I'll be taking the slow boat (2 day) from KLuang Prabang back into Thailand. Has anyone done this and do you have any tips on selecting a good seat? I don't want to be in the sun at all and I will be using the toilet hole a lot because I'll be drinking lots of Beer Lao. I am thinking about going down early and simply tipping one of the crew for the seat of my choice, before boarding. (payable upon me sitting down in said seat. Also, does anyone have any advice on guest houses in Pakben, the half way point in the journey. I already know it is an absolute shithole.
Slow Boat between Laos and Thailand
voteoften on 04/12/2012 - 17:58
Comments
Thanks. I find that a lot of the trip advisor and thorntree tend to be a bit light on detailed info, esp costs. I've seen heaps of posts about Pakben and what a dump it is and how the guesthouse was crap or tolerable. I'd like to actually know which one is more tolerable. If there were a lot of Ozbers on there, there would be tips on price matching guesthouses and very specific gripes about this and that.
I'm sure I'll find a couple of folks that have just come down and I can quiz them.
I am familiar with the time situation. I took the trains in Thailand. When you are on a sleeper, being a few hours late is no big deal. You just lay around in your hidey hole using your kindle keyboard and getting your free 3g or playing the DS or snoozing. In fact, if the train is due to arrive at say 630am, I'd rather be 3 hours late. Buses are a different story though. Not nearly as comfortable.
thaivisa.com is your answer to all questions thai. i suggest you will find everything you need on those forums.
We didn't take the slow boat (actually ended up flying domestically LP to Pakse) but the lonely planet thorntree forums would be a good bet for heaps of advice and experiences.
I recommend dark beer Lao over normal beer Lao, its a bit stronger (6.5% not 5%) and tastes a lot better IMO.
If you get stuck for info pm me and I'll clue you in on a couple of spam/scam free Facebook groups run by and for southeast Asia travellers.
Just remember you will be running on "Lao time" (forget trying to schedule anything to tightly, it'll happen when it happens, eg most buses take about 40% longer than advertised) just relax and go with the flow.