Into Laos

Well, I think I've had my first experience of third world traveling today. I've been in Laos for under 12 hours and already I can feel the difference. Yes, they drive on the right (correct) side of the road, but other than that I'm not seeing a lot of the comforts of home. Last night I took a night bus up to Chiang Kong, which is at the border of Laos and Thailand. We stayed in sort of a dormitory that the bus company gives you for "free." In the morning they wake you up at seven and start selling the slow boat or bus down to Luang Phobang. I went at night because I figured I would go with crew of people that I trekked with and thus wouldn't have to cross the border alone, sometimes they are kind of sketchy.

I decided to go up north first and then work my way down the tourist track. Boy have moved off the beaten path a bit. So the guy sells me a 500 baht ticket (about $15) which is to get across the river into Laos and then up to the bus that is leaving at 9. I'm pretty sure it would be cheaper if I went to the bus station, but this is a tourist mini-bus and I figured it would have air con. Plus, I wouldn't have to figure out how to get to the border, etc. Oh, and that way I got free breakfast. Seemed like a lot of money but the book said the trip was 7 hours so
So I pay him the money and he gives me a sticker where he crosses out boat to Luang Phobang and writes in bus to Luang Namtha. I'm like, really, this is going to work? No receipt? But that's what he was doing with everyone.
Well, turns out the border is about 3 minutes down the road. We get stamped out of Thailand, take a boat across the river, get stamped in to Laos. Then he takes my sticker and says you will go with my sister. I'm like, crap, he's taking my sticker. Now I really have no receipt.
"His sister" walks me up the hill to this non-descript little office. She asks for my receipt and I start to get upset. "He took my sticker, I paid him 500 baht." They kind of giggle and speak in Lao for a bit and then she tells me it is okay. I'm like really, she says yes you already paid. So I relax a little. It is 9am. I look around for other tourists, don't really see any. They tell me to sit down and wait for a bit for other travelers. So I kind of sit there looking at them for a bit. Her cell phone rings and she starts screaming in English at the top of her lungs. "YES, WHEN YOU GET TO CHIANG KONG YOU WILL TAKE THE BOAT ACROSS THE RIVER AND MY STAFF WILL PICK YOU UP." She screams it about 4 or 5 times. When she gets off the phone she speaks in a normal voice in Lao. She looks at me and says that we'll leave around 10 or 10:30 because someone else is coming. So, I wait. I've read in the book that timetables are somewhat irrelevant for Laos and buses leave when full. Great, I think, I might be sitting here all day. So 10:00 comes and goes. She has another screaming phone call with, I believe the same person. 10:30 comes and goes. Finally at 11 this chinese guy shows up and buys a bus ticket. Then we go with a woman to a few stores down where a guy then takes us a few blocks away to a large bus. We get on. Again, I'm like, oh god, they are never going to fill this bus. So we get on, we wait. A few more people get on. We wait. Finally around 11:30 we leave. The road is windy and seems to be paved about 10 feet at a time. So paved, not paved, paved, not paved. A number of times we come to a screeching halt becuase trucks are coming the other way. We pick up a few more passengers. ARound 1:30 they guy says, we're early. In one hour we're going to be at the bus station outside of town. You can get off and take a tuk-tuk for 10,000kip (around $1) or you can pay me. I look it up in the book and it does say that. I agree to pay him. We stop at the bus station and this spanish couple gets out. Then about 1 minute later we arrive at my hotel. That was a total rip off, I could have walked it, but my book doesn't have a map of this place so wouldn't have known where to go. Blah. Anyway, pay the man and finally I've made it. The trip only took four hours not 7, so I think I must have paid way too much. Ah well.

Except, where the heck am I? This town has basically nothing and none of the tours seem to be leaving to go rafting or kayaking tomorrow, which is why I came here. Well, if I don't find anything tonight then I will just move on to Muang Sing where you can go hiking.

Other than that I'm dealing with a currency that is 8500 to the dollar, so I've got wads of cash on me, I look like a drug dealer. Already I feel like I've been duped twice. And, I'm on my own again. The trekking crew all moved on together, but I kind of couldn't handle being with the same group any longer, so here I am. Anyway, I should get out and go figure this place out a bit, so I'm signing off for now.
Cheers,
Dina