Arriving from Thailand to Huayxai was an interesting ordeal. There were about a hundred falangs at the immigration check in and we only had 30 minutes to make it to the boat dock to catch our slow boat. I used my Laotion charm to get the immigration officers to do our paper work ahead of the large group only to get hassled by the same cops that asked for some "Falang Babes". It was all in good fun and they processed us quickly so we could get to the boat. Once at the boat dock, we ended up sitting around for 2 hours waiting for the same large group that was ahead of us at immigration. Good times I tell you.All aboard! Ther
e was about a hundred people on this long boat shaped like a butter saucer with hard wooden benches running down each side. Damn it once again, we didn't see that there was a shop selling sitting pillows that everyone else had purchased. Oh well, we are training for the buns of steel competition and 2 days on this boat will mean we will be claiming first and second prize. At least we each got our own bench since a bunch of people had to double up on these 3 foot wide benches. I think the fat and stinky American thing about us is finally paying off.The crowd was a pleasant mixture of people. Old, young, locals, falangs, drunks, prudes, and everything in between. This was going to be an interesting trip for sure. It was less than an hour into the trip when 2 English lads decided to bring out the Lao Lao (Lao also means whiskey but pronounced with a different tone). They sang and played the guitar as the whiskey flowed and half the boat joined in while the other half either laughed along or got really irritated. I decided that my duty was to entertain Amy and keep her from throwing up since she still felt sick from the California Rolls in Chaing Rai. We talk, we sat, we listend to our iPoods, and did more of this for the next 7 hours. It was a good time for us to enjoy the scenery and think about our lives. I think Amy spent most of her time thinking about all the different candies she has eaten in her life and I thought about all the different ways you could cook an egg. Yeah, time sucks when you're stuck in a tiny boat with a sick girlfriend that cant eat anything. I decided that fair is fair so I didnt eat anything either the entire day since I felt so bad that she couldnt eat.
The boat arrived at a little village called Pak Bang where we were literally mobbed by a crowd of locals grabbing everyone's bag. We had to scale a 45 degree sand bank for 50 yards to make it up to the main road. Luckily two schmucks grabbed our bikes for us and carried that up the hill since Amy was weak and tired from being sick. I tipped them $.20 each only to get angry looks directed at me but my bad mood shown through and scared them. They mumbled and returned to the boat to get bags for falangs who would tip a decent $1 or more. Hehe!
There was guest houses all along this town and after looking at a few, we decided they were worst than a homeless shelter. There was one nice large hotel in the village that charged $35 per night. That is way too much for us but the manager decided to give us a break. For $20 a night, we get the room and a free breakfast but no "paper work". In other words, the owner doesn't know that a room was rented and the staff splits the $20. That was exactly what we needed, a nice bathroom for Amy to practice her super model skills in (throwing up anything she eats). Poor girl.
Once we woke up, we got our free continental breakfast and headed to the boat. Bikes are nice and secure on the roof, we got our own benches again, and there was an actual stand on the boat that sold sandwiches and beers (we changed boats for the second day). After a few hours on the boat I decided to join the "festive" crowd since Amy was feeling a little better and wanted to sleep. I moved the benches and made a nice bed on the floor for her then joined the singing troupe. It turns out that 4 beers made the next 5 hours go by in a breeze. We sang, we didn't dance, and everyone was merry. By the time we got to Luang Prabang everyone was asking how Amy was feeling. I guess my story telling captivated most of the boat and they all expressed concern for Amy and was fascinated with our journey. Well, most people wanted to follow us everywhere once they found out I spoke the local language and have been to Laos every year for the past 5. They figure I'd be a nice tour guide that will show them around and prevent them from over paying for anything. Amy and I made a quick getaway on our bikes once we got off the boat while everyone else was getting on tuk tuks for a 100 yard ride.
Ahhh, finally made if to Luang Prabang. It was a fun boat ride but being sick would make it difficult so I was glad we made it to land. We were able to check into the guest house I stay at every year since the crazy Thai tourist are out of town. There was a Thai holiday the first time we were in Luang Prabang a few weeks ago. This means that about 10 double decker buses carrying thousands of Thai tourist took over the town and every guest house is packed. A few nights here for Amy to get better and we'll be off by bicycles to Nambak to see my uncle.
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