Sorry I never got around to posting part 2 of the final Laos writeup yesterday. Anyway, here goes...
From Hat Sa I took a truck up to Phongsali. The truck ride was only one hour, but it left two hours later than scheduled because the driver had to wait around for some inconsiderate local big-shot to finish fishing before we could leave. This was a long enough delay that even the Laos people in the bus were getting visibly annoyed. By the time I got to Phongsali there wasn't much time to see any of the town before dark so I don't have any good pictures and in any case there wasn't much to see. Phongsali was hands-down my least favorite place in Laos. I am very glad I didn't go all the way up there just to see it - this was definitely a case where the journey was the point rather than the destination.
The morning after I arrived in Phongsali I caught a bus to Udomxai. This was a long long bus ride (9 hours) and I was dreading it. However, for some reason it turned out to be a great ride. The scenery was beautiful and the bus driver really new how to keep the bus moving on the windy mountain roads. It barely seemed like a long ride. There wasn't much to see in Udomxai either - for me it was just a stop on the way to Pakbeng to catch a boat to the border at Huay Xai.
The truck ride to Pakbeng wasn't bad, although not as nice as the previous day's ride from Phongsali. Pakbeng is a small town on the Mekong about half way between Luang Prabang and Huay Xai. The two day boat ride between the border and Huay Xai and Luang Prabang is one of the biggest things to do on the Laos tourist route so Pakbeng has loads of guesthouses and restaurants and fills up with tourists every night. It was a pleasant place to spend a couple nights.
On my last full day in Laos I caught the boat up the Mekong to Huay Xai. This was a completely different experience from the trip up the Nam Ou. The boat was much larger and was full of tourists rather than being one of the local river taxis I took up the Nam Ou. It was still OK but a bit of a disappointment after the long river trip the week before. Still a nice way to leave the country though.
After one night in Huay Xai I left Laos and crossed the Mekong to Chiang Khong in Thailand. From there I caught a bus to Chiang Mai where I am now. Chiang Mai has been a major culture shock after Laos.
Yesterday I went to the Indian consulate to arrange my visa for India. This is going to take a full week so I won't have it back until next Friday. I've decided to try to visit Myanmar (Burma) for a couple weeks before heading to India so tonight I am taking a bus to Bangkok to arrange that visa. I could do it here but it takes too long and I've been told I can get it done in 1 to 2 days if I show up in person at the embassy in Bangkok. Luckily the India consulate doesn't need to hold onto my passport for the full week otherwise I would have to wait here for a week before I could get the Myanmar visa.
Anyway, that's about it for now.
From Hat Sa I took a truck up to Phongsali. The truck ride was only one hour, but it left two hours later than scheduled because the driver had to wait around for some inconsiderate local big-shot to finish fishing before we could leave. This was a long enough delay that even the Laos people in the bus were getting visibly annoyed. By the time I got to Phongsali there wasn't much time to see any of the town before dark so I don't have any good pictures and in any case there wasn't much to see. Phongsali was hands-down my least favorite place in Laos. I am very glad I didn't go all the way up there just to see it - this was definitely a case where the journey was the point rather than the destination.
The morning after I arrived in Phongsali I caught a bus to Udomxai. This was a long long bus ride (9 hours) and I was dreading it. However, for some reason it turned out to be a great ride. The scenery was beautiful and the bus driver really new how to keep the bus moving on the windy mountain roads. It barely seemed like a long ride. There wasn't much to see in Udomxai either - for me it was just a stop on the way to Pakbeng to catch a boat to the border at Huay Xai.
The truck ride to Pakbeng wasn't bad, although not as nice as the previous day's ride from Phongsali. Pakbeng is a small town on the Mekong about half way between Luang Prabang and Huay Xai. The two day boat ride between the border and Huay Xai and Luang Prabang is one of the biggest things to do on the Laos tourist route so Pakbeng has loads of guesthouses and restaurants and fills up with tourists every night. It was a pleasant place to spend a couple nights.
On my last full day in Laos I caught the boat up the Mekong to Huay Xai. This was a completely different experience from the trip up the Nam Ou. The boat was much larger and was full of tourists rather than being one of the local river taxis I took up the Nam Ou. It was still OK but a bit of a disappointment after the long river trip the week before. Still a nice way to leave the country though.
After one night in Huay Xai I left Laos and crossed the Mekong to Chiang Khong in Thailand. From there I caught a bus to Chiang Mai where I am now. Chiang Mai has been a major culture shock after Laos.
Yesterday I went to the Indian consulate to arrange my visa for India. This is going to take a full week so I won't have it back until next Friday. I've decided to try to visit Myanmar (Burma) for a couple weeks before heading to India so tonight I am taking a bus to Bangkok to arrange that visa. I could do it here but it takes too long and I've been told I can get it done in 1 to 2 days if I show up in person at the embassy in Bangkok. Luckily the India consulate doesn't need to hold onto my passport for the full week otherwise I would have to wait here for a week before I could get the Myanmar visa.
Anyway, that's about it for now.
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