December 2, 2016
Into Laos!: Slow boat to Luang Prabang, Day 1
This was quite a day, the kind that makes you reflect on where you are and what you're doing, and how amazing it is. So a good day.
I got up and got rolling early. I had booked the "luxury" cruise to Luang Prabang with Nagi of Mekong. They usually provide hotel pick-up, but with my bike they asked me to meet them at 8:00 at the Thai border checkpoint. It was about 10 km down the road. Allowing time for getting lost and perhaps a breakfast stop, I left the guesthouse at 7.
It actually was easy to get to the checkpoint which was before Friendship Bridge #4, and I was there early. I was trying to figure out if the restaurant was open yet (it wasn't) when 2 other cyclists showed up. They were going on the public boat. We were chatting when the Nagi rep showed up, also early, and asked me to go through the Thai exit process. Everything just sorted of rolled from there, and they really didn't provide assistance other than holding my bike for a bit.
Stamping out of Thailand was easy. On the other side, there is a bus across the bridge to the Laos checkpoint. You are required to cross in the bus or a car. I tried to ride, and was stopped. They put my bike in the bus, we drove a few minutes, and got my bike out of the bus. I couldn't see any reason not to ride, other than that they want to collect the bus fare. Then I filled out the forms for Laos entry, handed them in, including one photograph, at window 1. Waited about 15 minutes, then my name was called at window 2. I paid the US$35 visa fee, and got my passport back with the visa in it. While I was waiting, the other cyclists showed up. They had managed to ride across the bridge, as they had found a time when there was no bus or other vehicle there to take the bikes.
From the Laos checkpoint, it was another 10 km or so to the boat pier. On the Thailand side, I was told I could ride it. On the Lao side, the Nagi rep told me that I should take their minibus, as he didn't want me separated from the group. There was a small pickup with luggage, and after all the luggage was in, they put my bike on top. They smiled and said "okay?" and I suggested they tie it down, which they did. The road to the pier was twisty and turny, and had a few steep sections. It would have taken me longer to ride it than I had guessed based only on distance, so it was probably good that I was with the group.
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The group was just 12 people. The boat has capacity for somewhere around 50, but since this is "luxury" it is generally limited to 30 people. So with 12, there was a lot of space and it was quiet. The public boat, the one the other cyclists took, had more than 50 people and was packed to the gills. Someone told me they counted 70, but I'm not sure that's possible. But stories of the crowding and partying on the public boat were what lead me to the luxury cruise, and I'm happy with that decision. The 12 people included a group of 5, originally from Lebanon but now with UK passports, a couple from Holland, a couple from France, a British guy with his Thai girlfriend, and me. People were friendly, but not overly social.
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The boat ride was a nice, downstream ride on the Mekong. The Lao landscape seemed a lot less developed than the Thai landscape, with smaller farms and more undeveloped area. It was pretty, and every now and again I'd find myself thinking "Wow, I'm floating down the Mekong River in Laos. How amazing is that!" So I took lots of pictures, and none of them seem to properly depict the awe I felt when taking them.
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We had lunch on the boat, typical rice and noodle dishes served buffet style, and then stopped at a Khamu village. This village has had electricity for a few years. The children were all over the place, not in school due to a government holiday. There is a school in the village for kids up to age 9. After that, they have to have money to attend school in a bigger town, and to stay in that town since it is too far for a daily commute. This village makes money by distilling whiskey from sticky rice and selling it to neighboring villages. They didn't try to sell us anything.
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After the village visit, we continued downstream to our overnight stop in Pakbeng. The tour included overnight accommodation in a hotel. It was nice to not have to figure out where to stay!
Today's ride: 8 km (5 miles)
Total: 1,137 km (706 miles)
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