Muang Xai / Odomxay and the Internation Border between Laos & China - Boten

I did not stay long in Luang Namtha and departed for Muang Xai or or as the local call it Oudomxay. On the way to Odomxay, I decided to do the 20km detour to another border, the main international border between Laos and China. 

End of the Road - Boten International Border Crossing between Laos & China 

Boten was the border and this was a international border crossing. I was hoping some conversation at the border would enlighten me of future planning on how to get Bluey into China. In the end, I could not glean much information although I reached the end from Laos side, as I would have to stamp out and surrender the Lao TIP before heading over to the China side. 

Information was scare and although right before the border was a few tour agency facilitating border crossing, I doubt the information would be diverse enough for the odd Malaysian Biker. Roads were in shits and muds with lots of big holes. I more or less also break a sweat trying to get through those muddy patches with killer sinkholes beside them like traps waiting to bite. 

Lunch was as difficult to obtain at the border compared to all my travels everywhere in the world. There is just some difficulty trying to get anything out of the locals bordering China as they practically cater to Chinese community speaking mandarin and would not bother with things outside their comfort zone. 

Eatery Place Near the Border 

Just point to the pre-cooked meal ... 

The ride to Muang Xai/Odomday after the border was a nice roads zig zagging up and down mountains again. Land locked country Laos was really a mountainous terrain. All along the way I could see the major construction works for the China ONEBELT being constructed cutting through the mountains and forest to link up further south. 

Road to Muang Xai from Boten 

Up the mountain, just nature everywhere 

By the time I reached Muang Xai there was not much to do other then check in and get food.

Two nights I stayed in Muang Xai and I did not do much other than go out for food and take a long walk around town. By long walk that would be 2 hours and I have pretty much covered all there is to see in Muang Xai which is nothing.

Still, I stayed two night taking it slow looking at Odomxay slowly absorbing the quint little city which I really would not mind considering retiring in. 

Odomxay / Muang Xai city 

Buddha on top the Hill in Odomxay 

Hotel for two nights in Odomxay 

Traveled on : Jan 2019

Riding to Luang Namtha & Daytrip to Muang Sing visiting the local the border of Laos – China called Panghai

I have really been lazy and just enjoying the slow pace of Laos the moment I entered at Huay Xai. I was already lazy updating the journal but became even more so in Laos. “face-palm” ... so now I have to update so many places at once base on memory ... not that good but I guess it will have to do.

The road from Huay Xai to Luang Namtha was perfect, just perfect. Good tarmac roads, no vehicle in sight for hours, and endless open nature everywhere. If this was how Laos was going to be I would be thrilled to just ride around relaxing the whole time. 

Pit Stop on the way from Huay Xai to Luang Namtha 

Road to Luang Namtha from Huay Xai 

There is something about Laos that I still cant explain after travelling through, there is nothing exciting, nothing spectacular, and thinking back, nothing that sticks out in mind but somehow the impression was, it is a country that was worth every minute visiting despite the least memory of it. 

Luang Namtha was a large city according to google, but it looked more like a one way street village to me. Then again after travelling longer in Laos, I grew to understand the meaning of relative. If a village sells hardware construction materials and paints in a can ... yep that's a city alright in Laos. 

Luang Namtha City 

Luang Namtha Night Market 

Daytrip to Muang Sing

I took a day-trip though the mountainous road of crazy dirt road nearly 60 km away to visit the local border of Panghai and the small town Muang Sing on the way there. 

Gravel Road through mountainous terrain to Muang Sing 

Road from Luang Namtha to Muang Sing 

Doing the day trip I could not help but get nervous with every kilometer I traveled with the dirt road behind me. I had to go back the same way and lingering at the back of my head was whether the roads in Laos was going to be like this all the time. Worst yet I already had an inkling that to get from one stop to another in Loas there will always be a mountain climb and decent. It was that kind of country. Very mountainous terrain. 

Road through the green forest & river to Muang Sing

Villages along the road to Muang Sing

The feel is very different from Cambodia where everything is very flat but lousy roads from poor construction technique but here in the beginning from Huay Xai to Luang Namtha, I felt that Laos roads were workable even with the constant climbing of mountains through never ending winding climb and eventually followed by never ending winding decent before reaching the next destination. 

Muang Sing, a Crater Bowl like town surrounded by mountains. 

Muang Sing 

Agricultural in Muang Sing 

At the end of the destination would be a small town or city in comparison to the Asian counterpart and always the town would be surrounded by mountains all around. A flat place among all the monsters around. That was the real reason I felt that riding in Laos was about going over a mountain or two always. 

Stopping at a local house in Muang Sing for Lunch 

The Kitchen 

Pork Noodle with Spare Parts

The Panghai border was not very friendly and almost no English was spoken. I went to the very edge, took a photo and then made a turn and headed back. Such is the pace of most of my little adventures in Laos 

Pang Hai Border - Laos - China Border 

Traveled on: Jan 2019

#panghaiborder 

Huay Xai & The Golden Triangle on the Laos side

Huay Xai was the relaxing stop trying to dry my shit after the heavy storm border crossing. Little hostel was cosy at 4 beds per room and only two rooms. The girl tending the dorm Amor, was a nice and cute Philippine girl which I thought was local at first. Beautiful smile and very helpful and I learn the trick from her to buy beer lao from the convenient stall just 10m away and bringing it back to the hostel to drink at the porch looking out to the main road watching people. 

Huay Xai - Mekong River Ferry Boat to Luang Prabang 

The most awkward part would be on the last day as I was about to leave, I purchase the sim card for Laos from Amor. Setting up the sim card, she had to check if the internet was working and the first word she typed into google was Philippine but under search history all the recent search under “P” was not something I wanted a random girl to see ... I knew when she had to search something it was bound to happen ... my phone is a filth .... oh well .. boys will be boys .... lucky it was the last day and I left but I caught the sly smile hidden in that beautiful smile.

Day trip to the golden triangle on the Laotian side was interesting. Around 50km from Huay Xai and the roads were more flat compared to Thailand with gradual climbs instead of sharp angles at crazy inclines. If this was the condition of roads in Laos, I would be just fine and pretty happy too. Roads had not many vehicles and the occasional vehicles were friendly enough with occasional beeps but not hostile. Pot holes were everywhere .... some gravel roads but all in all pretty nice. 

The Road from Huay Xai to The Golden Triangle Laos 

I got to the golden triangle and it felt like China. Looking for food there was only Chinese restaurant establishment. I found a Chinese noodle shop, menu was written in Chinese which i could not read. Walking up to the lady asking what there was to eat, she pointed at the menu on the wall and asked me to choose. Telling her I cannot read got me a mumble to herself complaining on how the f*ck i cant read Chinese when I was speaking it to her.

With reluctance she ask me if I wanted noodle, barely gave me any other choice on the menu and I surrendered to whatever she cooked since hunger always trump pride. Noodle was done and I was yelled to come collect it myself. Weird .... I saw them serving all the other customer. 

Chinese Restaurant Everywhere at The Golden Triangle  - Laos 

Finish eating my lunch and it was time to pay. Walk up and I was quoted 10 RMB. China money.

Strange ... did I cross the border without knowing?

I don't have RMB I told them, and more mumble grumble on their part saying they only accept RMB. I only have Lak, I told them ... how much ... by this time I have eaten my food so I was no longer that humble, when the mumble grumble came, I mumble grumble too but in English and I could clearly see the annoyance on their face for not understanding.

The lady looked up on the internet for the exchange rate and quoted me 13000 kips. I gave her 20000 kips waiting for change which proved to be impossible. They were now a group scratching their head together figuring out how to return change to me. I felt the need to leave as soon as possible and re-checking my wallet manage to scrape out the exact amount of 13000 kip, paid them and hit the road as fast as I could. 

Donexao Island - From Thailand side of the Golden Triangle, tourist can take a boat to visit this part of Laos for a day-trip shopping. No visa required but not allowed to travel onward in Laos and must return to the Thailand side by the end of the day. 

Riding around the Golden Triangle it was filled with Chinese people from China community. Suddenly the roads were more dangerous too with the cars somehow never stopping at junctions. I went around the port where tourist from the Thailand side of the golden triangle is ferried over for a day trip shopping. The shopping area seamed to be filled with trinkets made in China and this place got weirder the more I explored it. 

Golden Triangle View from the Laos side. 

There was also one casino in the Golden triangle Laos. Yes the casino did form a major part of why I wanted to explore the golden triangle on the Laotian side. Entering it, the casino was purely catered for the China tourist community. I could barely understand the games, all rules and notices were in Chinese. 

This ill literate banana could not decipher anything significant in the casino and watching the punters gamble after a while, I knew the games were mostly based on luck and no complex decision is need other than to place a bet like a flip of a coin.

It was time to leave but thinking back on the experience it reaffirm my gut feeling for a long time. I am still afraid of China .... China scares me .... traveling wise.

 Big Projects at the Golden Triangle Laos 

Countryside Road back to Huay Xai 

The open road in Laos 

Traveled on: Jan 2019
#huayxai #goldentrianglelaos 

Route Info – Northern Laos

This post is part of the Route-Info series continuation from :

1. Route Info - Road Trip Southeren Thailand from Hat Yai to Arayanprathet 

2. Route Info – Road Trip Cambodia

3. Route Info – Thailand Part 2 Going from Central to Northern Thailand

From Thailand last stop at Chiang Khong, I enter into Laos to Huay Xai and from there on this is the riding route I took going south through the northern parts of Laos before exiting at Vientiane and re-entering Thailand to explore the region of Isaan.

(Entry From Thailand) Chiang Khong -> Huay Xai -> Luang Namtha -> Muang Xai -> Nong Khiaw -> Luang Prabang -> Phou Khoun -> Vang Vieng -> Vientiane -> Nong Khai (Exit into Isaan Thailand) 

Route Info - Northern Laos 

Things of Interest along the route :

Huay Xai – Luang Namtha

Huay Xai to Luang Namtha was one of the more peaceful ride up and down the mountainous terrain through really rural countryside of Laos. Village are scattered far apart with no electricity or piped water. Riding slow watching the locals gathering all kinds of forestry produce walking slowly along the side of the road makes one appreciate how simple life can be.

A light tap on the horns giving the beep beep hello to the kids as I ride pass the villages was always returned with a smile and waving hands and by evening one could see the whole village gathering around the one source of bamboo piped water from the mountain to have a bath. Girls delicately covered in their sarongs while the kids runs free playing with water.

The Border Towns of Lao – China

I did two day trip detours to the border of Lao – China just for fun partly wondering if I would be able to sneak Bluey into China and also hoping there was some sort of signpost saying Border of Lao-China which I could take a photo with Bluey.

The Pang Hai Border crossing passes through the countryside of Muang Sing village which is shaped like a natural broken rice bowl. The city sits in a very flat plateau fully farmed with paddy fields, sugarcane, corn, etc but towards the horizon one could see the village was fully encircled by sharp jagged mountainous barrier.

The Boten Border Crossing is the main heart-line between Lao-China and heavily used by trucks transporting all kinds of agricultural produce from Lao to China and in return construction materials are brought in from China to Lao.

Muang Xai – Nong Khiaw

Muang Xai, Muang Xay or Oudomxay all means the same city which is the largest city in northern Laos. Large is always relative in Laos and for someone who grew up in KL-Malaysia, it felt more like a forgotten town than a city. Still the signs are there of a city, as indicative of the presence of industries not reliant on farming or tourism.

Nong Khiaw however is another favorite of mine. This small town with beautiful jagged limestone mountain plunging straight into the Nam Ou river is a sight to see plus with the little shacks of retreats blending into the river and forest scene was a great place just to chill back and relax watch the river run by.

UNESCO HERITAGE – Luang Prabang

There is so many things to say about Luang Prabang, but I’ll leave it as just a UNESCO Heritage city in Laos. The only one in fact so its a must stop for any first time visit to Laos.

Phou Khoun

The hidden gem. The roads are challenging climbing up the mountain but totally worth the priceless view. Find the local strawberry farms / campgrounds to experience an amazing sunset over sharp rocky mountain landscape which looks like a picture from a magical fantasy world.

Vang Vieng

The backpacker town of Laos. Good place to re-supply.

Vientiane

The quint capital of Laos .... nuff said ... :)

Traveled On : Jan 2019
#overlandinglaos #motorbikinglaos #routeinfo #laos #motorpackerasia #blurtravels

Visiting Temples in Chiang Rai

I wonder could i skip writing about Chiang Rai. I did not really do much here but visit temples after temples after temples.

White temple, blue temple, black temple, big Buddha statue temple. I did an average of three things a day which took maybe 4 hours and called it a day going back to the hostel for rest. Fatigue was really getting to me after running a fast pace from the Mae Hong Son Loop to Doi Angkang and up to Doi Mae Salong loop. 

Wat Rong Khun - White Temple - Chiang Rai 

Wat Rong Khun - White Temple - Chiang Rai

Wat Rong Khun - White Temple - Chiang Rai 

Chiang Rai was one place where I felt it was the time to slow down a bit before hitting the next leg in Laos. I wonder how some of the tour buses just shuttle all the tourist from one temple to another making the day trip seamed like a photo-shoot or joystick planting obligation instead of immersing into the thousands of hours that the craftsman put into slowly fine tuning every details that were in the temples. 

Wat Huey Pla Kang - Chiang Rai

Wat Huey Pla Kang - Chiang Rai 

Wat Huey Pla Kang - Chiang Rai 

Wat Rong Suea Ten - Blue Temple - Chiang Rai 

Wat Rong Suea Ten - Blue Temple - Chiang Rai 

Wat Rong Suea Ten - Blue Temple - Chiang Rai 

Black House - Chiang Rai 

Black House - Chiang Rai 

Night time was another chaos in Chiang Rai. I was lucky enough to be there during the weekend to catch the famous local night market every Saturday which ran a few kilometers long. They sold everything and anything they could think off and the walk was definitely more interesting than the permanent tourist night bazaar which was full of souvenir trinkets.

Chiang Rai Night Bazaar

Souvenir at Chiang Rai Night Bazaar 

Mural at Chiang Rai Bus Station 

Traveled on: Jan 2019