Laos - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 343

PLANES
he government-owned Lao Airlines
( W laoairlines.com) is the country's main
domestic carrier. Its safety record is
patchy, to say the least; in October 2013,
a Lao Airlines turboprop travelling from
Vientiane hit bad weather, plunging into
the Mekong as it approached Pakse,
killing all 49 people on board. Since the
accident the airline has continued to
operate as normal, and it still has the most
comprehensive domestic schedule by far,
with flights from Vientiane to Oudomxai,
Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang,
Houayxai, Pakse and Xieng Khuang (for
the Plain of Jars). Laos' first private airline,
Lao Central Airlines ( W flylaocentral.com),
has a small fleet flying between Vientiane,
Luang Prabang and Bangkok, and has
now been joined by Lao Skyway
( W laoskyway.com), who operate flights
between Vientiane and several northern
destinations including Luang Prabang,
Houayxai, Luang Namtha and Oudomxai.

5

Chinese border, these 5m terrors
accommodate up to eight passengers and
can shave hours off a river journey. Fares
for speedboats cost two to three times the
slow-boat fare. Crash helmets are handed
out before journeys and life jackets are
occasionally available. hink twice about
taking a speedboat, however: the Mekong
has some tricky stretches, and can be
particularly rough late in the rainy
season. Fatal accidents occur with an
alarming frequency. You should insist on
a life jacket and helmet.

BUSES
Buses in Laos range from air-conditioned
coaches to rattling wrecks; cramped,
overloaded and extremely slow, the latter
can be profound tests of endurance and
patience - however, until you get on the
bus, there's often no way to tell in
advance which you're likely to get.
Scheduled toilet stops are few and far
between, so it's usual to ask the driver to
stop when nature calls; passengers usually
relieve themselves by the side of the road.
Keep in mind that some areas are still
littered with unexploded ordnance (see
box, p.379), so although you may want
privacy, it's not a good idea to go too far
off the road.
Ordinary buses run between major
towns, and often link provincial hubs with
their surrounding areas. In most cases,
tickets should be bought from the bus
station before boarding; if you're picking
up a bus in the middle of its route,
however, you pay on board. It's a good idea
to turn up at the bus station at least half an
hour before your bus's scheduled departure,
especially in major transport centres where
buses may leave as soon as they're full.
Timetables are usually posted above or next
to the ticket o ce, though published times
should be taken with a pinch of salt. Most
buses leave in the morning - usually
between 7am and 9am - but popular
routes may have a lunchtime departure,
and some tourist-focused nightbuses run
between major towns and on long-distance
routes (for example, Vientiane to Pakse).
Despite road improvements, travelling
around Laos by bus is often still painfully
slow - your bus might only depart when

BOATS
he main boat route is along the Mekong
River between Houayxai and Luang
Prabang; smaller passenger boats normally
also cruise up the Nam Ou River, linking
Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw, Muang
Ngoi and points north, though at the
time of writing the Luang Prabang-Nong
Khiaw service had been suspended. As
infrastructure improves and ambitious
dam projects block traditional river
routes, more and more Lao are opting to
travel by road.
he slow boats ( heua sa ) that ply the
Houayxai to Luang Prabang route are
fitted with seats for passengers - these can
be anything from cushioned wooden
benches to seats that appear to have been
lifted from a minibus. Some boats are
kitted out with a small shop selling basic
provisions like crisps and Beerlao. An
overnight stop is made (in both directions)
at Pakbeng (see p.387), where you can
stock up on supplies.
Parts of the Mekong are also plied by a
dwindling number of speedboats ( heua
wai ), which are a more costly but faster
alternative to the slow boats. Connecting
towns along the river all the way to the