After a few days of excitement on the Gibbon Experience, we had an enforced day of rest in Houay Xay as Nicky came down with a stomach bug. A heavy storm then came in over night and we woke up this morning to find a heavy, steady rain had set in. Keen to move on from the small town of Houay Xai, but with Nicky still not at 100% and the weather working against us, we enquired about a bus and found there was one leaving for Luang Namtha at 9.30am.
We shared a taxi from our hotel to the bus station with two nice guys; Andries from Belgium and Patrick from Switzerland. We were all heading to Luang Nam Tha and it was good to meet some more friendly travellers and share stories and some advice. Patrick had already been to Luang Prabang and gave us some tips on places worth visiting. Fortunately the bus driver was happy to take the bikes and we set off on the 200km journey shortly before 9.30am.
(A ticket for two people and two bikes)
(A pretty uninspiring view from inside the bus)
The bus had seen better days and was missing one window which made for a windy and slightly wet journey. Half way into the trip, we heard a rooster crowing and realised that someone had packed a live one into a plastic bag behind us! We wondered if roosters get car sick too.
The road climbed steeply for much of the way and it was a bit of a relief to be doing it from the inside of the bus rather than the bike saddle in such wet weather. We passed through a lot of small villages, with small children playing by the roadside and piglets and chickens narrowly avoiding the wheels of the bus. We seem to be seeing a new level of poverty here, with basic houses constructed of rattan walls and thatched roofs.
Three hours later and we were in Luang Namtha. It was 11km into the town so we said goodbye to Andries and Patrick who jumped in a tuk tuk while we loaded our bags onto the bikes. Bicycles seems to be a very popular way of getting around in Laos, unlike in Thailand where people seem to be able to afford the speedier scooters. Hopefully the Laos dogs will be less inclined to chase us than the Thai dogs. We raced a couple of little boys some of the way and got some lovely smiles from a few children that we passed. Paul got his first puncture on the way into town and had an audience of six people watching as he replaced the tube.
(Arrival at Luang Nam Tha)
(The boy racers who put in a pretty good effort at trying to keep up with us)
(Umbrellas on bicycles were a common sight)
The town of Luang Namtha is small but popular with tourists as it provides a base for those wanting to visit the nearby national park. We haven't had much of a chance to explore the town yet as the rain continues to pour but at least our guest house is comfortable. From here we hope to do some trekking and go further north to Muang Sing where there is a large population of minority groups. The forecast is for rain tomorrow as well before it clears on Thursday so hopefully we will be on the move again soon.
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