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Again, it has been a while since our last entry, but this time we have done a bit more! We had a lovely last few days in Pai with Sarah and Ally, mainly playing drinking games and searching out the best meat on a stick! After that we went back to Chiang Mai to get visas and set off for Laos, vowing to not drink any alcohol for at least a month!
So, we crossed the border to the Laos town of Huay Xai to find that it is little more than a dirt road with a few overpriced guesthouses and restaurants. We only stayed for 1 night but met up with some Brits who persuaded us that we are in fact on holiday and therefore, it is perfectly acceptable for us to have the odd drink! The next day we all set off on the bus journey from HELL!!!
Right, imagine a small bus with 20 child-sized seats, 35 degrees outside, no air-con, 28 adults and 2 children, enough luggage to start a small shop, and a live chicken in the boot. Ok, we set off. The first 15 minutes are fine, a bit hot and very crowded, but we have tarmac. 30 minutes into the journey, we discover that the rest of the road hasn’t been made yet so we are on a dirt road and the driver cannot see more than a few feet ahead because of the dust! Just as we are starting to cope with the dust, the heat, the smell of vomit and the fact that there is no room to move an inch, we get a flat tire. We all pile off the bus and find out that the spare is also damaged so we have to drive back 30 minutes (with a broken tire) to the repair shop. We set off again and 3 hours later make it to the service station to get some noodle soup to settle our stomachs! The 2nd half of the journey is under way and we all seem to be happy with the decision to give up oxygen, and sweat A LOT, rather than have the windows open and be covered in even more dust! It all seems to be ok when lo and behold, we get another flat tyre. Fortunately, this time we have a good spare so we’re back on the road pretty quickly! After another 3 hours, the locals are still vomiting, we’re still sweating, we’re even dustier and really fed up when…a miracle occurs…we reach tarmac!!! Much to the amusement of the locals, ourselves and the other 3 “falang” (Lao word for foreigner!) start cheering and clapping and feeling close to tears! Then, as if someone above is feeling really generous, we see a sign which says “Luang Prabang, 30 KM” The end is near!! We’re covered in red dust (that we’re still washing out of our hair 3 days later) but we survived!
Arriving in Luang Namtha was a little disappointing as like the town we had just come from, it was just a dusty road, with a few hotels and shops, but nevertheless we stayed for a few days to recover! We did end up in a Lao discothèque/karaoke bar where much to the annoyance of the locals, the DJ switched off the karaoke and started playing happy hardcore and trance music for our benefit! After 20 minutes of the locals sulking because we were ruining their night out, we convinced the DJ that we liked karaoke, stayed for 1 song, then decided to call it a night!! It was definitely an experience!
After a not quite as bad as the first but still awful 9 hr bus journey, we found ourselves in Luang Prabang. It’s a bigger place with a lot more to it. Thank god!! It’s lovely, and you can really see the French influence in the buildings. We’ve spent a few days here doing lots of walking, eating, drinking coffee and a bit of shopping! We’ve even found time to visit a few temples!!
Because we don’t have that much time in Laos, and because it takes so bloody long to get anywhere, we’re moving on tomorrow. We have an 8.30 departure to sail for 7 hrs up to a place called Nong Khiaw.
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