Chiang Khong – Pak Beng, Laos
We woke up this morning at 8:30 and packed up our belongings. B and I showered and Spizz headed up to breakfast. We joined them a short while later and ordered our food. After eating, we jumped in the back of a truck and headed 400 meters to the border.
We got our Thai exit stamps and jumped on a very small boat across the MeKong River. Once on the otherside we went through Laos immigration. It was a quick, easy process. We then headed back to the boat and grabbed our bags. We walked up a steep hill and loaded into a tuk-tuk.
The tuk-tuk ride was quite interesting. We had to dodge a crazy driver, sneak around a large piece of construction equipment, got sprayed with water, and had to wait for a flock of turkeys to cross the road.
Eventually we reached a different dock and a cluster of small stores. We loaded up on some supplies for our 7-hour boat journey and then headed down to the boats. By the time we got to the boat almost all of the seats were taken. We were forced to cram into seats with almost no legroom. Incredibly, we kept adding people. The boat got so full that we were only a few inches above the water. No one felt safe.
All of us passengers demanded a second boat. After an hour of sitting on the boat and complaining the crew gave in. The three of us quickly grabbed our luggage and made for the new boat. To our surprise it was much nicer. We claimed several cushioned seats and then chilled out on a flat area at the back of the boat.
Just before 11:00 (2 hours late) we left the dock and started our 7-hour ride down the river. I spent almost the entire journey reading “The Life of Pi”. My only breaks from the book were to eat lunch and to examine some of the beautiful scenery. Still, the boatride was not as uncomfortable as I first though. We had plenty of room and were able to move around. Nonetheless, the bathroom left something to be desired. The ceiling was so low that I almost had to go onto my knees in order fit inside. I quickly dismissed this option because the floor was wet with urine…Every time I had to pee I had to work myself into a hunched over position and aim for a tiny hole.
Halfway through the boat journey we discovered that our boat would not be making it all the way to Luang Prabang (our destination). We would travel down the river for 7-hours, spend the night in Pak Beng and then have an additional 7-hours of boating the next day. This all came as a surprise to us. When we booked the transportation we were told that the entire trip would take 2 days. Still, we had no choice and did our best to keep up our spirits.
We arrived in Pak Beng just as the sun was setting (some time around 17:30). Just as the boat docked I finished my book. It was the fastest I can remember finishing a book. As we exited the boat we were accosted by what seemed like hundreds of locals. Every one of them offered us drugs (marijuana, opium, hash, cocaine). It was unreal and somewhat intimidating. We ignored their offers and powered through the crowd to our guesthouse.
Upon arrival the woman working the front desk said she had a room with three big beds. Excited, we entered our room. The beds were some of the smallest I had ever seen. They were just wide enough for my body (and I am not that large) and much to short. Nonetheless, we tossed down our luggage and wandered around the small town in search of something to eat.
Eventually we found a nice looking restaurant. We ate a quick dinner and then decided to do a little exploring. We meandered down the single road in town and found the only massage parlor around. We all agreed that we needed massages after such a long day on the boat. Unfortunately, we had to wait around for an hour until they could accommodate the three of us.
We spent the time meandering up and down the street. Spizz lost part of his newly acquired headlamp and some of the local children helped us find it. As a reward Spizz purchased some Oreo’s for them and they were extremely excited. We then settled around a small fire and waited to be massaged.
The massage was in an open roofed room. It was quite cold and nowhere near as satisfying as a Thai massage. Afterwards we all climbed back up the street to our guesthouse. We climbed into bed to escape the cold and drifted off to sleep.
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