Huay Xai
When you cross the border in the north of Thailand to Lao you will start in Huay Xai. There isn't that much to do in this little town but there are a few things you definitely have to try out. Are you ready to discover this little town with his lovely people?
Slow boat
One of the highest reasons people come to this town is to take the slow boat from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang. The slow boat is a big long tail boat that will bring you from Huay Xai to Pakbeng on your first day, this is around 7 hours, and it will bring you from Pakbeng to Luang Prabang on your second day in around 8 hours. In Pakbeng it is easy to find a place to stay because all the people are trying to sell you their place for really cheap prices, so don't book anything upfront because you can find it cheaper there! They have a really good Indian restaurant and you can also go with all the tourists to Happy bar, this is the only bar in town but a lot of fun. The slow boat will cost you 430.000 kip which is around €25,00 and this is also the cheapest option for the slow boat so most tourists and locals take this option. You can also choose for a bit better or for VIP but then you pay up to around €200,00 for it. Because there are a lot of tourists on the boat you need to be a bit lucky with your group. If you have a fun group like us you can play some games, chat and have fun all together. There is also a small store on board which sells chips (crisps for the English people), different drinks and instant noodles. So bring your own breakfast/lunch and maybe some extra snacks for not getting board or hungry. Either way enjoy this local experience because it is a lot more fun then you think.
Gibbon experience
This is a must do when you are going to Lao. You can choose between a two day and a three day tour. We did the three day tour which also included two nights sleeping in a tree house with a magnificent view over the jungle and a beautiful sunrise and sunset. Every day they cooked fresh and delicious food for us and this was delivered by one woman who walked through the jungle and took the zip line to our three house three times a day. The three day tour included your stay in the tree house, all your meals, the guides who guided you through the jungle and told you everything you needed to know about the jungle like what you can use for making medicines or which plants you can eat, the zip line equipment and a drinking bottle which you can keep for after your few days in the jungle. During the days you do different loops of zip lining, you will visit another tree house, and there will be one really early morning for trying to spot gibbons in the area. There are two side notes when it comes to this tour, number one is that it isn't 100% sure that you will hear and see gibbons because in the end this is the jungle and not a zoo. number 2 is that you have to walk a lot between the different tree houses and zip lining loops so you need a certain level of endurance to have a fun experience. I haven't seen any gibbons but I truly believe this trip was worth my money because of the group I went with, the sleeping in the middle of the jungle in a tree house around 40 meters from the ground and the whole experience of how to get around in the jungle. It was a lot of fun and therefor a high recommendation. The price for the three day tour is €290,00.
Best places for food
Because I had some time in Huay Xai I tried out a lot of different places for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here are my favorites:
for breakfast you can go to river view restaurant for amazing pancakes with fresh fruit or to Kanchana restaurant for delicious baguettes.
For lunch and dinner you can go to Gek ko bar for delicious local food or to Le Terrace for western food. You can also go to my Laos for a nice curry and a beautiful view over the Mekong river.
Over the moon hostel
There are more guesthouses then hostels or hotels in Huay Xai but if you would like to have a cozy hostel with dorms and private rooms Over the moon hostel is your place to be. The mattresses are soft and there is a maximum of 6 people in every dorm. Every room has it's own bathroom and there is a nice rooftop terrace where you can relax or have a drink together with others. There are many restaurants just around the corner and two mini markets for your snacks and water. The hostel offers SIM cards, tickets for the boat, bus and train to other destinations and a laundry service.
