Showing posts with label mekong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mekong. Show all posts

Sunday, January 06, 2013

Bokeo province - transport information

- errors, suggestions & contributions, kindly email: laomeow at gmail dot com
- created 15 February 2011
- last updated 06 January 2013



HUAY XAI
Keochampa bus station (photo)
Located at JP256 on this map.
This is the bus station that has been in operation since around 2006, replacing the old one near the market in the town centre. As of October 2012, an even newer 'Domestic & International' bus station has been built to the east of this one. It appears that VIP buses for domestic routes + buses to China now use the newer bus station instead of this one.

Timetable (6 October 2012) (hobomaps):

KeoChampaBusSch


To Luang Namtha
- 9:30AM, 12:30PM
- 60,000 kip

To Oudomxay
- 9:00AM
- 85,000 kip

To Luang Prabang
- 2:00PM
-120,000 kip

To Vientiane
- 11:30AM
- 230,000 kip

Note:
At times during the peak tourist season there are shared minivans to Luang Namtha departing from the top of the slope up from the Huay Xai immigration office near IC214 on this map.

Old info for reference:
Timetable (September 2011) (hobomaps):
Timetable (January 2011) (hobomaps)
Timetable 1 (14 March 2010) (Ian Taylor)
Timetable 2 (14 March 2010) (Ian Taylor)
Writing at bottom says: With effect from 24 February 2010 there will be morning departure to Luang Prabang at 10:00AM [daily?] with VIP [bus]
Bus station ticket office contact no.: 020-5983989
26 February 2009 (Ian Taylor)




Domestic & International bus station
Located at JM268 on this map.
ChinaBusSta
Photo by hobomaps



Domestic timetable (6 October 2012) (hobomaps):
ChinaBusSchLaos
ChinaBusStaMisc2
Click on images to view larger version


Note:
To Luang Namtha or Oudomxay - take any bus bound for for Luang Prabang or Vientiane, it will pass these towns along the way
To Vang Vieng - take any bus bound for Vientiane

International timetable (6 October 2012) (hobomaps):
ChinaBusSchIntl
Click on images to view larger version

Sleeper bus to China operated by Wan Xiang Transport Co. (upper half) & normal bus (lower half) (6 October 2012) (hobomaps):
ChinaBusStaMisc1
Click on images to view larger version


Huay Xai slowboat landing
Located at BL67 on this map.
* 26 October 2008 fares (MapHobo)
To Pak Beng - daily (110,000kip)
Departs when there are enough passengers (~100) to sink the boat (~11:00AM).
* To Luang Namtha via Pak Tha & Nalae - see here.

Note:
On 18 February 2010, slowboats stopped running due to unusually low river levels that saw one boat capsize (source). Boat services resumed as of 20 March 2010. More info on the February/March 2010 situation:
- announcement from Dept Public Work & Transportation, Bokeo Province (MS Word document) (laobumpkin)
- Travelfish forum here, here & here (reply #111 onwards)
- Lonely Planet Thorntree forum here & here (especially reply #22)
No idea if this situation will occur again in the future. For those planning to travel this route in February/March, best to check for updates.
MRC Mekong river water levels at Chiang Saen & Luang Prabang monitoring stations


Huay Xai speedboat landing (photo by Ian Taylor)
Located at DP94 on this map.

Fares (September 2011) (hobomaps):

BokeoSpeedboatPricesSept2011
Click on image for larger version

To Pak Beng - 160,000kip/pax or 960,000kip/boat
To Luang Prabang - 340,000kip/pax or 2,040,000kip/boat
Lao writing says:
Announcement 3 October 2008
Time 5:00 not ??? navigate (boat)
Might be something about how boats do not travel when there is not enough daylight left.

Old info for reference:
* 14 March 2010 fares (Ian Taylor)

* 26 October 2008 fares (MapHobo)
To Pak Beng - 180,000kip/pax or 1,080,000kip/boat (max 6 pax)
To Luang Prabang - 360,000kip/pax or 2,160,000kip/boat (max 6 pax)



Huay Xai-Chiang Khong cross-river ferry
Located at BY70 on this map.
* Huay Xai to Chiang Khong fares 14 March 2010 (Ian Taylor)
Extra 10 baht/2000kip for those who cannot read Lao...?
* Chiang Khong to Huay Xai fares 14 March 2010 (Ian Taylor)


TON PHEUNG DISTRICT

* January 2007 info:
Ban Mon to Huay Xai - morning, 150baht (not daily)
Ton Pheung to Huay Xai - morning & afternoon, 120baht

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Luang Prabang province - transport information

- errors, suggestions & contributions - kindly email: laomeow at gmail dot com
- last modified on 27 September 2012
- old version (23 November 2009) here




LUANG PRABANG TOWN

Luang Prabang northern bus station
Located at IU224 on this map.

Luang Prabang Northern Bus station - view

Luang Prabang Northern Bus station
May 2011 - photos by snowinjanuary

Timetable (June 2011 - no change as of August 2012) (hobomaps):

To Bokeo
- 5:30PM, 7:00PM (VIP)
- 120,000kip / 145,000kip (VIP)

To Luang Namtha
- 9:00AM
- 95,000kip

To Oudomxay
- 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 4:00PM
- 55,000kip

To Sam Neua
- 8:30AM
- 130,000kip

To Nambak
- 9:00AM, 11:00AM, 1:00PM, 3:00PM, 5:00PM
- 35,000kip

To Nong Khiaw
- 9:00AM, 11:30AM, 1:30PM
- 40,000kip

To Vieng Kham
- 9:00AM, 2:00PM
- 90,000kip

To Paksaeng (Pakxeng)
- 9:30AM, 2:00PM
- 35,000kip

To Phonthong
- 10:00AM
- 79,000kip

To ເມືອງໂພນທອງ Muang Phon Thong 'including' ປາກອືມ Pak Oum & ນາຊອນ Na Son (70,000kip) - 1000, daily. This new service was announced in a notice at Luang Prabang northern bus station (08 December 2009). There was also a sign indicating the berth for 'ວັງຊຽງ Vang Xieng & ປາກອືມ Pak Oum'. No idea where this particular Phon Thong & Pak Oum are, but there is a Vang Xieng town along a minor road that branches off from HWY 1C at Phou Thid Pheung (between Nong Khiaw & Vieng Kham) & leads to a Na Son, a locals-only Laos-Vietnam border crossing (top part of this map). Anyone with more info on this route, please update the cat.

To Phonexay
- 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM
- 30,000kip


Old info for reference:

Photo taken at Luang Prabang Tourist Info Centre (17 December 2009)
Bus fares (May 2011) (snowinjanuary)


Photos of Luang Prabang-Bokeo VIP bus (17 December 2009):

PC170369
PC170369b
PC170369a





Luang Prabang southern bus station (Ban Naluang) (photos)
Located at KE197 on this map.

Timetable (fare info June 2011, timing info August 2012) (hobomaps):
Ordinary bus = black font
Express bus = red font
VIP bus = blue font
sleeper bus = green font (photos of Luang Prabang - Vientiane sleeper bus)

To Vientiane
- 6:30AM, 7:30AM, 8:00AM, 8:30AM, 9:00AM, 11:00AM, 2:00PM, 4:30PM6:30PM, 7:30PM, 8:00PM
- 110,000kip / 130,000kip / 150,000 kip

To Vang Vieng
- 9:30AM, 12:30PM
- 90,000kip / 105,000kip

To Phonsavan
- 8:30AM
- 95,000kip

To Sayabouly
- 9:00AM, 2:00PM
- 60,000kip

**********

Luang Prabang to Chiangmai International Bus
- 5:00PM
- 310,000kip
- AC bus
- via Oudomxay, Luang Namtha, Huay Xai, Chiang Khong & Chiangrai
- arrives at Chiangmai Arcade bus station

Old info for reference:

Timetable (February 2011) (hobomaps)
Fares (February 2011) (hobomaps)
17 Dec 2009 info




Ban Naluang tourist bus station
Located at KE197 on this map.
Tel.: 071-212979, 071-260298 Fax: 071-260296 Email: souknasing@hotmail.com

Timetable (August 2012) (hobomaps):

To Tat Kuang Si (Kuang Si waterfall)*
- 11:30AM, 1:30PM
- 40,000 kip

To Luang Namtha*
- 8:30AM
- 110,000 kip

To Nong Khiaw*
- 9:30AM
- 55,000 kip

To Vang Vieng*
- 9:00AM, 10:00AM, 2:00PM
- 105,000 kip

To Phonsavan*
- 9:00AM
- 105,000 kip

To Kunming (China) sleeper bus
- 7:00AM
- 420,000kip
- daily


To Vinh (Vietnam)
- 6:30PM
- 200,000kip (seat) / 250,000kip (bunk on sleeper bus)
- daily except Tuesdays


To Hanoi (Vietnam) sleeper bus
- 6:00PM
- 350,000kip
- daily except Thursdays

Notes:
* these are served by minivans, not buses
- more on Luang Prabang - Vietnam bus services here (jp_geckozy, October 2011)
- Luang Prabang - Kunming bus service: see replies #6 & #8 here (jp_geckozy, April 2010).
- more on bus stations in Kunming here (jp_geckozy, April 2010).




Luang Prabang speedboat & slowboat landings
Photo taken at Luang Prabang Tourist Info Centre (17 December 2009):

PC170376a
Click here for full size version

August 2012 updates (hobomaps):
- express boat to Pak Beng = 110,000 kip
- speed boat to Huay Xai = 400,000 kip

June 2011 updates (hobomaps):
- express boat to Nong Khiaw = 110,000kip
- tour boat & speedboat to Buddha cave = 65,000kip

Note:
For Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw & Nong Khiaw to Muang Khua - boats run only on demand (when there are enough passengers, or when chartered), not necessarily daily as stated.

Luang Prabang slowboat landing to Ban Xieng Maen - cross-river ferry (07 December 2009):
Passenger boat - 2000kip/person (local fare)
Vehicle ferry - 5000kip/person (excl. vehicle)




NONG KHIAW

Nong Khiaw town is also known as Muang Ngoi (capital of Ngoi district), Muang Ngoi Mai (new Muang Ngoi) & Muang Ngoi Tai (south Muang Ngoi). Not to be confused with the village of Muang Ngoi Neua (north Muang Ngoi) aka. Muang Ngoi Gao (old Muang Ngoi), which is ~1 hour upriver by boat.

Nong Khiaw songthaew/van station
Located at JF217 on this map.

Photo from 17 December 2009:

PC170362

Nong Khiaw bus station
Located at JB205 on this map.

NongKhiaw bus station
May 2011 - photo by snowinjanuary

Timetable and fares (February 2011) (hobomaps):

NongKiewBusStaFeb2011

To Sam Neua - bus from Luang Prabang should pass through Nong Khiaw ~1130++, & bus from Vientiane passes through ~2100-2200++.




PHOU KHOUN

(info from 17 October 2008)
Ask at any shop/restaurant/guesthouse at the 3-way junction, locals will point out the man who will sell you tickets & flag down the correct bus for you.
To Vientiane - any bus passing through, 80,000kip
First Xieng Khouang-Vientiane bus passes through at ~1030.
First Luang Prabang-Vientiane bus passes through at ~1130.

Sunday, January 09, 2011

280707 Udon Thani to Friendship Bridge

'Airing the butt' of a ชัยภูมิ Chaiyaphum-หนองคาย Nong Khai bus to cool its insides - common sight in bus stations across Thailand:

P7280008
Long overdue gratuitous public transport vehicle photo for the author of the Thai Mass Transport blog who has been a help to the cat :)

All the cat knows about Chaiyaphum is that the guy who runs Thai Noodle House along Coronation Rd in Singapore comes from that province.

Random pic of Udon Thani city #1 - first time seeing a temple with red walls:

P7280009

Random pic of Udon Thani city #2 - a scene out of anywhere in provincial Thailand (with farm tractor advert banner):

P7280010

The Thai-Lao international bus from Udon Thani to Khua Din bus station in Vientiane:

P7280013
Gratuitous public transport vehicle photo for the author of the Thai Mass Transport blog

This service uses buses from both Transport Co. (Thai company) & a Lao company, the difference is easily seen from the side of the bus on which the doors & driver's seats are located. Once in a while Thai passengers will walk to the wrong side of a Lao bus & Lao passengers will walk to the wrong side of a Thai bus to hunt for the door :P On board with the Project Metta Heart 3 guys & us was a Lao guy who works as a guide bringing rich Vientiane residents on tours to Singapore.

How times have changed - even nagas have to cross via the Friendship Bridge instead of swimming across the Mekong :P

P8030607
P8030608
Photos taken on 03 Aug 2007

The muddy Mekong:

P7280011

This was the cat's first time entering Laos by road, & first time seeing how the lanes crossed on the Lao side so that vehicles could switch between driving on the left hand side of the road in Thailand & on the right hand side in Laos.

On the Lao side of the Friendship Bridge, after clearing immigration:

IMG_1506
IMG_1508
Photos by K-san

The guys running the immigration form-filling service/business had appropriated all available immigration arrival cards...had to squeeze to the front of the immigration queues to ask for the cards. The cat had no idea that there was a 'bridge fee' to be paid. It walked straight past the fee collection counters & was waved through into Laos by some immigration officer whose duty was to check that the 'bridge fee' had been paid...only then it turned back to look for the Project Metta Heart 3 guys, & saw them queueing (at what it had thought were additional immigration counters) to pay the fee...sometimes it's good to be a blur cat :P

Sunday, March 21, 2010

010107 Huay Xai to Chiang Khong

Hopelessly lost cat finally found its way back to Thaveesinh Hotel at ~10AM, long after its companions from the Pak Beng-Huay Xai boat had checked out & left for Chiang Khong.

Based on reports from other travellers it was expecting to have to pay an 'overtime fee' for crossing the border on a public holiday, but the two Lao immigration officers on duty just waved the cat through after collecting the immigration departure card & adding their bit of red ink to its passport. Making its way down the slope to the Mekong, no-idea-who called out to the cat & told it to hurry up & jump into a boat with 2 guys that was already pulling out to cross the river. In the middle of the Mekong...

Mr Passenger 1: yiam Thai leu yiam Lao? (visit Thailand or visit Laos?)
Cat: ??
*scratch head* isn't this boat going to Thailand...?
Cat: yiam Lao laew bpai yiam Thai (visit Laos already go visit Thailand)
Mr Passengers 1 & 2: ?!
Mr Passengers 1: khon Thai leu khon Lao? (Thai person or Lao person?)
Cat explains that it is from Singkapor...

Turns out that Mr Passengers 1 & 2 were trying to figure out if it was a Thai visiting Laos or a Lao visiting Thailand - so why on earth was it saying that it's visiting BOTH? :P

Looking back at Huay Xai with the bell & drum tower of Wat Chom Khao among the trees:

P1010557a
P1010557

Only at this point did the cat realise that there were sheltered boats - both times it had crossed on unsheltered ones. Mr Passengers 1 & 2 headed off to start another day of work operating the cross-river vehicle ferry, while the cat made its way to the Thai immigration:

P1010558
P1010558a
P1010558b

20 baht + 1 chatty tuktuk driver + 1 more round of explaining that it isn't a Siamese cat (my ears, face & paws might be tanned from the sun but my tail is black not brown!) later, the cat was dropped off at a roadside fruit stall in Chiang Khong market. Madam Fruit Seller asked the cat where it was going & then yelled out no-idea-what to no-idea-who - apparently the bus to Chiangrai was about to leave & she was getting the driver to hang on so that the cat could jump on board through the back door - just like how it had scrambled onto the bus to Chiang Khong a fortnight earlier...& so within 20 minutes flat of stepping back on Thai soil the cat was waving goodbye to Chiang Khong:

P1010560

1 police road block + 2 seat changes (to make way for monks) later the cat was back in Chiangrai city to meet the others at Baan Bua Guesthouse...

Saturday, February 27, 2010

311206 last hours of 2006

Not going to reach Huay Xai before the Lao-Thai border crossing closes:

PC310448
PC310449

Sun sinks behind distant mountains.
Takes along with it plans of fellow passengers to cross border to somewhere more happening for New Year countdown.

Not sure if anyone's on last day of his/her Lao visa?
~15 more days of visa-free entry left for the cat, no worries :)

Last bit of journey in pitch black darkness - save for occasional light on west bank of Mekong (Thai side).
Worried boat captain appears to rely on memory & not much else apart from luck to navigate 'blind' + steer boat clear of big fat rocks.

At last, equally worried boat crew spots Huay Xai slowboat landing.
Tricky for boat to dock - rely on Maglite to hop across a few boats to reach shore.

All walk together down main road in search of accommodation.
Mrs Thaveensinh Hotel tells Mr German no cheaper single rooms left.
Assigns him more expensive room with TV, then tells cat in Thai that she has cheaper single room (no TV) for it?!
Note to self - in future ask falangs to stay outside while cat goes in first to get rooms for all at cat prices.

Thaveesinh Hotel:

P1010463-2-thaveesinh

All meet at restaurant by the Mekong.
American cyclists + Mr German + Mr & Mrs Falang-Thai + few other falangs + one cat.
37,000kip (~SGD6) for fish + rice + juice = cat's most expensive meal in Laos.
Mr Australian only too happy to help the cat finish what it can't.
Others who ordered western food express similar interest in tasting catfood :P

Good dinner conversation amid WORST-ever live wailing music the cat has ever endured heard.
Falangs suggest paying the band to shut up :P
American cyclists shocked to find out that cat's colleagues work on stem cells.
American cyclists comment on Bush administration's restriction on stem cell research, & hopes for those with CNS injury.

Khom loy hot air lanterns rise into the sky above Chiang Khong.
Expecting fireworks too, but none.
Mobile phone of American cyclist who works in Bangkok keeps beeping.
Text messages flood in - where are you now??
More text messages - bomb explosions in Bangkok - where are you now??
Sudden relief at being stranded in Huay Xai, for those who'd wanted to cross the border earlier.

Next morning in Thailand the cat would learn that New Year Eve countdown celebrations were cancelled/toned down as a result.
& one of the bombs hit Saphan Khwai intersection.
& one of the Thai victims had the same first name (momentary freak out) as the cat's kor who lives in Saphan Khwai.

Walk back to locked-up Thaveensinh Hotel - way past curfew time.
Falangs bang on grille gates till Mrs Thaveensinh Hotel wakes up.
Son of Mrs Thaveesinh Hotels appears clad in only a towel to let everyone in.

end of day 15 (311206):
noodle soup/pho/feu/khaaw soi eaten to date = 10 bowls

Sunday, February 21, 2010

311206 closing the (bigger) loop

Today's route in blue, past 13 days' route in grey:



Instead of backpacks...sacks that can easily fit the cat:

PC310437
PC310438

Mr German's Nelles map showing the exact location of Monk TYF & Co.'s village:

PC310444
PC310443

To keep himself occupied, Mr German busied himself 'reading' the contours & noting confluences with streams to track the rough location of our boat throughout the journey + taking close-up photos of the cat working on another 'friendship band'. Like what happened in Pak Mong, other passengers also came over to watch a cat play with string - the scenery was that boring compared to yesterday's :P

The locals asked to see all the rest of the incomplete pieces (& also the Lahu shoulder bag made by Nasa of Ban Jalae). Apparently the process of making the bands somewhat resembles a super simplified version of the ຈົກ 'johk' (discontinuous supplementary weft) technique of Tai-Lao weaving, because of all the long strands of threads of different colours hanging from the incomplete piece. Just before some of them (grandma + 2 mothers + 2 daughters) disembarked at Pak Tha, they pulled out traditional jackets from a sack & put them on - turns out that they are Hmong & were on their way to visit relatives over the New Year holiday.

PC310440
PC310441
PC310445

Prolonged stop at Pak Tha for the passenger list to be scrutinised + kids to board the boat to sell Beer Lao & potato chips. One of the American cyclists described the scene as 'NYSE' (New York Stock Exchange) as the kids - who had only Lao kip to start with - buzzed up & down the boat deftly collecting payment in US dollars or Thai baht from those who didn't have Lao kip & returning each customer the correct change in the respective currency (in which payment was made) from what they'd received from other passengers. The whole operation - sans calculators - was over in a few minutes, & the adult customers took far longer to compute the calculations involved before marvelling at the speed & accuracy of the underaged forex traders.

Upriver from Pak Tha, the west bank of the Mekong runs into Thai territory & the ธงไตรรงค์ thohng dtrai rohng (3-coloured Thai national flag) starts appearing. Obvious signs of a dirt road running parallel to the river on the Lao side:

PC310446

Because the cat has not seen this much flat land for the past 13 days:

PC310447
PC310457

Saturday, February 20, 2010

311206 Goodbye Pak Beng!

Loading onto the downriver boat:

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PC310431a

A guy with a suitcase slipped + fell + slid but fortunately not all the way down into the Mekong. Also a bit of confusion as a few tourists intending to head upriver ended up on the Luang Prabang-bound boat instead.

Today's upriver boat to Huay Xai + a few who boarded it by mistake (thinking it was a second, much emptier boat to Luang Prabang):

PC310425

Bicycles on the roof belong to two American guys who'd cycled from Oudomxay to Pak Beng - great company of kindred spirits for today's boat ride, as always turns out to be the case with cyclists (& motorbikers) whom the cat meets on the road in Laos.

Goodbye Kiwi & the cat - Mr Kiwi was staying behind to get his 'gong tai huup' from Ms. Phetsokxai Manager later this afternoon:

PC310430

Quite a few puzzled stares from both locals & foreigners alike during our time in Pak Beng. Apparently the guy is far too young & thin & the bespectacled girl too geek to fit the Falang man-Asian lady couple stereotype. If only they (those who stared) had watched this :P

The boat started to pull away, then reversed back - to pick up the captain of yesterday's Luang Prabang-Pak Beng boat & his family. Smiles of recognition as their former passengers (from yesterday) reached out to help them to load their belongings & board the boat, as they threw their stuff over & jumped across from another boat closer to shore :) Like buses & songthaews, boats follow a rotation system that gives everyone a fair share of business. Having had their turn to be on the river yesterday, their boat was now back in the queue, & it might be weeks before they get to take to the river again. To get to Huay Xai for the New Year holiday, they'd hafta be passengers on someone else's boat.

Goodbye Pak Beng!

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