Fahrt nach Nong Khiaw

On Tuesday, January 28, 2020, I wanted to take the minivan to Nong Khiaw in the morning. I had booked my ticket through the hostel and was picked up at 8:30 am. The driver couldn't speak English very well - or didn't want to at that moment - so I gave him my ticket with the destination written on it and got on the bus.

The journey was supposed to take 4 hours, but after 4 hours, there was still no city in sight. After 5 hours, the bus stopped on the road and everyone got off. The area seemed completely different from what I had read about Nong Khiaw. No mountains, instead wide roads and incredibly many people. So I approached the driver and he happily told me that I was in Vang Vieng, in the south of Laos. I looked at him in horror and showed him my ticket, holding it under his nose. Instead of apologizing, since it was clearly his mistake, he wanted money from me for bringing me to Vang Vieng, which of course I hadn't paid for. When I refused, he threw my backpack out of the van and wanted to continue without me. After a little discussion, I gave him 50,000 Kip, equivalent to about 5€, and he would take me back to the hostel. My plan was to get someone there to mediate.

After picking up passengers, we drove back the exact same way. On the way, I contacted the hostel by email and explained the situation to them. The hostel manager assured me that he would be there when I arrived and help me.

On the way there, we had already stopped at a viewpoint, but unfortunately, we couldn't enjoy the view because it was very foggy. On the return journey, we stopped at the viewpoint again, and this time the weather was better.

When I arrived at the hostel, the manager was actually there and spoke to the bus driver. In the end, I gave him another 2€ and that settled the matter. Unfortunately, the hostel was fully booked for the night, so I had booked another one. When I arrived there, I quickly went to bed. The next morning, I went back to the other hostel and waited for my shuttle. With a tuk-tuk that was so full that I sat next to the driver, we drove to a bus station where I finally got on the right bus.

The journey was less eventful than expected, we drove along the water the whole time and the road was bumpy as usual. We arrived at the bus station in Nong Khiaw around 1:00 pm, and from there I took a tuk-tuk to my accommodation. Since I still didn't feel very well, I was really looking forward to a private room without constantly being disturbed by my roommates.

Although the day was still long, I spent it relaxed. I strolled through the city a bit, enjoyed the view, and then had dinner early. One thing I noticed here: You could tell that you were a bit further north and between the mountains because it was actually a bit colder. I went to bed early and slept extremely well for over 10 hours.