There was confusion as to where to get the forms, local ‘guides’ were bribing the officers into processing their customers’ passports first, and it was absolute chaos at the visa pick-up line where the clerk was holding up random passports and asking “Is this you? Is this you? Is this you?” to the growing mob surrounding her window.įrom there it was another drive to the pier where we arrived to a boat that was already packed full of strangers. I managed to be one of the first 5 people in line, but within minutes there were upwards of 100 people waiting to be processed. Word to the wise: get your Laos visa before coming here or make sure you are one of the very first people there because it is absolute madness. We were stamped out of Thailand, driven a few hundred meters to the Laos border, and then began the process of getting a visa on arrival. “You must eat something”, an older British couple urged her and they then gave her one of their own teabags so that at least she’d have something to drink.Ībout an hour behind schedule, we finally hopped in the minivan that would drive us to the border. The Dutch girl seated next to me looked at my plate with disgust. I was greeted with a buffet of instant coffee, overcooked rice floating in water, and boiled cabbage with mystery proteins (eggs? pork?) in it. Not quite the leisurely trip we were promisedĬold and showerless I made my way down for breakfast at 6:00 a.m. This was followed by a sleep deprived night on a mattress that was surely carved out of wood. A trip to 7 Eleven ensued (I may eat like a baby elephant, but I also have Sam the Giant to feed). we were pulling in to our accommodations for the evening – this came in the form of a former prison…painting pink to add a bit of cheer? Hmm, this wasn’t in the brochure, yet o ddly enough, it wasn’t my first time staying at a former prison turned hotel.ĭinner that evening consisted of chicken soup (read: murky water with a floating carcass) and a small bowl of rice, which wouldn’t be enough to fill a cavity. During this part of the drive the roads got narrower, the towns fewer in between, and the transportation switched from cars and scooters to scooters and farming equipment.īy 5 p.m.
I was more alert for the next three hours that followed on our journey to the Thai-Lao border. (Anti-nausea pills for the win!)īy the time I woke up, we had reached the White Temple for a 20 minute break and a whirlwind tour at one of the most unusual temples in Southeast Asia.
Having done the journey from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai twice before, I knew I was in for a vomit-inducing journey so I proceeded to pass out for the next 3 hours with a little help from dimenhydrinate. Our van picked us up (only) 45 minutes behind schedule and we crammed ourselves in. It seems misadventures along the Mekong River are a bit of an ongoing theme for me…įor anyone considering taking the slow boat to Laos, I’ll recount the events from my journey and I seriously hope you have a better one. M y trip involved sleeping in a former prison, eating recycled leftovers, and getting tangled up in a mutiny just when I was a few kilometres from reaching Luang Prabang. While the 3 day journey from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang was incredibly scenic, it also proved to be slow torture in many ways. “No, seriously guys! You have to be on the same boat! They have beer – we can drink the whole way theeere!!!!” Then turning to us offering an explanation, “we spent all night getting drunk together. “Aww, guys,” she yells out the door, “I really hope we’re on the same boat! I’m gonna be so SOOOOO sad if we aren’t!” Is this who I have for company on the 2 day boat journey to Luang Prabang? It looks like I might because she gets in the same minivan we’re already on. “And the pizzaaaas! If you ask for a ‘happy pizza’ they’ll give you one that has marijuana. She has now moved on to broadcasting all the cheap drugs she plans on consuming in Southeast Asia. I turn my head around it’s the same Aussie girl who managed to introduce herself to the older British couple by dropping the word ‘shit’ in her greeting.
“Oh my gosh, guys! We have to get mushroom shakes for breakfast tomorrow morning!!!”
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