チェンライからルアンパバーンまでのバスは

私はラオス行きのバン＋夜行バスを予約していた。 出発は正午12時の予定だった。11時過ぎに男がやってきて、出発が午後2時に延期になったと告げた。午後1時半にベーシックカーに乗った別の男性が迎えに来て、私をバンで降ろしてくれた。 あとはかなり順調だった。バンはエアコンが効いていて快適だったし、国境の手前で手続きをするために道路わきの小さな店に連れて行ってくれた（かなり異様だった）。税関申告書に記入し、写真がなければ撮った。お風呂をキップに変えることもできる。 税関を通るのはかなり簡単で、タイ側では何も報告することはなかった。しかしラオス側では、1ドルまたは50バーツ（彼女が書類をチェックするためだけ）のサービス料がかかった。ビザは40ドルか1800バーツ（バーツだともっと高いので注意）。税関を通過した後、夜行バスに乗るために待たなければならなかったが、必要なものがすべて揃った小さなバスターミナルまで連れて行ってくれた。夜行バスは30分以上遅れて出発し、スタッフはできるだけ愛想がなく、何も説明してくれず、英語も話せなかった。結局、見知らぬ人とかなり狭い寝台に乗ることになる（彼らは観光客を一緒に乗せようとする）。穴とカーブの間を行ったり来たりする道は、吐き気がするほどだ。夜8時に夕食休憩があり、その後は休憩があるのか、旅行者のための休憩なのか、英語で何も言われないのでまったくわからない。 旅は続き、眠れなかったり、あまり眠れなかったりするが、少なくとも無事に到着する。

J’avais réservé le van plus bus de nuit pour le Laos. Départ prévu à 12h à mon hôtel. Un monsieur est venu à 11h passé pour me prévenir que le départ était repoussé à 14h. A 13h30 un autre homme en voiture basic est passé le chercher, m’a déposé au van. La suite s’est plutôt bien passé. Le van était confortable et climatisé, il nous a conduit à un petit shop en bord de route pour faire les démarches avant la frontière (plutôt bizarre). On y rempli le formulaire pour la douane et prendre des photos pour ceux qui n’en ont pas. On peut aussi faire le change des baths en kip à un taux très interessant. Le passage de la douane a été assez facile, rien à signaler côté thaïlandais. Par contre côté laotien, prévoir 1$ ou 50 baths de frais de services (juste pour qu’elle vérifie le formulaire. Payer 40$ ou 1800 baths de visa (attention en baths c’est beaucoup plus cher). Passer les douanes il faut attendre pour aller prendre le bus de nuit, on nous conduit à la gare routière petite mais avec le necessaire. Le bus de nuit est parti avec plus de 30 min de retard, le personnel était mal aimable au possible, on ne nous expliquait rien et ils ne parlaient pas anglais. Tu te retrouves dans une couchette plutôt étroite à deux avec un inconnu (ils essayent de mettre les touristes ensemble). Et la une route qui te secoue dans tous les sens entre les trous et les virages c’est à avoir envie de vomir. Une pause dîner à eu lieu à 20h et après aucune idee s’il y avait des pauses ou juste les arrêts des voyageurs car rien n’est dit en anglais. Le voyage se fait, on ne dort pas ou pas beaucoup mais au moins on arrive à bon port

国境までの道のりは完璧で、タクシーが手続きなどでとても助けてくれました。 一方、バスは全く快適ではありませんでした。マットレスもなく、1つの寝台に2人ずつで、あまりスペースがなかったので、1人だと見知らぬ人とプライバシーを共有することになりました。私たちは騒音や、頭に松明を当てられたり、船倉で税関にバッグのプロテクターを破られたりして、何度も起こされた。 確かに経験にはなるけど、快適さを求めるなら飛行機を利用したほうがいい)

Le trajet jusqu'à la frontière était parfait, le taxi m'a énormément aidé pour les formalités etc, merci encore à eux. En revanche le bus n'était pas du tout confortable, pas de matelas, vous êtes deux par couchette et il n'y a pas énormément de place, autant dire que vous partagez l'intimité d'un inconnu si vous êtes seuls. Nous avons été réveillés à plusieurs reprises par le bruit, les lampes torches sur la tête et par la douane qui a déchiré mon protège sac dans la soute. C'est certe, une expérience mais si vous avez besoin de confort prenez plutôt l'avion :)

ラオスには無事に着いたけど、バスは忘れられない経験だった。バスは満員で、通路で寝ている人もいた。私は、激しく気分が悪くなっている女性の声で目を覚ました。バスはとても揺れた。

We made it to Laos in one piece but the bus was an experience I will never forget haha. The bus was over packed with people sleeping in the isle. I woke up to the sound of a lady being violently sick. The bus was very jumpy and rocky.

I really can't recommend this and would suggest using another tour provider. Got the slow boat from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang. Pick-up was on time and the van was air conditioned. Everything before the border was fine. Smooth leaving Thailand but entering Laos was a nightmare. No guidance given throughout this, other than by a man who couldn't confirm his identity and honestly we thought we were being scammed. Had to pay visa fee and a tourist tax directly to him, not border officials which really did not seem right. The transfer was overbooked and me and my partner were crammed into the seat of a pick up with our main backpacks and day packs on top of us. We were provided a sandwich but there was no vegetarian or vegan option. Made it to the ferry point and we were the last group to get there out of all the other tour providers meaning we didn't and many others didn't get a seat on the actual boat as it was overbooked. Would I do it again? Yes the slow boat was crowded but had stunning views - but definitely not with this tour provider.

The van picked up on time. Helped through the border crossing and getting to the slow boat pier. The slow boat was overbooked but the experience was amazing.

The first part of the trip to the border was great and seamless - the sleeper bus however was very primitive with two people to a very hard bunk and the roads are very poor so you get shaken around a lot. Would not recommend if you’re a solo traveller. We did get there in good ish time though however I doubt I’ll do it again.

Overall a good experience, but it’s not for everyone. For slow boat boarding, you need to be fit and have good balance — you'll walk across a wooden plank, and if it’s raining, it gets slippery. There were better and worse moments during the trip. From Chiang Rai to the border, everything was smooth and easy, though communication was lacking. After I contacted them, they told us pickup would be between 5:00 and 5:30 a.m., but the van arrived at 5:45. Border crossing was easy but very slow. The staff always made sure you were guaranteed your next ticket and connection. Visa management felt a bit sketchy. In total, you’ll need to pay a Laos entry fee of 20 Baht and a visa on arrival, which costs either $40 USD, 1,800 Baht, or 1.2 million Kip. My advice, based on current exchange rates, is that USD is much cheaper — try to exchange in Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai the day before departing. After the border, the next bus takes you to the pier for the slow boat. At the pier, they give you a sandwich and offer a Laos SIM card for a good deal. The boat is crowded and the chairs are horrible — but you’ll survive. After 7 hours, you land in Pak Beng. Be smart and book a room in advance; it’s a very small but nice village. The boat on the next day is a million times better — comfy chairs, even tables, kind of like a floating train. Over two days on the river, you’ll see beautiful landscapes, though visibility can be poor when it rains. The river looks like chocolate and is full of floating plastic. Once you arrive in Luang Prabang, you’ll cross another plank to disembark. The pier is far from the city, close to the airport, and crowded with thirsty tuktuk drivers looking for prey — they charge 50,000 Kip per person. My advice is to set up a Loca app account (Laos’ version of Uber) in advance and skip the tuktuk. A Loca ride from the pier to the city costs around 140,000 Kip. Honestly, I think it’s way more fun than taking the train and cheaper than flying — but it’s slow and will test your patience and resilience. If you’re lucky, you’ll make friends during the trip, which is a great way to pass the time and socialize. Luang Prabang is truly beautiful.

The transfer was from Thailand to laos, the part in chiang rai was very good, everything was on time, except the fact that we couldn't contact the provider to ensure that everything was ok, the problems started on the laos side, they charge 40 use, if you have older notes than they don't accept them and after you can change them in a very low rate, if you pay in baht or lak kip than they charge more money, there's a two day ride in a slow boat, each for about 7-8 hours, it's owful , it's not comfortable and there's not much space, stay one night in a small village and the next day continue to luang prabang for another 8 hours, than you take a took took to the city That journey is for the strong spirit and mind

First day on slowboat was great. The second day was a different boat with less seats which led to many people sitting on the floor. This made it hard to access the bathrooms and shop

Everything smooth and on time. Guys helped at border crossing and we got free sandwiches before the boat.