We took the local bus to the Thai border Chiang Khong where you follow the locals to a small shuttle boat which cross the Mekong River and bring you to Laos side – Huay Xai village.
The procedure is very easy and you will get a visa on arrival for 30 U$ and a recent photo.
With the bags on our back we quickly found a place to stay along the main road with great views over the Mekong River.
We used the remaining time to explore the village with its hill top temple and riverside restaurants where we sipped our beer lao and watched the sunset over Thailand.
On the next day we got up early and went down to the slow boat pier where our luxury yacht was waiting for us!
At 11:00 we set sail to cruise down the Mekong in a very private atmosphere …
Actually they forgot the sails and it seemed also the rest of the boat which we shared with about other 100 people, but that’s part of the experience.
Along the 2 day cruise you pass by local villages with children playing in the water or buffalo taking a cool dip in the river. Passing lush vegetation and endless green mountains which might be still undiscovered as they are nearly impossible to access.
This cruise allows you to soak up the impressive scenery and all the tiny details you might miss with any other transport.
We made an overnight stop in Pak Beng village which is specialized on the night visitors tumbling in every evening and leaving early next morning at 8:00.
The time went by so quickly and soon we arrived at our first destination – the city of kings Luang Prabang.
Looking back on this trip I can really recommend everyone to use this kind of entry to this beautiful natural country. It was really easy, safe & convenient way of travelling.
From the rivers of Babylon
More on:
http://picasaweb.google.at/marco.schoeggl/WelcomeToLaosCruisingOnTheMekong#
