Drtraveller might have had the shits or gotten stuck behind a diesel truck or something. Udumxai is not a tourist town. Heavy Chinese influence and trucks keep its tone a bit "cooler" if you stay only on the main road. Get off the track and the town is lfar ncer, and the people are as warm and friendly, and curious, or the rare farang. Restaurants are limited - no banana pancakes or happy pizzas. I had grilled chicken with sticky rice and a coolish Beer Lao on the edge of some truck stop that was to die for. Granted, I was hungry...
I also hear rumors that trekking is just starting in the Udomxai area, whch tells me that access to remote hilltribes is available (to me this means English peaking guides can be found in less than a day), but not common. Sounds like my place to go...
Also, it gets trashed in Lonely Planet, creating travellers like the one above not looking behind the curtain. They zoom thru, maybe spending one night there in some trasher gh room designed amd priced for Chinese truck drivers; all this in between 10 hour bus trips.
I found Udomxai (and surrounding area) to be a hidden gem, and anticipate returning to see about the area's trekking soon as I do all the other things that gotta be done.
Thanks for the extra tips, they'll be useful.
Tummy jitters all over the place, specially now when i am packing my backpack and trying not to forget anything, hehe :)
I leave tomorrow night. I'll post an update on how things are when i get to a inet cafee somewhere.
B.
Begbie,
If you are taking anything that has recharger that plugs into wall, I would think about taking a very short extension cord. Wall sockets in SEA are often quite loose and the weight of the recharger may just pull it out of loose socket. I use a 6 foot extension so that the heavy recharger can lie on floor with just extension plugged into wall.
(This sounds compulsive but I have used it multiple times in travels thru SEA)
Have a great time.
Lew
#12: i carry a little roll of electrical tape to secure plugs to sockets, had plugs of extension cords falling out several times. paranoid about things electrical in SEA ever since watching a house metres away along the same soi burn down when i was a kid. also use the tape to patch leaky pipes, frayed water heater wires & holes in doors, waterproof some stuff, etc.
trusted partner
