Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Feb 6 -Saturday PM - Arrive Huay Xai,Laos







Pass through Thai border and have passports exit stamps applied. We head across the Mekong river in a long-tail boat. We arrive in Huay Xai, Laos; my first time visiting Laos. The process to acquire a Laotian entrance visa was straight forward- $36 US and stamped visa added to passport. Exchange $100US for 846,000 Laotian kip currency...I feel very wealthy and am ready to have good time. We are transported to our hotel in a tuk-tuk truck.
We stay at the Arimid Guest House which has individual bungalows which are quite comfortable. Had my 1st introduction to a wet room which is a toilet, vanity and shower in one tiled room with no dividing walls between various fixtures. After we checked-in, two backpackers asked about a room's price ...owner quoted 80,000kip...they turned it down...that's about $9.50/night for 2....they must have been traveling on a tight budget. As you can see from the pictures, the rooms and amenities are quite nice.

Had a neat dinner,Sindath, at a riverside restaurant.The dinner included various meats and vegetables and can be best described as a steamer fondue. Picture shows Sue Edwards and I cooking...Sue's husband,George,is a veggie...no fish or meat. Many backpackers,old and young, traveling throughout SE Asia. Met a nice couple from England who I shared a nice bottle of wine with before heading back to my room and bed. You can find some decent bottles of wine here at reasonable prices...remember the French had a major presence here. BeerLao is a great beer...I already know that my time in Laos will be liquid refreshing....aaaaah.

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