Frontera and Huay Xai
From Pai we traveled back to Chiang Mai on the Fan Bus, for 80 person Baths, in Chiang Mai we took a bus to Chiang Rai for 80 person Baths and in Chiang Rai another bus to Chiang Khong, the border, for 65 person Baths. Note that in Chiang Rai we dedicated the few minutes we had to go back to taste the coconut ice cream … the station is 3 blocks away.
The bus from Chiang Rai to the border was spectacular, a very nice tartana, with an equally nice driver, a smile trip …
At the border, we had to take a bus for 25 Baths (20 Baths from 9-17h) that took us to the customs control of Laos. There we paid 36 dollars for the visa (in Baths it comes out more expensive, 1400). Important, you must bring a photo ID. Once crossed the border, the only option to get to Huay Xai is to take a tuk tuk bus … something weird, we negotiated between two couples paying 280 Baths, 70 Baths person … you could still pay with Baths.
about to cross the border
on the soil of Laos for the first time
Once in Huay Xai, as always, we looked for the cheapest room, and found it for 60,000 kips. Welcome to the Kips !!!!! What a mess of coins awaits us … We stayed in Friendship guesthouse, bathroom in the room, hot water and non-existent wifi. We dined for the place and we could already see that the prices had gone up …
The next day we went to the bus station, which was 8 km away … that mania in Laos to put the stations 8 km away from the most populated areas … And since we are anti-taxi driver, because they are the ones who try to abuse the most, we try to do hitch-hiking. Mayra asked for the station a girl in a brand new all-terrain and … bingo! Agreed to take us !!!! : D
Luang Namtha, pure Laos
The ticket to Luang Namtha cost us 45,000 kips per person. To understand us, 1 euro is equivalent to about 8700 kips, although we pass it to Baths (1 Bath is 230 kips), you can not look for equivalence in Western life, we compare it with Thailand, the proportions in the lifestyle are more reliable.
We went in an overloaded mini bus, among local people. The Laotian gentleman who travels by my side spoke very good English, had been in Barcelona and everything. We talked a little and he explained that Laos was more expensive because unlike Thailand, nobody here gives a stick to the water. The roads have been made by the Chinese, as well as the water dams and most of the schools, the Laotians love to sleep, drink beer and sing at Karaoke … we do not start well … And the truth is that in a land where we only look something grows, we did not see as many fruit trees and crops as in Thailand, at least in the north.
After a very long and uncomfortable journey … finally in Luang Namtha !! and … surprise! The city is 8 km from the station … how weird … (ironic tone). After the ritual attack of taxi drivers to the new arrivals with abusive prices, we decided to make a stop. We throw ourselves to the road under a torrid sun and with our backpack … if we do not learn … hahaha … the adventure is the adventure !!!! Well after a while walking … nobody stopped, until a taxi driver asked us, we told him we did not have money (it was true, we needed a cashier) and he took us for free … an isolated case of taxi driver kindness … thank you very much !!!!
Once in the city, to look for the cheapest room, the usual traveling routine … after visiting many Chinese buildings, with high wooden ceilings, and annoying workers to have to get up to attend, we stayed at Yuranan Guesthouse. It’s easy to find, it’s on the main street in front of the night market and it has a huge Honda advertisement on the facade. It cost us 50,000 person baths, with bath, hot water and wifi, all quite correct.
Breakfast, at the bar next door, Manikong restaurant; a sandwich (bread sandwich baguete) for 15,000 kips and a pitcher of tea made in Lao for 10,000 kips, breakfast for two for 40,000, not bad, the tuna vegetable sandwiches or chicken of good size. Our first sandwich after two months … you do not know what it is to savor a sandwich after so long … For a few days, the breakfasts were extended to hours, this place was constituted as our office. In this way we could move forward with blog post … finally! Ole ole ole … and now you read us … what an illusion! : D.
The only drawback of the place was that the Pi Mai Lao was approaching, the Buddhist New Year in Laos, and a week before they were dedicated to putting the techno music to the limit, the worst music I’ve ever heard, drinking beer and throwing water and wetting whoever passes by. This happened every day from 1pm to 6pm … a Chinese torture …
The Night Market of Luang Namtha is a precarious place compared to those seen in Thailand. It consists of an enclosure with food stalls, without too much hygiene, the overall aspect is quite dirty. After walking calmly for 10 min, we ate at the post that gave the best impression, a padtahi and a papaya salad. We risk taking another plate of Larb, minced meat with fish and lime sauce. We were not displeased, although the hygienic state of the place did not give us much confidence and the meat itself cost us a bit to understand it …
Luang Namtha is famous for its trekking excursions, kayaking, etc … through the jungle of northern Laos. It must be beautiful, but since we are making a long trip we need to keep it “low cost”, so what we did is rent a motorbike for a day. The cheapest one we found, a fantastic 100 cc Zongshen … Chinese motorcycle identical to the Honda equivalent model 100 cc semi-automatic, for 40,000 zips (and 200 dollars deposit).
We headed towards the border with China, it is a road of about 60 km crossing the jungle of northern Laos by a fairly dusty road parallel to the Nam Tha river. The landscape is spectacular, it is pure life, in more life, on more life, hiding even more life … a portent of nature, it is the first time I see so dense vegetation. The river opens clearings in areas that were cultivated, mainly rice.
The road passes through different towns, quite impressive, it is difficult to explain. These villages consist of bamboo houses, straw, sometimes brick, red mud streets, chickens, goats and free pigs everywhere, small children unattended, walking on the road, in the streets, to their own, with no other vision of the world that the chicken that pursue … Without putting us to value, avoiding evolutionary moralinas, that if they are not perverted by the modernity or they continue lost in the past, I do not know, value yourselves … with the images you can make an idea.
About 20 km away from reaching the border, our Zongshen started making strange noises … help! A part of the chain cover was bent, but with the help of a man who stopped to help us we fixed it. Resuming the march, the engine kept making new noises … to stay lying in the mountain of Laos was not the best thing that could happen to us, so we went back, little by little and good lyrics … No more problems, although on the edge so nothing more to get home and we gave it back …
And the day came to go from Luang Namtha to Nong Kiaw and we caught a taxi to the station. He caught us off guard and we paid 20,000 kips each … aaaah !!! What anger! You can not be confused !!!! You end up straining … that’s why we do not want to take taxis!