Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Houayxai
HOUAYXAI
, sandwiched between the Mekong and a range of hills, is the first introduction
many visitors have to Laos, lying across the border from Thailand. It was long an important
crossroads for Chinese merchants from Yunnan who, driving caravans of pack-ponies laden
with tea, silk and opium, would pass through Houayxai on their way south to Chiang Mai,
and again on the return north with their loads of gold, silver and ivory. Today, Chinese goods
are still much in evidence, but exotic cargos of silks and opium have been replaced by dirt-
cheap hand tools and brittle plastic wares that are floated down the Mekong by the barge-
load.
Most tourists hurry through Houayxai, either rushing across the new
Thai-LaoFriendship
Bridge
to Thailand at the end of their visas or heading straight from the border or bus station
to the pier for the slow boat downriver to Luang Prabang. Despite being a border town, it's
not completely devoid of charm, though the main reason to stop here now is to take part in
the acclaimed
Gibbon Experience
.
Most accommodation and travel services are clustered around the old ferry landing where
the (now locals-only) boats from Chiang Khong dock. From a tourist perspective this is still
the main centre of interest, though much of the town's commerce is shifting south towards
the bus stations and new town.
