Houayxai to Luang Namtha

I woke up on my 64th day of traveling in Asia to some bad news: Anne had caught a cold, and we were now literally stuck in Luang Namtha, a small village in northern Laos bordering China and Burma.

After crossing the Thai–Laos border at Houayxai – and realizing that Portuguese citizens will always pay more for visas than Germans (35 USD for me, 30 USD for Anne) – we spent the night at the Friendship Hotel, located on the main (and only) street of this rather unpleasant village. We struggled to find people to share a longboat for the two-day trip to Luang Namtha. A single boat costs about 7,000 Baht (around 175 EUR) and supposedly takes no more than five passengers. I ran up and down the street with my Lonely Planet wide open, asking every Westerner whether they were heading to Luang Namtha and wanted to share a boat with a wonderful multicultural couple. Apparently, everyone was going south to Luang Prabang, which made me break another Buddhist precept (the first being drinking alcohol): swearing. I swore in every possible language. It was late, getting cold, and the thought of spending another night at the border was deeply discouraging. Eventually, we found a French couple (merci!) and a Dutch girl who had the good taste of going in the same direction as us.

At 6:30 a.m., Anne’s alarm rang. I woke up without the slightest idea of where I was. It was far too early to get out of bed – there should be a law against waking up before 11:00 while on holiday. One and a half hours later we were sitting in the boat, getting our asses wet and trying to find a comfortable position for the next eight hours of engine noise, damp clothes, and impatient bladders.

The boat was operated by two young Lao men: one at the back steering and controlling the engine, and another at the front, perched on the bow, saving us from any deadly rock collisions. We started out under a clear blue sky, warm enough for t-shirts, and were pleasantly surprised by our speed. It didn’t take long, however, before we all made a desperate run for our backpacks. The sun vanished behind a dense fog, water splashed in unexpectedly every time we hit rapids, the wind turned as cold as a Himalayan breeze, and our only defense was to pull on fleeces and windbreakers and hope the sun would return.

At 13:00 we stopped on the banks of the Namtha River for lunch. Ten minutes later our captains were shouting for us to return. We didn’t really eat; we swallowed our food without chewing.

Shortly before sunset we reached the small place where we were to spend the night. Anne and I had our first homestay in Laos. Together with the French couple and the Dutch girl, we were warmly welcomed by a friendly Lao family, dozens of curious children, frightened dogs, and long-legged wild chickens. Dinner was delicious: sticky rice, sweet potato, and a hot vegetable soup. We drank Beerlao and talked until the darkness made it impossible to see anything outside. At 20:00, we went to sleep.

Morning arrived with a symphony of roosters that, at 5:00 a.m., gave us absolutely no chance of falling back asleep. Breakfast came, and soon we were off for the final day of our Namtha river journey.

One important detail I keep forgetting: Anne also keeps a digital diary – aber nur auf Deutsch. Hier lang: http://ahoffmeister.wordpress.com.