Getting from the Gibbons and Huay Xai on the Thai border back to continue our travels in Laos, was always going to be a bit of an unknown challenge.
Everyone we talked to had different opinions and solutions and all were just possibilities.
In anticipation we booked a rail ticket from Natuey to town two stops south.
The rest was in the hands of the Laotian Gods.
At 7.30am, after greeting the monks from the temple opposite our hotel, we waited in from of the travel shop window (closed) hoping that a Tun Tuk would appear and whisk us off to the bus station before the one bus left for the day.
It did, but not before taking another couple to the airport en route! Stress.
The usual shenanigans at the bus station but we found a seat on a mini bus and headed off.
5 hours later we made it to the impressive China Rail station at Natuey with plenty of time to on go through the multiple passport, body and bag checks required before boarding.
We had no idea what would await us at Mong Xai and wondered if we may have to sleep the night here. Our American friends had told us of a gorgeous hotel way out out town that they recently mended for a mere USD $100/night do we knew we had a back up plan.
Luckily there were tuk tuks at the station that would take us the 49 minutes into town to the bus station where we could assess our options.
At the Bus station we came across a lovely, but disappointed and angry Portuguese couple who’d been scammed into buying a ticket for EU$100 to NonKhiaw, which had landed them there with us and not in Nong Khiaw.
But as luck would have it, there was a bus leaving shortly for Pak Mong another couple of hours away, and inching us close to Non Khiaw.
Even better it was a sleeper bus!
How cool! It was heading to Vientiane (around 12 hours away), but our desitonation was luckily much closer than that..
We shared a top bunk and tried to relax, not looking at the close shaves with the on coming trucks and buses.
Lying in the sleeper bus watching the roadside villages, the road and the gorgeous setting sun.
Good fortune smiled on us again when we reached Pak Mong as there was someone willing to take us the remaining distance and we were happy to pay for the Portuguese couple (who had no cash) and share the ride.
Incredibly they were staying at the same floating hotel, and the staff were happy to welcome us at our late arrival time.
The rickety bridge to get to the hotel.
So after 13 hours on the road we’d found ourselves where we’d wanted to be, and, even more amazingly, we unexpectedly gained ourselves a day.
Our floating home for a few days even had an outdoor pool, (ie the river), fabulous mountain views, friendly staff, a fan, cold beers, delicious included breakfast, local restaurants nearby, and only cost us USD$20/ night. So happy to be there.
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