Overland border crossing to Laos, part 2. Bridge crossing & Mekong downstream : One way ticket to Paradise

May 1-2, 2016

No matter how accurate someone’s travel account is it is still up to a reader to determine how ‘accurate’ it really is. Just like reading a book. Give the same book to 100 readers and you’ll have 100 different interpretations. The power of the written word – and imagination.

I read few detailed descriptions of how the land crossing process works …

“First take a tuk-tuk, then walk a bit, then take a bus, then walk some more, then get the visa, then walk still more, take another tuk-tuk“

… and thought there were tad too many different stages in that process and too many walks.

It was all those walks that got me worried. How far? How long? Paved road? Dirt road? Uphill? Downhill? Any steps? Curbs? My imagination went wild. They all must amount to at least few hundred meters, perhaps even more. Right?

As much as I hate to admit it and as much as I try to avoid it I do plan around my 20 kg suitcase – it was 30 originally. This is my brutal reality.

Travel light is not good enough. Travel lighter. Do not plan for fine dining or anything else. Concentrate on a MAXIMUM 7 kilos. Only. If your stuff (including camera gear) won’t fit in a carry on bag/backpack or weighs over 7 kg then don’t pack it. You already have too much. Anything more than that and you can say goodbye to freedom of movement, the joy of travel, taking that extra ‘mile’ to satisfy your curiosity what’s around the corner and peace of mind. You won’t be able to do what you want to but what you have to. And you must babysit your luggage.

Afraid of exposing myself to too much ‘walking with a suitcase’ I changed my original DIY-plan and bought a VIP package trip instead. Transport all the way. From hotel pickup to boat drop off. The difference between the two, organized package vs DIY, was marginal. I didn’t miss much other than DIY-feeling/satisfaction (which could be plenty). And there was no walking involved, either way. Everything was super smooth and super efficient. Too super perfect. Nothing romantic nor adventurous. Not even exploratory. Just a plain walk in the park.

You cannot walk across the friendship bridge but take this bus instead

Tuk tuk picked me up at my hotel and drove me to the new friendship bridge 5 km away – DIY-folks had to haggle their own ride
All tuk tuks stopped on the Thai side of the bridge right next to awaiting buses that were to take us all (VIPs and DIYs) over the bridge. Luggage was loaded onto the bus.
After we got stamped out off Thailand we boarded the bus and went on a 2-3 minute ride over the bridge. DIYs had to purchase a ticket. Ours was in the package.
The bus stopped on the other side of the bridge right in front of a brand new, very spacy Laotian immigration office. No to/from walking. Perfect shiny flooring to drag luggage.
The package tour representative showed up (VIPs wore a sticker to be easily spotted) to assist us if need be
Laos Immigration, Filling in visa forms.

We all needed a visa. After having filled in a small form a Visa on Arrival good for 30 days was issued and stamped in our passports. The whole procedure took only a few minutes. Note: you need to pay in cash for the visa, preferably in US dollars (40 if I remember correctly). If you don’t have cash on you there are two brand new ATMs in the immigration hall.
Once we were through immigration a tuk tuk that was waiting for us took us to the jetty. DIYs had to haggle once again.
On the way to jetty we stopped at organizer’s office and were treated to lunch (sandwich and soft drink). Nice touch.
Upon arrival at jetty – first problem. BIG PROBLEM. Potentially. Tuk tuks wouldn’t go all the way down to the boats but stopped at the top of a giant hill some 100-200 meters away. From there on all luggage had to be carried down (or up) and if need be, depending on which boat in line you were boarding, even dragged through several boats that were clustered together. At this point, I was so glad I was going downstream as up-streamers would need to fight that hill up. (hmmm little that I knew what was coming). As for my luggage – tuk tuk driver carried it down.

Once settled in we did some calculations and surprisingly it turned out that VIP trip was a bit cheaper than DIY one.

No seat left. The boat was full of both backpackers and locals. Originally I was planning to take another somewhat luxurious trip. Same boat (they are all the same) but fewer people, max 12, launch chairs, gourmet lunch, cocktails, lovely accommodation for the night, different way of socializing, iow entirely different experience but due to low season the boat I was planning to cruise with was only cruising once a week and I didn’t have enough patience to wait. In addition, it wasn’t 100% sure the boat would depart at all as its departure depended on the number of passengers. Not enough people no deal.

Guess my suitcase is not that bad. Imagine having to carry this heavy looking table. Not only from/to the boat but also up/down the hill. We were all watching breathlessly.

Which trip to take? My guess is as good as yours. We are talking here about two entirely different experiences. Cruise or means of transportation that gives a glimpse of local life.

These boats are the quickest means of transportation and most times the only means of transportation. Our boat stopped few times to let locals and their ‘cargo’ on/off.

After almost an hour delay we left. The anticipation of what’s ahead was high. As were the expectations of a one in a lifetime adventure. After all, this was the one and only unforgettable trip for my Australian friends and I was hoping for the same (they took the luxury trip though).

The scenery was exotic and very peaceful. At first. The mighty Mekong flows through most of Asia. The river is impressive. It never ends. Many a time it looks more like a sea than a river. On its Laotian leg, the river is carving the way through forested foothills. All the way from the border to Luang Prabang and most probably pass that too the scenery doesn’t change. After a couple of hours, I found it somewhat monotonous and boring. I was no longer on an adventure but on a means of transportation. The hard bench I sat on, amongst legs, legs, and legs, wasn’t much of a comfort either. I stopped looking outside (not that I could as I had the window behind me) and concentrated more on what was going on inside.

If you like to enjoy the views and appreciate the total experience to the fullest, the luxury trip would have been more to your liking (and mine). It is so much easier to find and concentrate on inner peace from the comfort of a soft launch chair sipping on a refreshing cocktail in a company of 12 travelers as opposed to a mountain of feet, crying kids and scattered luggage. But the backpackers had fun.

Laotian village along Mekong river

It appears people in Laos don’t live off the river the same way as they do in Vietnam. (Is it why the river is so clean?) Nowhere along the river had I seen any villages on the water or even nearby. All riverside villages were uphill, most of them not even visible from down below. Each time the boat stopped to let someone on/off I was surprised ‘why stop in the middle of nowhere‘ but then, after a long search, there it was – a hidden village right on the top. It goes without saying that all luggage, merchandise, tables, anything at all had to be carried up/down the very steep and often sandy or muddy hill.

After 4 or 5 hours the first leg of our downstream trip was over. We came to Ban Pakbeng, a small village in the middle of nowhere and our bed for the night. All the luggage had to be unloaded and carried uphill to respective hotels to be once again carried down next morning. I was smart to book a room in a hotel nearest the jetty, some 100 – 150 meters away. Still, a long way if you have to push 20 kg suitcase uphill.

It is pretty obvious that even slow boat could easily make it to Luang Prabang in one day. Spending a night in Ban Pakbeng was, from my very own selfish perspective, a total waste of time. There is absolutely nothing there. Some five basic hotels, a couple of bad restaurants and a ‘nightclub’. That’s all there is in the village. The village lives off overnight tourists. A way of survival, I guess for there is no other work.

To kill the time we (bit older ones and parents with kids, although a couple of backpackers also joined us) went to a bad and overpriced Indian restaurant across the road, had something to eat, a couple of beers, socialized a bit and then called it quits, that is went to bed. There was nothing else to do. It was also very dark so even taking a walk wasn’t an option.

Backpackers, on the other hand, went to the nightclub. And why not.

The boat leaves early in the morning but the village wakes up even earlier to get breakfast ready for all the travelers. Walking through the very misty village first thing in the morning, smelling the aroma of freshly baked bread, bumping into ‘everybody‘ shopping for breakfast (and lunch), chatting here and there was, in fact, the nicest and most enjoyable moment of the stay. It felt like a local market at home.

And once again our departure was delayed by an hour or more. This time it was few backpackers that couldn’t wake up in time.

The second leg of the trip was pretty much the same as the first one. Same view, same experience, same everything. Well, we got a table-sitting on the boat so the trip was more comfortable and enjoyable. Other than that? Same, same.

Summa summarum By any stretch of the imagination I cannot even imply the trip was a disappointment. It was not. Not in the least. But it was a lot different from what I expected. I thought I’ll be in for more spiritual experience rather than a snapshot of real life.

p.s. travel light – currently I leave my suitcase at the hotel and do the island hopping with a backpack only – what a freedom