The boat trips down the river are made for relaxing. This has to be done on the roof of the slow boat since the inside cabin is usually very crowded. The head room isn’t great inside and by the time you factor in a couple of dozen chickens, a piglet in a basket and several large bags of grain its better to get on the roof. A local delicacy may find its way onto the boat. Flattened rat! Skinned and dried in the sun its not everyones cup of tea. After an hour or two you may stop for more people/cargo and this is the pattern for the day.
After about 6-8 hours you arrive in Pakbeng without really knowing what to expect. Not much is the answer. The town itself is little more than a staging post for the boats. At the boat landing, which can be a bit tricky due to the height of the bank there is a steep hill to the first hotel. In the evening we discovered a woman who had been traveling on our boat had suspected malaria. But, she must have been infected in Thailand or Myanmar days or even weeks earlier.
Quick Tips:
TIP 1: Groups of friends may try and hire a boat for themselves but as always you’ll need to bargain hard and decide in advance whether the captain is to pick up cargo or other passengers. If you want to stay in Huay Xai bring your own entertainment because you’ll struggle to find anything to do unless you know someone. Fastboat or slowboat? (see warning)
TIP 2: Change a small amount of Lao currency (kip) at the official immigration point and more at the unofficial money changer (any shop) where rates are up to 20% better. The kip weakened on a daily basis when we were there so don’t change too much in one go.
Best Way To Get Around:
WARNING: The small boats will provide life jackets and helmets. When you see the speed at which they travel you’ll understand why (you’ll need earplugs too). The Mekong is well known by the locals but the sheer size and changing nature of the river means it is impossible to navigate with 100% confidence. Small boats occasionally crash as do slow boats but the consequences are less severe on the slow boats.