Leaving Laos
It seems like ages ago that we arrived in Laos,
but in reality it was only 11 days ago. But now we need to leave - our
visa only lasts for a fortnight, and we've got other things to get to.
We had 3 options - the two day slow boat to the Thai border, plus 10
hours on a bus to the city of Chiang Mai; return the way we came - 12
hours on a bus, then 12 hours on a train to Bangkok. Or fly out. Eventually,
when we managed to get a flight for $70, we decided to fly to Chiang
Mai, in northern Thailand. After spending a few days there, we'll then
head back to Bangkok to meet up with the BBC Holiday crew.
So
we sadly left the haven of Luang Prabang, and flew with Thai Airways
(not before paying 400,000 Kip in departure tax!). As we flew out, the
pilot had to dodge around a couple of huge smoke plumes, created by
big burning areas of woodland. Getting into the city was easy by taxi,
but the Guest House we'd chosen was full, so we wandered the streets
for about an hour until we found one we liked (3 pounds a night for
a triple fan room). Chiang Mai is an ancient city, and the streets are
a complete warren of little alleyways tucked between the big, busy streets.
These little alleyways, called Sois, are named after the main road,
and numbered along the road. Once you've discovered the secret, it does
become a little easier to navigate, but you'll often come across businesses
advertising their address alongside a 'description for taxi', like 'The
alleyway opposite JJ's restaurant, then on the left'. While Chiang
Mai doesn't seem to have changed too much, they have at least put up
fancy signs on every soi, to make life easier. The other thing that
you see on the street everywhere in Chiang Mai is draping electric cables,
in huge bunches hanging down and across the street (you can see them
on the same photo above).
So
we sadly left the haven of Luang Prabang, and flew with Thai Airways
(not before paying 400,000 Kip in departure tax!). As we flew out, the
pilot had to dodge around a couple of huge smoke plumes, created by
big burning areas of woodland. Getting into the city was easy by taxi,
but the Guest House we'd chosen was full, so we wandered the streets
for about an hour until we found one we liked (3 pounds a night for
a triple fan room). Chiang Mai is an ancient city, and the streets are
a complete warren of little alleyways tucked between the big, busy streets.
These little alleyways, called Sois, are named after the main road,
and numbered along the road. Once you've discovered the secret, it does
become a little easier to navigate, but you'll often come across businesses
advertising their address alongside a 'description for taxi', like 'The
alleyway opposite JJ's restaurant, then on the left'. While Chiang
Mai doesn't seem to have changed too much, they have at least put up
fancy signs on every soi, to make life easier. The other thing that
you see on the street everywhere in Chiang Mai is draping electric cables,
in huge bunches hanging down and across the street (you can see them
on the same photo above).