Laos is a landlocked country in the middle of the Indochina peninsula. The country is considered to be the "most bombed country on earth", suffering mightly during the 'Second Indochina War' (same conflict that the US got involved with in neighboring Vietnam). In fact there remains a problem with UXO's - unexploded ordnances. 130 people per year (half children) still die from these unexploded bombs.
Because of the remoteness, and lingering communisim, the country is still being discovered by tourists. We put it on our itinerary for the eco-friendly, community based treking to be found here, as well as the colonial town of Luang Prabang. But first we had to made the long journey from Thailand, beginning on Thursday, June 14. The journey involved:
Leg 1 - a VIP bus (nicest bus either of us had ever ridden on) for 3 hours from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai in Thailand. The bus had 2 attendants serving snacks and a nice bathroom. As well as first class lounging chairs with footrests:
Leg 2 - a 'local bus' for 3 hours to Chiang Khong, a town right across the Mekong from Laos. This bus was certainly a step down from the VIP bus, but we were kept entertained by the mirrored ceiling with oscillating fans:
Leg 3: exiting Thailand and taking a 'long-tail' boat across the Mekong river to the border checkpoint in Huay Xai, Laos:
We overnighted in the border town of Huay Xai, Laos. We sought out the 1 air conditioned guest house in town, which was well worth the extra $2. As an added bonus, the guest house had a small veranda where we enjoyed the view of Thailand across the river, watched the street life and sunset as we sampled the national drink, Beer Lao:
We finished the night by having some Laos cuisine at a lovely restaurant right by the river. The next day we continued our journey...
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