Two Long Trips

Our introduction to public transport in Laos has been slightly heavy handed. After crossing the Mekong River into Laos we opted against the 2-day boat trip to Luang Nam Tha and instead decided to brave the bus/pickup trip. We were informed the journey could last anywhere from 8 - 24 hours depending on road conditions. By the time we got to Luang Nam Tha I was still trying to figure out where the road actually was. Laos has marketed itself as the link between China and Thailand, the two economic powers in the region. To facilitate this, Laos is building a road that will link Southern China with Northern Thailand. It is still very much a work in progress. What Northern Laos has is lots of jungle, mountains, and unexploded US bombs. Building a road in such circumstances is a tad difficult. The journey was brutal. Luckily we only got stuck once and also escaped certain suffocation from over crowding. We had a few interesting passengers, namely a cat, a few chickens, and some dead bats, which we were later told is a delicacy in the region. Another interesting fact is that local hunters use the bat poo to make home made gunpowder. How they figured this out is beyond me. We eventually made it to Luang Nam Tha and our chosen destination to visit the remote hill-tribes.
After Luang Nam Tha we bused it to the tourist destination of Luang Prabang. Now we wrongly thought this would consist of a proper bus with seats traveling down a paved road. We were sadly mistaken. On arrival at the bus station a good 45 minute before depature we were informed that all seats were sold and the only space was in the aisle. Not a good start. I spent the majority of the trip perched atop a bag of fertilizer also made of bat poo. Leighanne spent time applying Tiger Balm under her nose to ward of the pungent smell of roasted bat right by her face. On arrival in Luang Prabang we weren't in the best of moods, but the journey is what makes travel interesting.