get us there in a day although neither have a great safety record. It took three days to travel from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang on several buses and boats through some magnificent scenery.
Our first night was spent in the quaint border town of Chiang Khong in Thailand. Crossing into Laos was simple; a quick departure stamp from Thailand, a two minute boat ride, and a few forms for a visa-on-arrival. After a short tuk-tuk ride to the pier we purchased our tickets at the official ticket counter for 200k Kip ($23 per person) and grabbed a bunch of mini bananas before boarding the slow boat.
The boat was simple with bench seats in the front and a bamboo mat in the back. We arrived right before the boat was scheduled to depart so we were stuck in the engine room. Although a bit noisy and grimy, we were able to stretch our legs and peer through the window at the stony karsts and overgrown jungle as we cruised
down the Mekong. Our first day of travel ended in the small village of Pakbeng. There wasn’t much to do in Pakbeng except sleep and eat. After climbing the hill in darkness we found a room about the size of our closet that contained a bed and a mosquito net. The entire town is powered by generators, so after dinner it was lights out at 10pm.
We arrived at the pier an hour before our departure to ensure we received a seat with a view for our 10 hour leg to Luang Prabang. From
our nice breezy window we watched locals fish and farm along the hillside and children splash around in the river. The group of 150 some odd people from the day before were divided among two separate boats. This gave everyone plenty of room and gave us nice padded bench seat from a mini-van. After our three day journey we’ve finally reached Luang Prabang.
With a couple options to get us to Laos we choose the two day slow boat. Laos Airways is not recommended by the US State Department and the fast boats would get us there in a day although neither have a great safety record. It took three days to travel from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang on several buses and boats through some magnificent scenery.
Our first night was spent in the quaint border town of Chiang Khong in Thailand. Crossing into Laos was simple; a quick departure stamp from Thailand, a two minute boat ride, and a few forms for a visa-on-arrival. After a short tuk-tuk ride to the pier we purchased our tickets at the official ticket counter for 200k Kip ($23 per person) and grabbed a bunch of mini bananas before boarding the slow boat.
The boat was simple with bench seats in the front and a bamboo mat in the back. We arrived right before the boat was scheduled to depart so we were stuck in the engine room. Although a bit noisy and grimy, we were able to stretch our legs and peer through the window at the stony karsts and overgrown jungle as we cruised 
down the Mekong. Our first day of travel ended in the small village of Pakbeng. There wasn’t much to do in Pakbeng except sleep and eat. After climbing the hill in darkness we found a room about the size of our closet that contained a bed and a mosquito net. The entire town is powered by generators, so after dinner it was lights out at 10pm.
We arrived at the pier an hour before our departure to ensure we received a seat with a view for our 10 hour leg to Luang Prabang. From 
our nice breezy window we watched locals fish and farm along the hillside and children splash around in the river. The group of 150 some odd people from the day before were divided among two separate boats. This gave everyone plenty of room and gave us nice padded bench seat from a mini-van. After our three day journey we’ve finally reached Luang Prabang.
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1 comment:
Can of sardines is right. That does sound like a nice trip though. I don't suppose there were any PFDs? Can't wait to see more pictures.
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