Pakbeng Travel Blogs | Travelogues | Travel Journals

Today we were up early to grab breakfast and head to the port to catch the slow boat. The trip to the port oy took a few minutes. We had to queue to depart through border control in Thailand first. After getting our departure stamps in our passports we made our ay down to the dock ... Well it wasn't really a dock, it was more of a slip way into the river, and on looking to the boats there, I started to get very nervous. The boats were only about 20 feet long by about 3 feet wide and I started...

Despite our tummy troubles in Pai, we held up pretty well with our 8-9hr trip to Chiang Kong. We got up pretty early the following morning to get a boat over to Loas, get our visas and sort out cruising tickets down the Mekong for 2 days. Since Neil had done the trip before (and it had not been such a positive experience), plus looking at some tales of overcrowding on the web, we were not feeling great about the trip. However, we were pleasantly surprised....

While in Chiang Mai, two days before we cross the Thai-Lao border in Chiang Khong, Northern Thailand, we already booked our tickets for the slow boat to Luang Prabang, Laos. We took the slow boat package plus overnight stay in a CK guesthouse.  The boats leave at around 9am so we had no choice but to spend the night in one of the guesthouses in Chiang Khong over-looking the Mekong River.  It was quite a nice place.  The rooms are located on the lower level of t...

Is it a bad sign when you can't sleep if you don't drink whisky? I think it is, but that's what happened last night anyways, so the 8 hours on the slow boat today seemed like it would last an eternity. We leave the hostel early, and it's not a bad place, for the price, it has a hot shower, which is all I really care about. And a balcony, of sorts! So, we get a tuk-tuk to the pier, and I'm a bit worried about my arse, as I failed to buy a cushion last night, and the boat apparently has ...

It's a little disconcerting that an hour in to the trip, the boat starts to rock madly from side to side, sounding like the propeller is grinding against rocks.  You'd be inclined to just accept that this is normal, and everything will be alright except for the fact that locals were praying, and the captain had a look of terror on his face.  We got out of it though.... only a day and half of this left ;)  I later learned that another boat the previous day had capsized and the p...

Starts 6 oktober 2006 end 15 oktober 2006

Map and photos of my loop around Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.

Well I am about to embark on a trip which is the first of its kind for me, I am taking time out from the UK to go and discover countries I have never visited before. I'l be starting in Oz, Perth-Sydney-Cairnes-Brisbain, the to NZ, Christchurch-Auckland, Fiji, Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia. To keep track of my travels keep logged on!

From Chaing Mai in Thailand we made our way to Laos on an epic three day adventure.  Day 1- 5 hou bus ride, Day 2 and 3- the "slow boat" to Laos along the Mekong River.  The scenery was amazing.  We stopped along the way to pick up pigs, dogs, and other various supplies!

Our first day on the river ended at this little town beside the river. Our hotel was ok, except it took three hours for our group to all be served. Ok - there were sixteen of us - lesson learned about not going to a Laos restaurant in a big group - as you won't get served for a while... just relax!There was some kind of concert being prepared, but we didn't get the chance to see it.Most of the places are powered by generators and these get turned off at 10pm - so make sure you have a torch ha...

Off the deep end.

slowboat van huay xai naar pakbeng genomen. De boot zit overvo (met toeristen natuurlijk). eigenlijk de hele dag op de rivier. prachtig landschap. Pakbeng heeft alleen stroom van 6 tot 10 s'avonds, dan gaat het licht uit.

So.... I finally got sick.  I made it through two months in India AND a month in Thailand without getting sick.  And then, just before a two day float down the Mekong River....BOOM! Just before I jumped on my overnight minibus to the border of north Thailand and Laos, I ate a Papaya Salad from a street vendor in Pai.  Let's just say it will probably be my last Papaya Salad - forever.  The six hour windy road to through the Thai mountains just got worse and worse. And, hour...

Reached dry land at half five and disembarked from the boat, groaning. The town of Pak Beng consisted of a little beach where river traffic stopped, and a single dirt road winding up the hill towards nowhere. If you followed this road far enough you'd eventually get to China but I just let a tout lead me to a simple wooden guesthouse a couple of hundred yards from the river. The owner showed me the room then closed the door behind us and dropped his voice a notch. Took a tightly-packed ...

Our extended honeymoon in SE Asia. We're off to Sri Lanka for a blessing with Andrei's extended family, thenonwards to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.