If you see Pak Lai (Pak Lay is also used) on the lower left side of the map of Laos you would think it wouldn't take much time to travel there from Luang Prabang, which is just north. However, it wouldn't tell the story of the worst roads this side of Cambodia circa 1999: dirt roads full of potholes, bridges under construction, hairpin turns and mountain climbs abound. This includes ferrying across the Mekong a couple hours outside of Luang Prabang, which can be very time consuming if there is a traffic back-up, however we got lucky and made it in under 10 hours.
This is a boiled chicken embryo, apparently a Laoantian fixture. Not my cup of tea.
The sun bleached country side.
The final destination, nine hours later, Thavikoun Guest House, which was pretty primitive, but had the essentials: hot water, air conditioning, and even satellite TV.
Comments