Bus station

[The_Traveler]

We got off the international bus just over the border in Laos and took a taxi to the local bus station. For some reason they are never close together,
The province bus station was a typical country station. Mostly locals and a few travelers, ususally heading down to Luang Prabang.

There was a store that sold snacks - mostly stuff I could not recognize - and drinks.

The main information board wasn't too helpful.

but since tourists passed through, there was one for us. The prices are in kip, about 8125 to the usd

So the 900 km (560 miles) costs about 28 dollars and probably takes 14-16 hours.

It's always a tossup whether to eat in the local restaurant, anticipating 3 or 4 hours with no bathrooms ahead.
We generally exist on Lao beer and stuff cooked in front of us. By the end of any trip, we've absorbed and developed a resistance to most of the local bacteria and feel invinceable.
This is Dengue fever country and we are careful with repellents.

 

[weepete]

Looks like an interesting place to visit Lew!

 

[otherprof]

We got off the international bus just over the border in Laos and took a taxi to the local bus station. For some reason they are never close together,
The province bus station was a typical country station. Mostly locals and a few travelers, ususally heading down to Luang Prabang.

View attachment 118406

There was a store that sold snacks - mostly stuff I could not recognize - and drinks.

View attachment 118407

The main information board wasn't too helpful.

View attachment 118408

but since tourists passed through, there was one for us. The prices are in kip, about 8125 to the usd

So the 900 km (560 miles) costs about 28 dollars and probably takes 14-16 hours.


View attachment 118409

It's always a tossup whether to eat in the local restaurant, anticipating 3 or 4 hours with no bathrooms ahead.
We generally exist on Lao beer and stuff cooked in front of us. By the end of any trip, we've absorbed and developed a resistance to most of the local bacteria and feel invinceable.
This is Dengue fever country and we are careful with repellents.

View attachment 118410

View attachment 118411

Nice set! I particularly liked the second one.

 

[The_Traveler]

Looks like an interesting place to visit Lew!

Laos is my favorite place I have ever travelled, for the sights, for the people, for the peace of being disconnected from the world.
I wouldn't live there because of the generally terrible healthcare but I would love to try living in northern Thailand which is fairly close by.

Nice set! I particularly liked the second one.

Thanks, these aren't meant to be real efforts as pictures, just I=was-there kind of shots. The time of day was wrong but they give a good idea of what the country and travel is like.
I am never happier than when shuffling along in a very foreign country like Laos.

 

[The_Traveler]

This is a new addition to a hotel we looked at in Feb 2015
This entire building is built by hand, cement is mixed on the ground and hauled bucket by bucket to the top and dumped into forms.
The concrete is tamped by hand or with small vibrators.

This is a link to the finished hotel so you can see how it came out.
Thoulasith Guesthouse (Luang Namtha, Laos) - Guest house Reviews - TripAdvisor