It’s a two hour trip from Chiang Rai to the Lao border crossing just outside of Houay Xai, although it’s possible to go by bus a car to the border is very reasonably priced and a lot faster. At the border you're stamped out of Thailand, pass through to no man’s land, wait for the shuttle bus over the Friendship Bridge to Lao Immigration, obtain a visa on arrival, get the visa stamped in and then board a van to your accommodation. Although there seems to be a lot of steps it’s straightforward and smooth, especially now that transport into Houay Xai proper is better organised than before.
As I was going to my room I couldn’t help but notice how low the Mekong water level was, even though it was supposed to be the tail end of the wet season. Gyrations in the Indian Ocean dipole were affecting SE Asia (causing the monsoon season to fail) as well as Australia; I discovered later that the Mekong was at its lowest level in 60 years. To get man idea about how low the river was see my Houay Xai 2018 album.
After organising a few things I went down to the Slow Boat Landing, just below my guesthouse, to catch the late afternoon activity.
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
At the slow boat dock
