My first Laos visit

I've been reading this forum for over 3 months now to prepare myself for my first trip to SEA (i leave in 3 days)
I never posted here myself but got tons of useful information just by reading and searching.
Doing this influenced my trip quite a lot. At first i wanted to travel thailand, laos and cambodia in 5 weeks time. I soon realised that i better focus on one country. So my plan now is to spend a whole 30 day visum in (N) Laos going from Houy Xai to Vientiane :

Luang nam tha (after gibbon exp)
Muang Sing (and maybe also Muang Long)
Udomxai
Phongsali (by road)
Muang Ngoi (by boat from Hat Sa)
Nong Khiaow
Sam Neua (Vieng Xai)
Phonsavan
Luang Prabang
Sainyabuli + Lak Sai (if possible, otherwise via Vang Vieng)

Depending on the time remaining when i arrive in Vientiane I might go further south...
It is hard to estimate times but i think 30 days should be enough for this itinerary (with some trekking here and there).

Anyway, i mostly just want to post a thank you to all the people who contributed by giving quality responses in this forum!

B.

Well good gosh have fun. I'm jealous.

And I bet you've got those pre-trip tummy jitters, too. I don;t love the feeling, but I love what it anticipates!

Oh - excellent route! Have fun!

You're gonna' have one GREAT journey...

Have a great Lao time.

sounds like a great trip! have fun :)

Be prepared for long bus trips on bad roads but itinerary is nice.

Luang Nam THa will grow on you and will Nong Khiauw
Udomxai is a real craphole so don't plan on any time there.

Arriving in Luang Nam Tha at night is disconcerting because the bus station is dark 5 minutes after you get there and there is little street light. The map in the last edition (haven't seen newest edition of LP) is incorrect in that the terminal is on the other side of the street SOOOO. Walk out of the parking lot to the main street, go left two blocks, then left again one block and right one block then left and you will be on the main street where most of the guesthouses and restaurants are.

BTW, if you arrive in Udomxia from Luang Nam Tha and your connecting bus has left, the bus office will actually arrive minibus for you at reasonable rates. I was on a bus from Luang Namtha that arrived about 12:30 and six of us arranged a mini to Nong Khiau that day for $60
US.

Yep, it looks like a great trip. I am glad to see that you didn't put a time frame on it and that you will take it as it comes.
Have a great time. :)

Sounds great. 30 days is good. Have a nice trip.

WeiLong in Laos

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.