Hello, Laos! :) (Day 69 of the world trip)

November 12, 2019

When the alarm clock rang at 5:00 a.m., we got up in a pretty good mood and went over to the bus station. The departure of the first bus from Chiang Rai to the border in Chiang Khong is at 6:00 a.m., and when we arrived at the bus station around 5:40 a.m., we were approached directly if we wanted to go to Chiang Khong. Everything was (too) easy again for Jonas :D

After agreeing and dropping off our big backpacks, a whole stream of other tourists suddenly arrived who also wanted to take this bus. A few locals also joined the passengers, but it quickly became clear who uses this bus for what^^ The "conductor" even had a laminated piece of paper with her, which states in English that the journey costs 65 baht and if more than 10 people are found who want to go all the way to the border and not just to the city itself, it costs 100 baht per person. If you go to the city itself, it is still 10 km to the border. Originally, the border was in the city center, but a few years ago it was moved to a bridge and it is rumored that this was done to open a business for the tuk-tuk drivers, because this distance cannot be walked on foot ;-)

Although we were 10 baht (about 33 cents) above the price we would have paid for the additional tuk-tuk ride, we of course accepted :D Because there were also easily 10 people or even more who wanted to go to the border. Although it is so hot here during the day, it is "cool" at night and in the early morning, and since the windows on the bus could not be closed, Jonas got a good draft, which made him shiver in his flip-flops, shorts and T-shirt :p I offered him a scarf and a jacket that I had ready, but he wanted to be strong and did not accept my offer^^

The journey took about 2 hours and locals often got on or off, even when all the seats were occupied, so some had to stand in the aisle. When the bus stopped again and a middle-aged woman with a one-year-old child got on without any of the narrow double seats being free, I stood up to offer her my seat. Of course, Jonas also stood up as a gentleman, so the woman could sit with the child on her lap and I could sit down as well^^

When we arrived at the border, everything was super easy and relaxed. We went to passport control, showed our departure card that we received when we entered Bangkok, and got the exit stamp. Then we had to buy a ticket for the shuttle that takes us across the Mekong. No, you can't walk, even if you want to - maybe another idea to squeeze out a little more money ;-)

The shuttle was a coach and it waited until all the seats were occupied. Then we drove the 5 minutes over to Huay Xai, where the immigration to Laos takes place :) We were given arrival and departure cards again, as well as an application for the visa. So you have to fill out a few things that are repeated on the cards and then go to the "Visa on Arrival" counter. There you hand in the application and at the next counter you will receive your passport with a visa sticker :)

When we were almost finished filling out the application, a German-speaking tour group suddenly arrived and unfortunately they were all ahead of us, so we had to wait a bit :/ But well. At least we could watch people who hadn't informed themselves about the procedure in advance and thus "helplessly" wandered between the counters until someone was willing to help them ;-)

Oh, and the visa is of course not free. Germans have to pay 30 USD and the 200 US dollars we had exchanged in Germany before departure came in handy!!! :)

Interestingly, not all countries pay the same amount. Most pay 30 USD, but all Scandinavian countries, the Benelux states, Liechtenstein, and the UK have to pay 35 USD. Chinese, on the other hand, pay only 20 USD and Canadians are left in the lurch :p They have to pay 42 USD^^

Well. We had the necessary cash (card payment is not possible - allowed currencies are USD, Kip, Baht, and Euro) so everything went smoothly.

Now we arrived at the tuk-tuk stand, which takes you from the Laotian border to the actual city of Huay Xai. All the other tourists had chosen the "classic" way and wanted to go to the boat dock to take a two-day trip down the Mekong to Luang Prabang, just like we had originally planned^^ But not anymore! Ha!

We asked for a tuk-tuk to the bus station to take the bus to Luang Namtha, and the dealer immediately offered us a combination of tuk-tuk and bus ticket. He also mentioned a departure time of 10:00 am (it was 9:35 am) and suddenly the price per person changed from 15,000 kip (for euros, divide everything by 10,000) to 25,000 kip. In addition, we were offered the bus ticket for 70,000 kip per person, so a total of 190,000 kip. Unfortunately, we had not seen a price for the bus on the internet, so we could not estimate whether it was a good deal or a bad deal -.- :D

Then Jonas was very eager to refuse the deal :p I agreed with him because in these countries, they often sell slightly overpriced tickets and so we insisted on "only to the bus station". It then only cost the announced 15,000 kip if we would wait until 10:00 a.m. and then ride with other people. Sure, let's do that! :)

The tuk-tuk/shuttle arrived and we got in as the second passengers. Since everyone had large luggage with them, it quickly became very crowded :D A couple put their backpacks directly on the roof and yeah, then we drove off. The first impression of Laos was that it looked different from Thailand. Some signs were in Chinese and in general it looked kind of "poorer" and reminded me a bit of India.

Well. At the bus station, the tuk-tuk then stopped and of course we were the only ones who wanted to get off here. Everyone else wanted to go to the boat :p Since we were the first to get on, everyone who boarded the tuk-tuk after us had to get off so that we and our luggage could even get out, but well, that's just how it is^^

We went directly to the ticket counter and asked for the next bus to Luang Namtha. It was already 10:15 a.m., I needed to use the bathroom, and we didn't have any snacks except for a lonely pack of cookies :O The lady at the ticket counter smiled briefly and asked if it would be okay to leave right now? Jackpot! We hadn't found any up-to-date departure times on the internet, and it would have been boring to wait for hours at the small station in the middle of nowhere...

So when we agreed and she filled out our tickets by hand, a large coach with the label "VIP Bus" was just leaving its parking space. When our lady saw that, she jumped up in alarm, ran outside, and waved to the bus driver. Oh! That was probably our bus! :D

For me, things came full circle. At the border, the tuk-tuk dealer had suggested a PRIVATE tuk-tuk that would have taken us straight to the bus station without any waiting time so that we could take the 10:00 a.m. bus to Luang Namtha! So maybe he didn't want to rip us off as much as we feared but just wanted to help with logistics ;-) In our own way, we paid 150,000 kip, so we saved almost 4€ and had more adventures for that :p ^^

When the bus stopped for us, the lady finished filling out the tickets, we dropped off our large backpacks, and then we got on the bus - but not without being asked to take off our shoes and put them in a plastic bag provided. In the bus, you walk barefoot or in socks!! ;-)

Then came the big surprise :O It was a real sleeper bus :D Instead of seats, there were three rows (right window side, middle, and left window side) with two bunk beds each. So you had to spend the entire journey lying down, as you would hit your head if you sat down. Asians apparently have different dimensions than we do, because Jonas, for example, also found the width of his bunk not particularly comfortable ;-)

Well. We enjoyed the "adventure" and had a little fun about it. We each got a pillow, a blanket, and a free water bottle and yeah. We lay down in our bunks and the bus started driving :)

Some of our fellow travelers - all Asians!!! we were the only white people since India :D - apparently didn't cope well with the lying position and the route. Because northern Laos is hilly and wooded, so the roads are very curvy. What is a dream for motorcyclists was less exciting for these poor Asians, who took turns handing each other plastic bags :( At the rest stops, everyone always went straight to the toilet...

Although Jonas himself is not a good candidate for such combinations, he was fortunately fine this time :) At one stop, we even ate a dish of rice and mushrooms at a "restaurant" and everything was great afterwards. Yay! Only the last hour became a bit tiring because Jonas's head started to hurt. The rumble of the bus beneath him, the lying position, the air conditioning, and maybe a bit too little water (even if Jonas always denies that) were probably the cause ;-)

After almost 4.5 hours, we arrived at the bus station in Luang Namtha and immediately realized that English won't get you far here and hands and feet are needed... The city consists of two parts that are about 10 km apart, and while the bus station is in the south, the actual life happens in the north. Our guesthouse is also located there, so we needed a tuk-tuk for the onward journey.

Jonas showed him the location on Maps.Me and the driver asked for the phone so Jonas could open the calculator there and the driver could enter his price. 50,000 kip (5€) seemed a bit too much, so we tried with 40,000? The driver shook his head, either because he didn't want to negotiate or because he didn't understand us at all :D :D

Well. We paid and even took another woman with us who had shopping bags with her^^ During the ride, we passed a boy in monk's clothing who was riding a bicycle with an orange umbrella as a sunshade and carrying oranges in the front basket of his bicycle. Someone was consistent with the colors ;-)

We also passed the airport, which is at most as big as a small glider airport in Germany. Really cute <3 Matching that, we saw a truck with the label "Skyways" that had loaded lots of packages on its cargo area. Apparently, delivery is done here by airmail? Pretty cool!! :)

When we arrived at the guesthouse, we checked in effortlessly (the only complicated thing is that we can't handle the huge amounts of money properly :D 20,000 or 200,000. It's easy to grab the wrong one when you can't yet assign the colors of the bills :p) and were happy about mosquito nets, a fan, and a toilet with a flush^^

After freshening up quickly, we dropped off our laundry and then explored the city. To be honest, this is done quite quickly :p There is a main road, which is also a through road, and besides trekking tour organizers and restaurants as well as bakeries (you can tell the French influence when you see all the baguettes), there are also a few small convenience stores. Since the road is wide but not heavily traveled, the whole thing feels like a small American town to me (and because of the trucks...)^^ Like a deserted town in the Midwest or something ;-)

Some of the buildings (or almost all of them?) are built in colonial style with large balconies, verandas, and decorations around the windows. There are also facilities that remind me a lot of European conditions (e.g. an industrial and commercial chamber). But it's very hot (a little over 30°C), so not very European in general^^ Jonas thinks the temperature is great, but I'm not a fan yet. I find it too hot ;-) Interestingly, in the city, Laotians mainly wear long sleeves and long pants, maybe because it's winter here and it can get up to 45°C in summer, who knows?^^

We then bought a Laotian SIM card a bit awkwardly and wanted to install an internet flat, but somehow it didn't work and the saleswoman in the convenience store also didn't speak English, so we couldn't ask her for help. But the fun only cost us €6. If it really doesn't work, we can cope with that :D In the end, she made a sleeping gesture, so maybe we have to wait a night for the activation to be successful? We'll see^^

At the end of our walk, we stopped at "The Hiker," the tour organizer that Jonas was immediately excited about. We asked a few more questions about the 5-day jungle tour and ultimately booked it for the day after tomorrow.

I still have a bit of difficulty with spontaneous decisions, but Jonas is very enthusiastic, so I gladly follow suit :D We will hike for 5-6 hours every day, go uphill, along the mountain ridge, or along slopes, and we will be in the jungle the whole time. Apparently, the season is optimal - not too hot but dry - and we will sleep on self-built beds somewhere in the jungle - with a sleeping bag and mosquito net! The latter was a very important point for me :D :D

On the internet, the tour is advertised as "difficult" and "challenging," so we also asked here HOW difficult it will be. The provider said that it can be more difficult, especially in the rainy season when it is slippery. They also want to avoid complete hiking novices overexerting themselves, and it's about the fact that there is little comfort and you have to carry your backpack, two water bottles, plus a sleeping bag.

I cautiously asked how often this tour is booked. - On average, one person per month, but then sometimes not a single time for months. Then I wanted to know if any women had already done it. Two. I would be the third one to dare. Normally, it's always men :D Well, that's reassuring :p I hope everything will go well and that I have unnecessary "fear" of it like I did in India before the Har-K-Dun trek ;-)

After booking the trek (it will start the day after tomorrow!!!), we went to dinner at the night market. It is completely non-touristy, which is cool for the atmosphere (quiet, peaceful, and well, Laotian/Asian friendly) but difficult when you want to ask what you see^^ English only works for the numbers/prices ;-)

Each main course costs 10,000 baht, so 1€, and so we feasted on main courses and dessert for a total of €4.50. And it was really delicious! :) - except for the dessert. Jonas got to enjoy that alone :D :D

Now it's 8:00 p.m., I'm super exhausted, and Jonas did a bit of research on what we're planning to do tomorrow.