Elks and Beyond -- Jordan White's Traveling, Skiing and Outdoor Adventures

Traveling, Ski Mountaineering and Climbing in Colorado and…

Sa Pa to Muang Khua

Our Journey started with a sleeper bus leaving in the middle of the night for Dien Bien Phu. As has become normal the bus is tiny and would probably max out at about a 5’9″ person comfortably. We catch a movie on the iPad and doze off for a few hours before arriving in Dien Bien Phu at around 5 in the morning. We hopped on the smaller bus consisting of about 24 seats and if there is anything we’ve learned, its that you want your seats early. As we pull out of the bus station most of the seats are filled but it’s not too crowded. But by the time we have done our 5th lap through town it is jammed with about 47 people in a 24 seat bus, yep I counted. This doesn’t even account for the insane amount of baggage and packages that he has picked up along the way. The aisle is filled to waist level with packages and then there are people stacked on top of that. Finally we are rolling out of town, but we continue to add luggage and people along the way. I notice that Elisabeth hasn’t even acknowledged the crowd, dramamine at its best! Every once in a while we stop for a quick break to grab a snack and a bathroom break, and one thing we notice is that everyone on the bus remembers exactly where they were sitting. As everyone files back onto the bus they sit down or take a spot standing exactly where they had been before. I have a 12 year old kid asleep on my lap by the time we reach the border and we are sitting at 61 people in a 24 capacity bus.

Packed to the gills.

Packed to the gills.

Our van waiting at the Vietnam border.  It only got more crowded.

Our van waiting at the Vietnam border. It only got more crowded.

An hour passes as we go through the usual stifling amount of paperwork to leave the country. Soon we all pile back into the bus and we even add a couple more people who climb through the windows, I shut ours just in time to keep someone from jumping into our laps. We drive for a half hour or so and make it to the Laos border crossing station and again it takes about an hour to shuffle everyone through. A couple hours after passing the border we stop for what seems to be a lunch break. I have no idea where we are, but after about 1/2 hour break and we are back on our way after throwing a couple of people on the roof. After a couple of hours we finally make it to Muang Khua, our hopping off point. We were the only ones to get off and I can just imagine the rush for our seats!

After wandering down the street for a while we find accommodations at the Chaleunsuk Guesthouse for about $4 for the both of us. The room is simple, but plenty adequate and after dropping off some bags we set out for a walk.

How hot could it be?

How hot could it be?

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