Negotiating immigration and the boat-crossing between Chiang Kong and Huay Xai was easy as there is a steady stream of people using this crossing. Beerlao is legendary among South-East Asia travellers as being good and cheap everywhere, and my welcome to Laos as I climbed up from the jetty to Huay Xai's main street, was a wall of at least a hundred full, bright yellow Beerlao crates sitting by the roadside! I stayed at the BAP Guesthouse where the helpful lady owner filled me in on the boat situation. There were few tourists in town then and no chance of getting a group together to charter a boat for the rarely done boat trip to Xieng Kok. While considering my next move, I took a walk up to the market in south-east of town. A busy, very colourful place with many traditionally dressed Akha and Hmong women trading there. From the main street steps lead up five minutes to a temple on the hillside, Wat Jon Khao Manilat, which has a nice view across the Mekong to Chiang Kong and beyond on the Thai side and the chance to catch a little breeze on a stiflingly hot afternoon.
Quick Tips:
The slowboat jetty and the speedboat jetty at Huay Xai are about 5kms apart, so you can't just turn up expecting to take whichever leaves first! The slowboat leaves at around 10am-11am every morning and the speedboats go when there are six passengers. The slowboat trip to Xieng Kok is by charter only. At 900-1000 baht for the two-day trip, it's far too expensive for local people who use the road route via Luang Nam Tha.Best Way To Get Around:
Getting to Luang Nam Tha involves a trip to the speedboat jetty 4kms from town where cramped trucks usually packed with people and cargo leave around 10.30am-11am each morning. The road is awful and the journey takes a bum-aching 8-10 hours depending on road conditions. It is possible to stop over for a night in Vieng Phukha which has 3 basic guesthouses and is around 130kms (5-6 hours) from Huay Xai and 65kms (3-4 hours) from Luang Nam Tha. That would at last give your buttocks a chance to renew their acquaintance with the rest of your body before you continue on!