Back to Thailand (2nd - 4th April 07)

From Pak Beng we caught a 10 hour slow boat up the Mekong River to the Lao-Thailand border crossing of Huay Xai. Most people take this boat as a two day trip from Luang Prabang, but we just joined the boat for the second day. This was a very wise decision as the seats were wooden and small, and after a couple of hours the bums were very numb.

We were able to tie our bikes to the top of the boat, which seemed pretty secure. But the ticket agent was pretty vague about the cost of a bike on the boat. At US$2.50 per bike, I think that our bikes paid more than the locals did for themselves aswell as their 50 cane baskets. But that is how things go in Laos and it is often pointless arguing.



The scenery from the boat was nice, and it was interesting to see the locals fishing and washing in the water as we travelled upstream. While the slow boat was painful at times, the other option was a very dangerous speed boat where passengers have to wear helmets! So in comparison, the slow boat was not too bad. It was also nice to chat to other travellers on the way.

We were hoping to cross into Thailand that night but by the time we got there the border was closed, so it was one more night in Laos. We found a cheap guesthouse and the town of Huay Xai was quite nice.

The next morning we boarded a little boat to take us across to the other side of the Mekong to Thailand. We had a quick delicious Pad Thai (Fried Noodles) for breakfast and then onto the bus station. We were thinking about riding to Chiang Rai and then Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand yet after three weeks riding in Laos we opted to catch a bus to rest our legs.

The bus to Chiang Rai was a few hours and the bus driver kindly strapped our bikes to the roof of the bus. He also didn't charge us for the bikes, which is in contrast to having to pay for the bikes on all transport in Laos. Chiang Rai is a pretty large city in the North of Thailand. It would have been nice to spend more time there, but we need to get to Bangkok shortly to sort out our Russian visas. So we spent only a few hours in Chiang Rai while waiting for the next bus to Chiang Mai.

At Chiang Rai we were told that only on the 'VIP' bus could we take our bikes. This was frustrating as earlier that morning they were easily put on top of an old rickety bus. But they wouldnt budge on their position, so we had to buy two 'VIP' tickets for 260 Baht (nz$10 for a 4hr bus). This bus turned out to be absolutely luxurious. It had massive leather lazy boy chairs that were more like a lounge suite. We were served water, face cloths and cream buns while on board and were very pampered. While it was such a treat to travel in this style, it wont be a regular thing as the cost was three times that of the usual bus.

When we got to Chiang Mai it was just how we remembered it from two years earlier when we visited. After buying our train tickets to Bangkok for the next night, we then went to explore the town. We went back to this fabulous restaurant we went to two years ago, and it was equally as good. We had a gaaeng hang lay (northern style pork curry) which had very tender pork with peanuts, ginger and garlic in a stock based sauce and was divine. Also had yummy thai fishcakes and a spicy vegetable salad. It is so good to be back in Thailand with amazing Thai food. The Lao food turned out to lack variety and in small towns the food was often very bland. We often broke our policy of eating only local food in Laos, because it got to the point that we couldnt stomach another bowl of noodle soup. But in Thailand there is so many yummy dishes to chose from that it would be impossible to get sick of the cuisine.

Even though we had a great time in Laos, it is also fabulous to back in Thailand. Every time we visit Thailand we are not dissapointed. The people are so welcoming, no-one rips you off, and im sure I have said enough about the food.

This is an example of the burning we encountered on the road in Laos: