Luang Prabang to Phonsali --Monday Aug 16 -blog for 14-15, 2010

This is blog describing my bus trip from Luang Prabang to Phonsali - gotta love those names!

Saturday evening in Luang Prabang, I was picked up my a van at 4:00p.m. that took me to the bus station. This was arranged by the Travel Agent just as in Vientiane. EXCEPT, I was the only person going, and upon arrival at bus station, I was just dropped off, and I was the only non Lao there.

Now in fairness - the ticket in Vientiane was a VIP bus, this was a Public bus. I went to the ticket desk, handed the man my little paper from the agent, and he gave me a Ticket.

Okay - that's good,..... now to ask what time and where the bus will be. He understood my question and took the ticket back and wrote 6 - 6:30 on it. I asked where - he pointed toward the street. So - that's it. A little early, one and half hours, but better than late.

At 6:30, the ticket agent man hollers at me and points to the road outside the fenced in bus depot. I had seen some people do this earlier (the advantage of being early!), so I grabbed my backpack and set off.

When I walked across the street and climbed into the bus ---- I entered the world of National Geographic, and remained in it for 18 hours!!

Talk about first impressions! I was very glad that I have had the travel experiences that I have! This trip was gonna be fun!

When I climbed up the steps, there were packages on the top step, I had to crawl over. I looked down the aisle of the bus, and it was packed armrest high with burlap bags two feet high and three feet long of something, and plastic woven bags the same size. the bus started moving. Every face in the bus is on me.

I spotted a small hole on the third row. I climbed to it, and it was occupied by one man, crowding the entire seat. But hey, I've been here before, I signaled for him to move over, he motioned to the back of the bus, I shook my head and said in English 'NO', and waved for him to move over.

He moved a few inches. I piled in, and as my body squished down into the spot, he slid over. Then I had my backpack in my lap along with my day bag. Scrunched up is a good word. I got my backpack and put it in on the armrest high bag next to me, and suggested my friend move the bag that he had in the seat taking up room. I guess he finally decided that I was here for the duration and he moved the bag, and we both had enough room. He still maintained a little over half the seat - so I let him win that one. I was comfortable.

My backpack on the aisle made a really nice arm rest, and the bus seat was the best and most comfortable chair I had had since leaving British Airways. The windows on the bus were all open, and a cool comfortable breeze was blowing through the bus.

The bus did not stop too often, but when it did for me to get off, I had to stand up in my little hole, put my pack in my seat, and crawl up on the large bags in aisle to walk bent over out the bus.

We stopped about every three hours for a "personal" break. That means the bus stopped in the middle of the road, every one unloaded,-that wanted to - men to the rear basically, women to the front. It was at night, very little if any traffic, and we were in the jungle.

AT 2:00 a.m. we stopped for dinner break. I got a bowl of noodle soup which was very good and tasty, but I did not drink in much of the soup. I was careful to keep liquids to a minimum.

This break area had a public toilet that was good. Not pretty - but definitely NOT smelly and had toilet paper!. The toilets had an attendant and cost 2 Kip. Well worth it.

Then shortly after dinner, about 3:30 a.m. we stopped to unload stuff on top of the bus. A lot of stuff, including 3 motorcycles. It took almost an hour. Then we traveled about 15 minutes and the bus stopped and the driver was talking to two very dressed up Ladies.

They had cargo they wanted to take to Phongsali. The driver goes into their house and looks at the cargo, then comes back, yells at his crew, the nice little women take off their coats, and they start loading the bus.

Big bags went in the aisle, small boxes went into the back - and they stuffed that bus. I thought it had been full , but now - wow.

Finally the last big bag - about 2 feet by three - was placed next to me, and was higher than my head.

I stood up and started hollering 'NO!', and pushing the bag. Of course I could not do any thing but make it sway a little. (but I had learned on a trip before, from a Frenchman, that you can not let the cargo people bully you around and cover you with freight).

Of course, I considered I was already covered -- but this was just too much. The people around me agreed and we all started fussing about the big bag on top of everything. Thankfully - the attendant came and somehow got the bag further back where it sank down a little and was accepted by the other passengers.

All this took about 45 minutes. Then we were off again for about 30 minutes, and then we had a flat tire. (very typical of my bus travel in Laos). The bus crew - 4 men including the driver, are very adapt at changing tires on a Hugh overloaded bus in the middle of the night, and we were back on the road in about 30 minutes.

Things progressed, we stopped at several towns and unloaded cargo, and loaded cargo, then we got to within 45 minutes of Phongsali at 10:30 a.m., and we stopped, and finally I find out the driver and crew are having lunch. Another hour.

We arrived in Phonesali about noon.

My guide book says there are 4 hotels. I looked at two and they smelt of wet concrete!
I got a room at the Phonsali Hotel in downtown Phongsali.a town of 25,000 people, not 6,000 as reported earlier I think.

No One speaks English, and actually no one seems interested in any thing. My room is 60,000Kip, $7.31. It has a cable TV for Chinese folks and that's it.I have hot water, but no fan. The weather here is cool to cold. Took my hot shower last night, and just about froze when I got out!!!

Yesterday for lunch here at hotel I got fried rice with vegetables , $1.85, and for supper I had fried beef pieces.? and rice - it was okay, but I won't order it again.It cost $3.82.

I was and have been the only customer I've seen in the restaurant.

This morning I went to the restaurant, and a man came and politely showed me to a noodle shop down the street. I guess I was putting too much pressure on restaurant.

For breakfast I had a good bowl of Noodle soup, I got to select what I wanted in it and I skipped the cilantro which I do not like. The soup cost a $1.00, and I could not eat all of it. Yesterday, I could not eat all my fried rice. They have large helpings so far!

This morning when I woke and started moving around, my body feels like it has been twisted from here to there and then shook around for week! All my body aches. I guess 18 hours of a local bus will do that. I hope that's it!

Oh yea , most of the roads were dirt coming up here, and the sections that were paved were one lane strips. Fortunately we had no rain. Sometimes the rain causes buses to need to be pushed up the hill by the riders. I did this on my last trip.

It was a good ride.

I found a telephone sales shop that has internet, and they said I could use it. I'm going there this morning to send this - hope it's working.
from Phongsali - Johnny Ray