Quick trip.
In order to stay in Thailand for longer than 30 days, I needed to leave and come back (or you can pay too much money to extend your tourist visa). I planned a boat cruise down the Mekong River, crossing from Northern Thailand into Laos, floating down to the city of Luang Prabang. It was a two-day, one-night tour and while I splurged a bit and went with a tour group rather than book a really cheap local slow boat option, it was WORTH EVERY PENNY.
Laos is a country I knew very little about. It is a landlocked country with over seven million people and bordered by five countries in Southeast Asia. The Mekong River is surrounded by lush trees, mountains, and small villages. There is so much rich history and French influence with Buddhist temples throughout the country (like so much of Asia). I was going to see the country from a different view than normal and spend a few days on a boat. ALL ABOARD!
Slow boat.
The Mekong River is the 12th longest river in the world (about 3,000 miles) and reaches from China to Vietnam crossing through six different countries. Boats carrying supplies, tourists, and fisherman are constant and necessary to sustain the economy. If you are planning a trip on the river, there are two options; a fast/speed boat and a slow/long boat. The fast boat gets you from point A to point B in record time (my adventure would only have been three hours versus two days). However, you go so fast you cannot enjoy the views and most travelers wear helmets to shield their face from water, bugs, and provide a layer of safety. So that’s going to be a no for me. I wanted to enjoy the float down the river.
I found a company online called Shompoo Cruises to take me from the Chiang Khong Thailand border down into the middle of Laos. I crossed the border bright and early and was greeted by our wonderful host, San. He was lively, passionate, and knowledgeable. He shared the history of Laos, cultural aspects of the country, and his experience living there throughout the two days. There were only nine of us on the tour on a gorgeous long wooden boat that fits up to 35 people. With me on the journey was an American couple, Courtney and Travis, who turns out are blogging while traveling the world and gave me SO MANY great tips/tricks. If I want to take this blog further and earn money I will need to spend a lot more time and energy to find my niche. Not to mention hiring a a blog coach can greatly help, so something to think about 🙂 There were also three lovely couples from Australia and Europe. We got along beautifully and really bonded during our time on the river sharing travel stories over large bottles of Laos beer. We were served delicious traditional Laotian lunch buffets on the boat and had ample free time to read, write, rest, sunbathe in the front of the boat, chat, play games, etc. Day one we made a stop to explore a small village in the hills to see how they live and learn more about their culture. They rely on the river for so much, largely to get supplies from bigger cities. It is a simple and extremely humble way of life. The children were thrilled to see us and welcome us to their village.
We stayed overnight in a small town called Pakbeng in beautiful lodges overlooking the river. I had a huge room to myself (STRAIGHT UP LUXURY) and enjoyed a tasty Indian dinner followed by a few beers with the group at the only bar in town. We started bright and early the next morning to make it to our final destination of Luang Prabang by mid-afternoon. We stopped at a large cave temple on the river followed by XangHai village that is known for making LaoLao whiskey and beautiful hand-woven fabrics. We tried many different kinds of whiskey, and I bought a small bottle as a souvenir (to be drank later that evening). You could buy larger bottles with different dried amphibians in the bottles – OOOF no thank you! To round out the trip, I asked if I could drive the boat (DUH). Navigating a boat that long is NO JOKE, so hats off to the captain for handling it so gracefully. Unfortunately, our lovely boat trip had come to an end. The group exchanged photos, said our goodbyes, and parted ways to our different destinations. I am so grateful I spent the extra money. The scenery was incredible, my fellow travelers were lovely and the stops we made were so memorable. Thank you to Shompoo Cruises for creating this rich experience for me!
Luang Prabang.
Having known what I know now, I would have stayed a few extra days in Luang Prabang. However, I already booked my flight out the next afternoon so I had to make the most of the time I had. I arrived to the city in late afternoon and checked into my hostel. I immediately found the rooftop pool to cool off. I met some lovely fellow travelers during the social hour at the bar and we chatted for many hours sharing travel stories. We headed into the town to go bowling (really the only happening bar in town). I played HORRIBLY…I didn’t even break 100 once. But none of that matters because we had a blast. I was having too much fun that I didn’t take a single photo that night (or maybe I was so mad about my bowling abilities…). The next morning I packed up early, had breakfast, and made friends with a Brit who kindly offered to take me to the airport on his motorbike (thanks Marlon!). While Luang Prabang was a quick trip, it was a great one!
The jen essentials for laos.
- A good book or playlist (lots of downtime on the boat with no wifi)
- More time (Laos has so much to offer and I wish I planned to see other parts of the country)
- Cold beer (no explanation needed)
- San (our wonderful guide that made sure we had a memorable time)
- A big appetite (the buffets were incredible and you know I can’t just go up once)
- Laotian Kip (the visa to cross the border accepts cash only)
- LaoLao Whiskey (it was tasty and cheap, maybe I should have gotten a bigger bottle…)
- An organized plan to get to the border at 7:30am (had to book a private taxi from Chang Rai to the border as there is no public bus that early)
- Good conversation (everyone on the boat tour got along beautifully)
- Bowling shoes (bowling in Laos does not require proper shoes and bowling in sandals is quite difficult – I slipped and made a fool of myself only once!)
Wrap up it up jen.
In contrast to my Thailand post, this one seems like a cliff note. Not because there is nothing to do in Laos, but because of the short amount of time I spent there. If I come back to SE Asia in the future, I will make it a point to explore more of this lovely country. I am the type of traveler that makes plans in advance (usually a month out – I blame Amazon for this OCD planning style) and it can sometimes come back to bite me in the butt. This is an example of that. I would have extended my stay in Laos, checked out Vientiane and some smaller villages, but I had my flight and plans for the yoga retreat in Thailand. I have met some travelers who don’t even have their hostel booked for that night – maybe I need to try this method of travel – but I know my anxiety will likely get the best of me.
My romance with Laos was short lived, but I still have lots of love for the country. The Mekong River is majestic (as displayed in my photos here) and has so much to offer. I can only say good things about it and hope you get to experience it one day as well. LOTS of love for LAOS!
Up next: Malaysia to experience the diverse culture, food, and jungle wildlife.
Signing off for now,
Jennifer