Laos - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 384

and for all its touts and travellers' cafés,
beyond the main guesthouse area it still
feels very much like somewhere where
local people live.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By boat From the (separate) slowboat and speedboat
landings it's a short (uphill) walk to most of the town's
guesthouses and restaurants, and a further 1km into the
centre of town. Slow boats usually depart around 9.30am
to Luang Prabang, and about 8.30am to Houayxai - it's
best to check times locally the night before. Heading to
Luang Prabang, arrive at least 30min before departure to
ensure a seat. Tickets are bought onboard. Some captains
stop briefly at the caves at Pak Ou (see p.377) before Luang
Prabang, charging each passenger who disembarks for a
look a few thousand kip extra. Speedboats in either direc-
tion normally depart around 9am, though will only leave
when full; buy tickets from the booth at the top of the
speedboat landing.
Destinations Houayxai (daily: slow boat 8hr; speedboat
3hr); Luang Prabang (daily: slow boat 7hr; speedboat 3hr).
By bus Buses run twice daily to Oudomxai (4hr) from the
bus station, 2km east of the boat landings (5000K in a
shared tuk-tuk).

5 THE GIBBON EXPERIENCE

An ecotourism project 83km from
Houayxai, The Gibbon Experience
( T 084 212021, W gibbonexperience.org)
offers both spectacular treehouse
accommodation and a unique way to
explore the Bokeo Nature Reserve - via
zip line through the forest canopy. All
food and transportation are provided, as
well as guides, who will help you spot
wildlife including black gibbons and
elephants. At $190 for one night or $310
for two, it's expensive but worth the
splurge. Be sure to reserve a place well
in advance. The Houayxai o ce is on
the main road, just north of the old
ferry landing.

lighting. Serves a range of reasonably priced Lao, Thai
and falang food, plus mojitos for 30,000K. Daily
6am-11pm.
Dream Bakery 100m south of the old ferry landing.
Cheerful and inviting bakery-café with big wooden chairs
and colourful tablecloths. Coffee comes from the Bolaven
plateau and the cakes and pastries (pecan pie 10,000K) are
more than passable. Daily 7am-8pm.
Meuang Neu 100m north of the old ferry landing.
Travellers' favourite with a rustic feel, which serves a
largely Western menu, including pizzas (from 55,000K)
and desserts like fried banana in chocolate sauce. Also a
good place to pick up a sandwich before a long boat or
bus journey south. Daily 6am-11pm.
Phongdao Buffet Just up from the slow boat landing,
on the right. Westerners normally pass straight by this
unassuming locals' place, but it does the best sin dad
(Lao barbecue) in town, the buffet table groaning under
the weight of fresh meat, veg, fish and seafood. Daily
5-10pm.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Travellers arriving off the slow boat are usually greeted
by countless touts for the town's guesthouses. In the
morning, a few stalls lining the road just up from the
landings put steaks, sausages and chicken on to grill - a
tastier sandwich option for the boat journey than the
baguettes sold by the numerous guesthouse bakeries.
Dockhoun 100m east at the top of the landings T 081
212540. Good-sized rooms with colourful bedspreads in a
vivid green building, but the real advantage is the lovely
restaurant, bedecked with han ging baske ts and boasting
superlative river views. Double 100,000K
Duangpasert 20m east at the top of the landings T 081
212624. Friendly place that's more clued up than most
along the strip. For river views go for one of the upstairs
rooms, though those downstairs have a big shared terrace;
all hav e high ceilin gs and hot showers. Also has a bakery.
Double 100,000K
Sarika T 081 212306. One of the best options, in a plumb
position at the top of the speedboat landing, with smallish
but well-maintained, white washed ro oms. Some have
views of the Mekong. Double 100,000K
Vassana 300m east of the boat landings T 081 212302.
Despite its unassuming exterior, this is actually the best
deal in town. For once, some thought has gone into the
colour scheme, and rooms have big, comfy beds, sparkling
bathrooms and (very Lao this) reclining ch airs ripp ed
straight out of vans. No views, though. Double 80,000K

PAKBENG
Following kilometre after kilometre of
lush jungle-clad hills, the river approach
to Pakbeng, the only sizeable town or
roadhead between Houayxai and Luang
Prabang, feels rather welcome, even if
the town has little more than a
ramshackle charm about it. Perched
above the water on the hill that rises
through the town, Pakbeng may not be
a particularly glamorous start to your
travels in Laos, but it does have a
distinctly northern Laos feel about it,