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Huay Xai
(also Houayxay, Houei Sai, etc) is the capital of the Laos province of
Bokčo. It lies on the banks of the Mekong river, which forms the border to
Thailand. More or less a transport stop-over, there is not much to see in
the small town.
Geographical position: 20° 16' N 100° 24' E
View over the Mekong to Houay Xay
View over the Mekong to Houay Xay
View from temple complex in Huay Xai, about 2 miles south of river
crossing. Looking downstream.
View from temple complex in Huay Xai, about 2 miles south of river
crossing. Looking downstream.
Understand
* Immigration: The immigration office is just a few meters from the ferry
on the right and issues 30-day Visa-on-Arrival (USD30 or Baht 1500) and a
passport-sized photo needed)
* Money: There's a small bank office offering change for cash and
travellers' checks just right of the immigration. Most guest houses and
restaurants in town deal in baht, kip and US dollars at decent rates.
There is no way to get a cash advance in this town. There is an ATM
straight up the hill and to the left from immigration (clearly
signposted).
Get in
By plane
Huay Xai's tiny airport has service three times a week to/from Vientiane,
plus one flight to Luang Prabang on Saturdays, but none in the other
direction.
[edit] By bus
The 9:30am bus from Luang Namtha arrives at the bus station 2km out of
town at around 2:30pm. The tuk-tuk mafia charge 10,000 kip to the border
or guest house of your choice in town.
By ferry
Ferries cross between Huay
Xai and Chiang Khong, Thailand for 30 Baht + 10 Baht for luggage. (The
Laotian side of the border closes at 6PM) and arrive at the town centre.
In Chiang Khong, the ferry pier is at the northern end of town, a 30 baht
tuk-tuk ride from the bus station.
By slow boat
The slow boat pier is a little north of town. Slow boats to Luang Prabang
(with an overnight stop in Pakbeng) leave each morning when full, normally
between 9 and 10am. If booked ahead in Thailand, your transport will be
normally organized. Touts for the boat will approach as soon as you`ve
left the immigration
Fares depend on where you book:
* in Chiang Khong: 850 baht incl. transport to the ferry pier, ferry to
Houay Xay and transport to the slow boat pier
* near the ferry pier in Houay Xay: 800 baht
* at the slow boat pier: 760 baht (depending on your bargaining skills)
By speedboat
Read the warning about speedboats first.
The speed boat landing is some 5 km south of town, so you might want to
use one of the taxis waiting at the landing to get there.
There seems to be a real reluctance to take foreigners on the speedboat.
You sit there watching as speedboat after speedboat leaves without you on
them. The phrases "come back tomorrow" and "just wait, wait", is repeated
a lot. This is definitely not a means of transport to be relied on.
Get around
You can walk the main street. For longer distances take a bike taxi. A
one-way fare to the Chinese market should cost 10000 kip.
Places to See in Huay Xai.
See sunset over the Mekong river from a riverside restaurant. See the view
from the temple tower at the top of the hill on the main street, near the
border crossing.
Do
* Pay a visit to the market. The best time is early morning. To get there,
follow the main road south along the Mekong. After passing a hill, there
is a turn-off to the left, which you should follow until you reach the
place.
* On main street, there is the office of The Gibbon Experience[1]. It's a
forest conservation project that raises its funds through taking guests
into the Bokeo Nature Reserve. Every other day there is a truck covering
the 3.5 hours to the last village, where you start your hike to the
project. Accommodation is provided in terrific treehouses which are
constructed on giant trees over 40 m high. To access the houses, you glide
on a cable from the surrounding hill range. There is an extensive cable
network being set up to explore the canopy, providing breathtaking views
of the scenery.
Buy
The most important thing to buy is something to eat & drink for the
slow-boat journey to Luang Prabang.
Eat
Most of the guest houses also provide simple meals. There restaurant next
door to the Gibbon Experience office is home of the ex-pat crowd in town.
It has a nice garden restaurant and terrace overlooking the Mekong river.
Along the water, on the main road, south of border check there is an
outdoor restaurant with a big patio overlooking the Mekong. They offer Lao
Barbecue, a tasty combination of Japanese Shabu-Shabu and Korean BBQ,
i.e., you grill and stew up your own meats and veggies.
* Café MOOooo, (close to the ferry), [2]. Run by an NGO. this café focuses
on healthy choices with the use of organic and healthy ingredients. It is
located in a private garden. In addition to Lao coffee, drinks include
freshly prepared fruit juices, and herbal drinks prepared from ginger,
lemon grass, and Asian pennyworth. The menu includes Lao snacks made by
suppliers from the local community. edit
Drink
There is not much nightlife in town. To have a beer, simply visit a
restaurant or get your own stocks of Beerlao at one of the shops.
Sleep
* BAP Guesthouse has wound up to be somewhat of a travellers' hangout.
Unfortunately, the rates are not the cheapest in town and staff are
unfriendly and have a reputation for overcharging. Not only overcharging
occurs here, there is a real effort by the management to get as much money
out of you as possible. Seriously, avoid this place.
* Oudomphone Guesthouse 2 has double-bed rooms with spotlessly clean
floors and hot-water showers from USD5/night. It's a 3-minute walk north
of the BAP guesthouse, on the right-hand side of the road. There is a
good, cheap restaurant and a small convenience/souvenir store on the
premises.
* Manirath Guesthouse right next to the soi that goes to the ferryboat to
Thailand. Doubles with attached Bathroom from 160 Baht/40000 Kip. Clean
and good value.
* Friendship Guesthouse is a great family run guesthouse located in the
central strip of town. Rooms are available as double or single and all
have private bath with hot water. The building's tiled rooftop balcony
provides panoramic views of the city and neighboring Chiang Khong across
the Mekong River, making for a great place to read a book during the day
or have a cup of tea at night and watch life pass by, albeit slowly. Room
rates range from USD4-7/night. Make sure that you book a room that is
close to the street front as the rear rooms lack natural light.
Internet
There are now numerous (slow) "high-speed" Internet cafés in town. The
going rate is 300 kip/minute.
Get out
* Long boat ferry across the river to Chiang Khong in Thailand is
8000k/30B (and sometimes a corruption fee of 10,000 Kip for the Lao
Immigration Officers). The boat guys are among the most pleasant transport
providers in Laos (especially compared to the tuk-tuk mafia that brought
you there). Be nice to them so it continues.
* A two day (slow) boat ride to Luang Prabang, or a more exciting and
dangerous speed boat. Arrive early to avoid being stuck in the engine room
for the 8 hour ride.
* There's a local bus to Luang Prabang, US$14, 12-15 hours. The bus
station is 7km from the town. However, if you buy the ticket at the bus
station rather than through your guesthouse or agent then the price is
100000 kip. We were told the journey would be 10 hours but it turned out
to be 15.5 hrs, so be prepared.
* A special boat ride for Luang Namtha is also available for around
1,500,000 kip / 6000 baht for the whole charter and can carry between 6 -
10 people (the boat can carry less people in the end of the dry season ,
when the river is low).
* Buses to Luang Namtha leave in the morning around 9:30AM and there might
be a more crowded bus at around 11AM. The bus costs around 95,000 kip /
350 baht from BAP guest house includes a 10 min tuk tuk ride from the
guest house. The journey is 198km and now takes 5-6 hours with one stop
for lunch on the way. The road is now completely sealed (except for big
sections in the middle which have been churned up by the trucks - this
adds time to any journey), so the journey will take far less time than in
the past. However, unexpected obstacles may still occur.
* The 9:30AM bus from Luang Namtha arRives at the bus station about 2 km
out of town at around 2:30PM. The tuk-tuk mafia charge 10,000 kip to the
border or guesthouse of your choice in town.
For more information of Laos visit
http://wikitravel.org/en/Laos
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0/
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