To Laos and Back Again

Part 1: Hong Kong to Huay Xai

Having returned to Hong Kong this past Monday, there have been several days of reflection on what has been the most action-packed trip to date.  In twelve days, Nicole and Jesse made from Hong Kong, through Northern Thailand into Laos, and back again.  The best part is that the trip went off without a hitch, and much better than we had planned.  Here's why.

In the previous post, we estimated it would take at least two days of constant travel to get to Huay Xai.  This turned out to be an overestimation, and allowed Nicole and Jesse to spend a few more days in the Northern Thai city of Chiang Mai than they had hoped for.

Weary travelers at Hua Lamphong Station

After an uneventful flight to Bangkok, the travelers arrived at Hua Lamphong - Thailand's Grand Central Station - only to find out that all of the sleeper cabins were sold out for the overnight trip to Chiang Mai, and only 3rd class seats remained.  Fueled by fears of of missing a connection later in the trip, and eager to avoid spending a night in the seedy neighbourhood near the train station, they sucked it up, put on a brave face and bought tickets in 3rd class.

Our glamorous transport to Chiang Mai

To complicate things, Jesse and Nicole were to meet their friend Karen who has arriving from Tokyo, where she is also on exchange.  The "plan" was to meet Karen at the train station and take a train departing at 9 or 10.  To make a long story short, Karen arrived at the station literally moments before the last call for the train's 6pm departure (thanks to every other train being sold out for the night).

The seats were tiny (especially for Jesse), but the girls managed to get a few hours of sleep in.  Nevertheless, after arriving in Chiang Mai, the group decided to treat themselves to a day of rest and relaxation before heading North again to get to Laos.

After booking a room at a very nice Thai guesthouse, explored Chiang Mai's old town for a few hours.  With a history dating back to the twelfth century, Chiang Mai boats many Buddhist temples, showcasing Thailand's unique interpretation of Buddhism and vibrant monastic culture.

Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai.  This one favoured elephants

To cover more ground, the group hired a tuk-tuk (the bastard child of a taxi, motorcycle, and a mobile travel agent) to see the sights of Chiang Mai for a day.

First, the group went to Tiger Kingdom to play with tigers.  This attraction is home to twenty or so cats of all ages, from newborn cubs (6 weeks old) to fully grown adults.  You can buy packages to spend time with the tigers based on their size.  The group went for the newborns and the adults, skipping the mediocre teens.

Now who's at the top of the food chain?

After talking with some Dutch volunteers, the group learned that none of the tigers were drugged (which is usually a concern at these makeshift zoos), and that they were treated quite well.  Reassured, the group enjoyed their time with these animals.  Thankfully the tigers were more interested in sleeping and getting tummy rubs than in satisfying their preternatural desire to murder everything that moves.

From the tigers, tuk-tuk driver Kat took us to some waterfalls down the road.  The falls were gorgeous, and it was very refreshing to take a few steps in the river on the hot day.

Jesse and Nicole at the waterfalls (not pictured)

After a Thai lunch, we ended our day with a proper Thai massage - our first of the trip.  For the uninitiate, Thai massages are a perverse mix of pleasure and pain.  A Thai masseuse/dominatrix/gymnast bends and contorts your body to stretch your muscles.  When a muscle is being stretched, said masseuse will proceed to punch or jab or otherwise savagely beat you until the muscle loses all feeling and relaxation is finally attained.  In truth, it was a great experience.  Even though there were some painful moments, you walk (hobble) away genuinely refreshed and feeling loose.

Unbeknown to the travelers prior to their journey, there are about a million great ways to get from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong, the gateway to Northern Laos.  While we had been haunted by visions of long trips on sketchy public buses, in reality, every single guesthouse books minivans that make the five-hour trip regularly.  We avoided the hassle of public transport and booked a ticket North for the next day for roughly CDN$20 - not too shabby.

The five hours in the bus passed without incident, and the group arrived in Chiang Khong just after sunset.  With no real plan for accommodation, they booked a room at the first place they could find: a tiny no-frills guesthouse just off the city's lone main road.

Looking across the Mekong at Huay Xai

Chiang Khong and Huay Xai sit on opposite banks of the Mekong, a muddy, fast flowing river starting in China and winding its way through Southeast Asia.  There is not much to say about Chiang Khong, as most travelers use it as a staging point to get into Laos.  One small point - we had the WORST Thai food in history.  The pad Thai tasted like a barnyard.  We left after one bite, and Karen was ill the next day.

The border crossing to Laos is noteworthy.  Canoes with car engines strapped to the stern ply the Mekong regularly.  The current is very strong, so these boats angle up river and gun the engine to travel in a parabolic line across the river.  After waiting a half-hour or so at passport control for our Laotian visas to process, the group had made it to Huay Xai at long last!

Long-tailed boats waiting to take people across the Mekong into Laos

The wild ride to Laos!

Leg one of the journey - and really the most dull leg - was a complete success and right on schedule.