Tuesday 30 December 2008

Bus trip to the Laos Border - Chiang Mai to Huay Xai

The buses to Chiang Khong, and the Laos border, were fully booked on the 26th and so we relaxed for an extra day in Chiang Mai. It's amazing how wanderlust can be tamed with 24hr cable TV, in room fast internet and good local food located just around the corner.

On the following day, we made the six-hour bus journey to Chiang Khong. The bus was remarkable for having five (narrow) seats in a row. We laughed at the broad shouldered Australian man who was uncomfortably sandwiched between his girlfriend and a stockily built Thai soldier for most of the journey.

After arriving, we had a pit stop in the local market for an excellent noodle soup. We got our exit stamps at the Thai border and made the short boat trip across the Mekong River to Huay Xai in Laos.



Huay Xai was a pleasant place to spend the evening, and the lady in our guest house was a real character. She had a real penchant for money. The picture shows her holding four million Kip (the Laos currency), worth about 300 pounds.



We also paid a visit to our first temple in Laos. It was very chilled, with excellent views over the river. There were also some Monks' robes drying in the setting sun.

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