The trip to Luang Nam Tha was a little confusing! When we booked our tickets we were told that a shuttle bus would pick us up at 08:30 and take us to the main bus station, where our bus leaves at 09:30. No problems, but as we were still on the mini-bus at 09:25, somewhere on a mountain road and no bus station in sight, I was a little concerned that we would miss our connection. As the mini-bus continued to drive, it dawned on us that we were not to be changing busses! The minibus was going to take us all the way to Luang Nam Tha. Not a problem, apart from a slight lack of air-con and rather small seats, so not much room for the 6 hour journey! Also on our bus was a couple from Chile, Sergio and Mandy. They were a nice couple, but kept themselves to themselves.
When we arrived at the bus station in Luang Nam Tha, it hit me how much hotter it is here than it was in Thailand.
The town looked small and sparse, which was expected. I enquired about the bus to Nong Khiew the next day and was told that the one about to leave right now was the last bus. So I asked if there was one tomorrow. Nope, apparently not. So, just when was the next bus? Never apparently. As far as our conversation went, that bus about to leave was the last bus to go to Nong Khiew ever! I didn’t quite believe this, so they were either trying to get us on that one, or they just had no idea what I was asking and “no” is the only word they understood!! As it turned out a bit later, we could go to Nong Khiew but not directly.
We would have to get a bus to Udomxai and then change. Udomxai is about 6 hours away, with another couple of hours after we change. Tomorrow is going to be another Looooong day on the busses!
We looked at a couple of guesthouses but decided to stay at the Bus Station Guest House. As the name implies it was right next to the bus station, and handy since we had to get our tickets at about 07:30 in the morning. The guest house was similar to the others, basic, but clean enough. I am starting to get used to fan rooms, and air-con is not a huge requirement any more. As long as it isn’t too hot!! Ania and the Chileans decided to stay in another guesthouse, that was a bit cheaper.
Luang Nam Tha was very similar to Huay Xai, but a bit larger. There are some nice enough restaurants and a few shops. After some dinner and a couple of beerloa’s we were ready for bed.
There is absolutely no street lighting in Luang Nam Tha, which feels very strange as you walk back. I believe the majority of these small towns run on generators, so conserving power must be quite important. There were lights on in houses and small local restaurants, but the streets were pretty dark. The occasional scooter provides a bit of light for a while. It really had a very quiet, serene feel to it. As soon as we got to Huay Xai yesterday and all through today I could just feel that they pace of life in Laos is about half that of Thailand... or anywhere else I have seen. It is so laid back here that it is impossible not to get into that way of life. Nice and chilled. Nothing to worry about.
Peaceful.