Thailand to Laos

Crossing the border
Although Thailand was amazing and there was still so much we hadn't seen, we had to keep moving to stand any chance of completing our ambitious itinerary and seeing Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia in little more than 5 weeks.  We decided to cross the border from Chiang Khong in northern Thailand to Huay Xai, a small riverside town in northern Laos.  From there the plan was to travel south either by bus or boat to Luang Prabang - more about that later.

Pai to Chiang Khong
After a bit of research we decided the best option to get to Chiang Khong from Pai seemed to be the overnight "VIP" minibus.  We purchased tickets for 650 baht each which also included a room in Chiang Khong as we would be arriving at approximately 3am (we read that buses rarely stick to schedules so we were prepared for an arrival time anywhere between 3am and 6am).

The VIP sounds luxurious but it was far from it.  The first few hours on the bus were cramped, bumpy and mildly terrifying but other than that pretty uneventful.  At about 1am we pulled into a 7-11 in the middle of nowhere (they're everywhere in Thailand) for a quick comfort stop - food, drink, toilet, stretch, etc.  After 15 about 15 minutes we were loaded back onto the bus in preparation for getting back on the road.  The driver however decided he wasn't ready to get going yet and proceeded to mill around inside the store checking out magazines and having one or two more cigarettes.  This went on for something like 15 minutes.  Originally we thought he was just taking an extra long break, which was fine with us as our main priority was him staying awake long enough to get us to our destination in one piece, but then we discovered the real reason for his lolly-gagging - he was supplementing his bus driver salary with a bit of side business in drug-running!  The pieces started to fall into place while we watched as he participated in a well-rehearsed sequence involving himself, a 7-11 employee and two teenagers who arrived (obviously slightly late) on a motorbike.  If we had any doubts as to what was transpiring they were erased when one of the teenagers gave our driver a little nod and smile as he peeled out of the parking lot on his motorbike - another happy customer.

Another successful transaction completed, we continued on our way.  A couple of sleepless hours later we arrived in Chiang Khong.  The room that was included in our ticket was, as expected, terrible but we were so tired that we really didn't care and fell straight to sleep.  The following morning we left Thailand on a longtail boat across the Mekong which cost us a whopping 40 baht ($1.30) each.

Laos
In Huay Xai on the Laos side we grabbed a room for the night at the Saybadee Guesthouse (very nice room with a huge bed and view of the Mekong from the balcony for $9) and then set about securing transport south to Luang Prabang.  We had heard that due to the Mekong River being very low boats were not running and the only option would be a 16 hour bus ride.  However, after asking around a bit we were pleased to learn that the Chinese had opened a dam or two up river and the boats would start running the following morning.  We booked ourselves a couple of spots on the first boat out in morning, a bargain at 250,000 kip each! (only about $27 for a 2-day trip)

Taking the Slow Boat
There are so many stories about the slow boat online and in the guidebooks and the majority of them say how bad it it - overcrowded, ancient boats, unsafe drivers, scams, unpredictable schedules, etc, etc.  Faced with the prospect of another long and bumpy ride on a crowded bus on dodgy roads, we decided the boat would be the way to go.  Besides, we'd also that the boat afforded riders with views of some great scenery along the way and a glimpse of many Laos villages that are scattered along the river.

Most of what we heard about the boat was true.  The boat was decrepit, it didn't leave anywhere near on time, and it was crowded.  In fact, crowded is an understatement.  It was bursting at the seams.  From the time got on and the time we finally departed, the boat dropped about a foot or more in the water.  Luckily we were among the first people on so we had our choice of places to sit.  We chose to spread out on the floor in the front of the boat, away from the noise and fumes of the engine and more spacious than the rickety wooden benches that were crammed together in the middle section.  This was probably our best decision of the trip so far.

Just when we thought the boat was full, another tuk tuk would pull up and unload a bunch more backpackers.  Then another...and another.  They just kept coming.  Along with a few others, we attempted to protest to the driver that the boat was too full and a second boat was needed to accommodate everyone but we were completely ignored and soon after the engine was fired up and we were off.

Despite all that, we had great time!  We met a fun group of people on the boat and together we created a bit of a party atmosphere in the front section (the people stuck in the back hated us).  Day 1 of the boat trip was also Lee's birthday which Courtney wasted no time in telling everyone.  Midway through the day Lee went to the bathroom and when he returned he was surprised with a full rendition of Happy Birthday from half of the boat which concluded with Lee performing a keg stand on a can of Beerlao (orchestrated by a hilarious Belgian guy called "T-Bone" who ended up being the unofficial Entertainment Director for the duration of the trip).  At 6pm we finally arrived in Pak Beng, the midway point of the trip and the place we would be staying for the night before continuing on in the morning.

Day 2 was a little more subdued as the boaters recovered fromthe Day 1 festivities but we still enjoyed a pleasant meander down the river to Luang Prabang.

A Slice of Pai

Leaving Chiang Mai was sad for us because we loved the feel of the town but we heard from a traveler in Australia (and then several along our southeast asia tour) that Pai could not be missed. We decided to head further north and check out a Thai town set in the mountains. The bus ride would take close to four hours and after Lee read several online forums describing horrific stories of local hill tribe folk, who are not used to motorized vehicles, vomiting throughout the journey on the public bus we decided to spend a couple extra dollars for the VIP bus they have set up for tourists. Our bus ride would cost us 200 baht ($6.25) for the journey up north. All the forums ensured us that it was worth the money because travelers have no problem with the windy, bumpy roads....we were looking forward to the air conditioning and comfortable seats they were advertising.


The VIP van picked us up an hour late from our guesthouse, very typical Thailand hospitality, and then proceeded to drive around town to pick up the other eight passengers. The rest of the group consisted of a Norwegian couple and their three young children, a British couple, and a solo french traveler. After about thirty minutes into the journey on the very bumpy roads the youngest Norwegian, probably around age 3, started getting sick. When asked if he usually gets sick on car rides, the mother replied "no, its usually the older one." We knew we were in for a treat. After holding onto our seats, noses, and stomachs we finally arrived.

Lonely Planet guidebook describes Pai as a hippy town and we would certainly agree. From the streets filled with restaurants serving muesli/yogurt and falafel to the "Keep Pai Green" T-shirts everywhere you turned, we knew there had been westerners in town before we arrived. As we were walking to the guesthouse we were planning to stay in, which was located 5 minutes outside of town and was going to cost 500 Baht ($16) a night, a fellow traveler said she was staying at a place right in town that was "clean and basic" for only 300 Baht per night. We decided to save a couple bucks and check out Mr. Jans Guesthouse. Our room was definitely basic, fairly clean (with a small ant problem in the bathroom), but had a lovely front porch that overlooked a wild flower garden. We explored the town over the next two days and soaked up the small town feel. We went out to dinner the second night with the British couple from our van, Mark and Yaz, who gave us great tips for traveling through Vietnam.

Courtney was dying to go on a Elephant Trek and after speaking to several different companies in town we decided on Joy's Elephant camp, both for the price and the fact it was a family run business. Joy, the mother of the family, owns one elephant and only allows four hours of trekking per day to ensure the animal stays happy and healthy. We paid 900 Baht total and planned to trek for about an hour and a half.

After our banana pancake breakfast (yum), we met at the main office and took a 15 minute car ride out to the camp. The driver, who we learned was also our trek guide, let us out right next to the 3 ton, 31 year old, female elephant we were going to be sharing the morning with. Both of us were taken back by her size and slowly walked into the covered pavilion away from the elephant to watch from a distance. Our trek guide got right to business and started feeding the elephant huge banana tree branches. She looked pleased and ready for tourists to crawl all over her (or so we hoped). We were told to climb up to a platform about 10 feet high so we could mount the elephant. Courtney got on first and Lee sat behind. The guide kept insisting Courtney move closer to the elephant's head and sit directly on the neck, resting her hands on the animal's head for balance. This being completely unnatural, Courtney resisted for a bit but got the hang of swinging with the elephant's movement in no time. Poor Lee had the best ab workout in months having nothing to help balance him but a small rope tied around the elephant's stomach.

At first the guide took us into the hills. The scenery was beautiful with small homes tucked away in the hills. Every so often the elephant would stop to have a nice, long scratch against a large tree trunk or rock. It was hilarious but hard work to hang on. The best part for us was getting into the river. The thought of "playing" in the river with a 3 ton animal was of course frightening but once we got started it was loads of fun. You could tell the animal and trek guide had mutual respect for one another and the elephant did follow direction so that put our nerves at ease. Every time we would climb back onto the elephant she would toss us back into the water. It was a really great experience. After the ride we were able to hang out and feed the elephant some peanuts. The family was very chatty and told us all sorts of things about caring for the elephants.