After my excursion from Luang Prabang to Nong Khiau, I went south-west to Sainyabuli and Pak Lai, then by riverboat to Vientiane. The riverboat journey from Pak Lai to Vientiane is described in my Lower Mekong gallery.
The bus journey to Sainyabuli was as usual in a crowded vehicle and took about half a day. The highlight of the journey was crossing the Mekong on a pontoon ferry powered by a brightly painted tugboat. In Sainyabuli I checked into a grand-looking but actually quite modest hotel right in the middle of town, then set out to explore and get a late lunch. Finding anything worth eating was quite difficult. The big central market, however, contains many snack stalls so I ate there. Then I explored the town on foot. Sainyabuli is very sprawling and sparsely settled, and has nothing of architectural interest other than its major temple, Wat Sisavang Vong. I wished I had a bicycle or scooter to get around. Finding dinner was more difficult as the market was closed. I resorted to snack stalls in the street.
Next morning I rose early enough to see the procession of saffron-robed monks collecting alms in the main street – a striking sight, especially in such a drab and featureless place. I felt sorry for the littlest monk, who surely should have been home in bed or getting ready for school.
I headed for the bus station to find a sawngthaew to Pak Lai and reserved a reasonably comfortable seat in the front, an improvement on the cramped bench seats in the back. Other passengers even sat on the roof or stood on the footplates at the back of the vehicle. Eventually, after about an hour of stuffing around and waiting for the vehicle to become full enough for his satisfaction – meaning seriously overcrowded, as usual in Laos – the driver set off.
The road was mainly gravel with some sealed stretches, but most of the scenery was hilly, dry and drab with only patches of greener, more tropical vegetation. Most of the time we could have been anywhere. An exception was our snack stop in a village where flimsy wooden shops along one side of the street sold unrecognisable fruit and vegetables. Pigs snuffled in the dusty ground beyond the stalls.
We reached Pak Lai in the early afternoon after a journey of about 5 hours. After lunch at a simple roadside cafe, I walked back up the street to the prominently positioned, pink-painted KP Guesthouse. Then I walked down to the riverbank to find the boat landing. In a road that runs parallel with the riverbank there are more guesthouses, including some that look nicer than mine, as well as a small market and a good restaurant, Nang Noi, where I had an early dinner. Next morning I caught the daily riverboat to Vientiane.
The Sainyabuli sidetrip appealed to me because it leaves the beaten track and includes another Mekong riverboat journey. However, I do not believe it is worth the effort. Two days of dusty road travel in crowded buses, dry, dusty and dull scenery, crummy guesthouses and lousy meals is quite a price to pay for another boat ride. Lonely Planet’s glowing description of the region seems too rosy. Anyone visiting Laos could find plenty of other areas more worthy of their time and effort. My upper Mekong riverboat cruise and my expedition north to Nong Khiaw were much more interesting and enjoyable experiences.