From Frazzled to Peaceful

  Huay Xai, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
April 02, 2009

We had to get up early (7 am) to buy bus tickets and cross the border. Bill walked through Chiang Khong to an ATM to get some money for the bus ticket that we were able to purchase at the Boom Guest House for 1100 bhat.

We had breakfast with the people from last night's van, plus a few others. We all hopped into a truck at 8 am and were given a ride to the nearby river crossing. A lady from the hotel was directing us, making everything pretty easy. A man at the top of the hill checked our departure documents and Visa photos.

At the bottom of the hill we passed through Thai customs and handed in our departure documents. When our group was ready we walked to the boat landing and piled into a long tail motor boat. Good thing Bill covered our bags because they were at the front of the boat and did get wet.

In a few short minutes we were on the other side, Huay or Houay Xai. We are finally in Laos. We complete our Visa documents and pay $42 each. Most other countries only have to pay $35. I am not sure why Canada is the most expensive country... After we had our Visa we stepped to the next counter and cleared customs. We are officially in Laos now!

We had a 1/2 hour before our van was scheduled to depart, so we walked around Huay Xai. It is quiet small town with lots of guest houses and restaurants. I was a bit hungry and we found a lady who was frying up bananas. She filled a small bag with the coated and deep fried bananas along with some banana chips. They were so good and it cost 1000 kip ($.12).

In our van is a couple from France, an older couple from Laos and a family of 3 who we figured were visiting family in Laos. The lady had given me so much food, so I was able to share with some of our fellow passengers.

The ride was quite beautiful. For the first 1/3 the roads were very good too. When the drive became more winding and hilly, the quality of the road deteriorated. Frequently our driver would make sharp turns to follow the road or to avoid massive potholes. At that point Bill and I decided to take some gravol. The only good thing about this section of our drive is that the driver had to turn off the very loud local music that was accompanied by a music video of a concert.

Around noon or 1 pm we stopped at Nam Po for a break. The French guy is not feeling very good right now and we are all grateful for a break. After our stop the road gets better again and at one point Bill and I were both able to have a nap. It was difficult to do as I had to grip the top of Bill's seat so I did not end up on the French girl's lap.

We arrived in Luang Namtha (sounds like Lou-Ong Nam Tah) around 2:30 and discovered that we have gone beyond our hotel. It is located in the old town near the airport (7 Km back), so our driver took us back.

The Boat Landing Guest House is very nice and serene. We have a bamboo cabin that faces the river. The grounds are very nice, lots of flowers, plants and trees. There are butterflies everywhere. It is a bit cool at our hotel because we are on the water and it is very shaded.

The restaurant and dining area is very nice. You are able to view the water from all tables. Bill and I both had some Lao stew. I had Aw Lahm with pork described as including: eggplant, chili, rattan shoots, banana flower, fennel, shallots, pepper wood, and basil. Bill had Gaeng Baulk with chicken, veggies, roasted rice, paper wood, banana flower, lemon grass, fennel and shallots. I had a pot of tea (I am chilled) and Bill had Beerlao. They were both very good with sticky rice. I think I liked the seasoning in Bill's a bit more...

I had to have a nap, the gravol was still running through my veins. Bill joined me after his beer and ended up sleeping longer than I did. I was in and out of the shower and he did not even wake up. The shower is not very warm (solar heated and has been raining here) and has very little pressure, but I feel clean and much better.

We took a walk into the old town and passed by some mini stores, restaurants, homes and fields. As we were walking back dozens of teenage children in uniform were riding their bikes and scooters home after school (it is around 5:30, classes must run late).

We placed our order for pot roast (recommended 1 - 2 hours, so we will eat at 8 pm). We arrived at the dining room around 7 pm, after I finished my book, and we ordered a banana shake, Beerlao and some rock algae chips. The chips were deep fried and covered in sesame seeds. It looked like banana leaves and tasted salty, it was pretty good.

We wanted to have duck pot roast tonight , but it is not available, I ordered pork instead. It is seasoned with lemon grass, chili, galanga, onion and garlic. It arrived at our table in a covered pot (like our stew) and was more than enough food for the two of us. It was very good and very tender. The meat was cut into bite sized pieces. We also had a Lao must - chili. I ordered Loem Mak Ken and sticky rice. The chili was a bit bitter, we will have to sample another tomorrow.