With the Slowboat to Laos

After a night in the border town of Chiang Khong in Thailand, I took a tuk-tuk to the border the next morning. Luckily, everything went smoothly at the border crossing and for $31 less, I had my visa for Laos.

From there, I continued with a tuk-tuk to the town of Huay Xai, which is about half an hour away and where the slow boats start. Since I was there relatively early, I got a seat right at the front of the boat. These seats are popular because you can't hear your own word in the back of the boat due to the loud engine. Lucky me!

After quickly buying some food and beer, we set off for a two-day journey on the Mekong River to Luang Prabang.

Next to me was Svenja, a Swiss girl, with whom I immediately got along well.

The boat was a great way to travel. We saw a lot of the landscape and watched the life along the river. After about 6 hours, we arrived in the small town of Pakbeng, where we spent the night.

The next day, we stocked up on fried rice and sandwiches before heading off at nine in the morning. This time, we had to endure about 8 hours. But it was okay, we had many nice people around us, read, had a beer... and had time to let the surroundings work on us. Every now and then, the boat stopped to pick up or drop off people. This was a big spectacle, especially for the children in the villages. They waved, shouted, and some even tried to sell homemade bracelets.

The locals were mostly sitting in the front, more uncomfortable part of the boat, while the tourists were accommodated in the back.

For a few years now, the boats no longer go directly to the city, but stop about 10 km before Luang Prabang. People then have to take a tuk-tuk to get to the city. And there are already new jobs created! :-)