#pak beng

[jontycrane]

Two days on the Mekong River

Two days on the Mekong River

The second country I visited on my five week five country trip around South East Asia in 2013, Laos was my favourite, for avoiding the worst developments of its neighbours, and for it’s low key charms. It may not have the big ticket sights of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam or Malayasia, but it didn’t have the crowds either, making for a more enjoyable experience. I crossed the Mekong River from…

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[welthochdrei]

16/10/2019

[offbabylonanddirtyshitz]

youth of laos

[rozandlee]

Week 10 - Mekong River & Pak Beng

We left our guesthouse at 7am and found a tuk tuk driver who took us to the pier 7km out of town so we could start the first leg of our journey by slow boat to Thailand.

There was a group of 12 Dutch guys and a Dutch couple (Bob and Laure) there when we arrived at 7:20am, and we all stood around wondering where to buy tickets for the boat. At around 7:40am the door of a building we were stood by was opened and revealed some desks and a sign stating ticket prices. We all dashed in and got our tickets to Pak Beng, the town we would stop in overnight.

The boat was very long and was filled with car seats. It looked a bit strange but they were actually quite comfortable. There was probably an equal mix of foreigners and locals, including quite a few children of about 3-5. Lee and I had two seats each so we were able to lie down if we wanted. I did feel sorry for some locals who got on later as most of the westerners took two seats each and only Lee and I and Bob and Laure moved to free up them up (although they didn’t take them so we moved back).

We left at 8:40am and started the 9 hour journey down the Mekong River. We had only brought some Oreos, Pringles and water with us for sustenance, so we both had a cup of instant noodles from the little “cafe” on the boat. It was in fact just a counter with things on it to buy but it was fairly cheap and the noodles, which were spicy squid flavour, we actually really tasty!

We passed the time reading, sleeping, listening to music and watching the tall mountains and sandy shores pass by. At one point it rained quite heavily but for the most part it was sunny and a nice temperature due to the wind. The boat stopped a few times to drop people off at little villages along the river bank and it was nice to see the local people fishing and tending to their animals (lots of cows, water buffalo and goats). The journey went fairly quickly and we only really got bored towards the last hour.

We arrived in Pak Beng at 5:40pm and, along with Bob and Laure and a solo English traveller, made our way up the hill to look for a guesthouse. We all decided on the first one we came to, Sakira Guesthouse, as it was cheap, clean and near to the dock. It also had a large shared terrace which looked out across the river. After a quick change we went for a drink at DP Cafe then had tea at an Indian restaurant directly opposite. The girl who took our order was Chinese and had come to Pak Beng to learn English as her mother lived in the town. So a Chinese girl came to Laos to work in and Indian restaurant to learn English…! Very odd!

It was so nice to have an Indian curry and although it wasn’t as good as the legendary Munal Tandoori we lived next to in London, it was pretty tasty. I think I finished mine in about 5 minutes as I was so hungry!

We bought some snacks and water for the journey the next day then went back to our room. The wifi was really good, something very rare in Laos, so I managed to update the blog a bit. We were up early again in the morning so off to sleep we went.

[never-saw-it-coming]

Day 1 & 2 travelling to Laos

My first experience in a mixed dorm was short but sweet. Once I got inside I got ready for bed, spoke to Josh again and crashed. Occasionally I chatted to a girl who popped in to get her things. As I arrived there were 4 guys and this 1 girl sitting at a table outside drinking and chatting, all waved and said hi as I was being shown to my room/bed. They were playing drinking games and laughing lots, I really would have liked to join in but I was shattered from my day on the bus. Anyway that’s technically last night…back to today!

So I got up early to jump in the bathroom which weirdly was the nicest one I’d had since being out here (excluding Buddy’s of course). I headed to the main reception around the corner, checked out and ordered breakfast. The minivan didn’t arrive til 10am so I had time to catch up on my social networking. On the bus were a nice couple whom I got chatting to. After an hour and a half of going round all of the hostels we had a full van. We stopped a few times on the way, firstly at a restaurant for food and the bathroom, then the White Temple for 20 minutes. I was a little frustrated as I’d only been here the day before. (Kept thinking what a waste of money and time it was to have backtracked to Chiang Mai, oh well I’ve learnt from it and moved on) our last stop was at the border to drop off the couple as they hadn’t booked the hotel so we’re only going as far as immigration with us.

When we arrived at the hotel. We were checked in given food vouchers and applied for our visas for Laos. It cost a little more than we all expected but it meant it would be sorted out for us so was happy to do this.

20.01.15

The following morning…

Back on the van and off to the border again. We all got through Thai immigration except for Alex, one of the girls from Devon I’d met at the hotel. Because her passport expired in less than 6 months they were not gonna let her through. We all started panicking as she was travelling with her friend Meg who’d gotten through already. After some talking to the Thai man Alex was allowed through but was warned Laos may not let her through so she may have to come back to this point to renew her passport. We loaded ourselves back onto a bus where we headed off to the next destination.

Once we got to the Laos immigration office we were all holding our breath whilst Alex’s passport was being checked. It seemed to take forever but thankfully she was let through!

Loaded ourselves onto a taxi/tuktuk. Felt like sardines! But it was only for 10 mins. We had a briefing about our boat journey and given a little talk about Laos, their money and their people. Back in the tuk tuk, to a shop/cafe where we waited before getting issued our boat tickets. As we were the first on the boat we chose the seats at the front. These were literally car seats! We didn’t leave for another hour or so though. Waiting for everyone to arrive and have their bags loaded inside the boat. The journey was nice, scenic and mostly relaxing. Some played cards on the floor, I took photographs, slept and read my Trudi Canavan book. We arrived at our stopover for tonight about 6pm, just as the sun was setting. The group I’d been travelling with since meeting at the hotel last night all found a hostel together. 1 bathroom between 9 wasn’t ideal but it was only for one night. I ended up opting to have my own room as we were an odd number and 1 girl didn’t want to sleep on her own.

In the evening we ate Indian food and shared stories, then wandered into a random Laos celebration. Turns out it was the local officers and they welcomed us with bottles of their beer Lao, before finishing about 10 and parted ways. On the way back when stopped again at a other cafe/bar but I was getting anxious to get to bed and skype Josh. I knew it was an early morning and I was a little irritated by the newest company we’d picked up. A Dutch guy saying English just want to come out here and get drunk. Fine one to talk as he was swigging his beer Lao, arrogant arsehole!

I bit my tongue for long enough before politely heading back on my own. I slept alright in the end although I ended up being bitten so badly! Oh and noticed my ankles are more like “cankles” they are so swollen. Read up that it’s due to the walking and standing combined with the heat.

Not the best end to my nights but it’s over and looming forward to a fresh start in Luang Prabang!

21.01.15

[travellingseasia]

DAY 30 - SECOND DAY OF SLOWBOAT

16/07/14

The slowboat dropped us off 10km outside of town, a common trick that forces us to pay for tuktuks. A lot of the passengers were pretty disgruntled as they are meant to bring us to the town but we had heard that they almost always do this now and there isn't much you can do about it. 

We're staying at Oodomphong guesthouse, a very well kept, family run guesthouse down a small alleyway near the centre. It is probably the nicest place we have stayed so far. Strangely, sitting down and doing nothing for two days is very tiring so after a lovely meal (mekong fish soup for me and spicy buffalo sausage for Oscar) it was straight to bed. 

We were glad when we finally arrived but thoroughly enjoyed the slowboat experience.

[travellingseasia]

DAY 29 - FIRST DAY OF SLOWBOAT

15/07/14

What an introduction to the Lao scenery! Views of uninhabited hills and jagged rocks accompanied us all along our journey as we watched in awe. We saw the occasional wooden hut village with goats and buffalos and the boat stopped a few times at seemingly empty beaches to let a local on or off. From what we could see most of these villages had no proper roads for access or even electricity. Only livestock and boats. The rainy season made the brown Mekong river flow very quickly so even though we left at 11 we had arrived at the overnight stop by 6.

The overnight town, Pak Beng, was a cute riverside village with many guesthouses to cater for the slowboat passengers. Although everything seems to be pricier in Laos it is also of a lot higher quality than Thailand. Both Huay Xai and Pak Beng are well equipped for slowboat passengers offering sandwhiches and tasty snacks for the long journeys. However, tomorrow we are aiming to not have eaten all our food by half twelve. 

[theessenceoflife14]

Journey along the Mekong

Because we had read such bad reviews, we decided not to take the dangerous and deafening speedboat but instead took the slowboat to Luang Prabang. The trip was very relaxing and we would absolutely recommend it as it gives a first glimpse of the amazing green scenery of Laos.

Fishing villages made out of bamboo and wood adorned the riverside of the Mekong. Along the journey we saw fishermen in their longtail boats, children playing in the banks of the river and various farms on the steep mountains.

After a 7 hour trip, we arrived at Pak Beng, a one-street village with little to no tourism. We were only 5 minutes outside, when we were offered drugs, which is not uncommon in Laos. After spending the night in this picturesque town, we continued our journey along the Mekong.

The trip on the second day, lasted 8 hours. So that makes a total of 15 hours which may seem a lot, but is actually worth it. Not one minute went by that we were bored and it was a welcome moment to relax after the hectic first days.