Kunming to Luang Prabang by bus August 2008

I have just returned from a 4 week to Laos, The start of my trip was by air con sleeper bus from Kunming to Luang Prabang. I obtained my seat or bed tickets very early to insure both myself and wife would be next to each other, but come time to board bus we were told that those seats had already been filled.

We then left kunming at around 5pm and things seemed to be at (Nnormal) chinese standard, so not going to bad. next morning we arrived at the local border crossing and went through the normal paperwork and questions then picked up my Laos Visa on arrival in Bortene, so far all going well. then we arrive at the Laos border for customs to check the bus over, that is when the crap started, seemed the driver did not want to pay the 200RMB $30 U.S max customs fee for being well over weight, so after 3 and a half hours of sitting and waiting for him having to pay anyway we were then told the driver needed lunch, another 1 hour, all good now we are on our way. about 2 hours into the travel through mountains we had to stop because of 2 trucks stuck in the mud on a very bad part of the road, slowly slowly the trafic statrted to back up many K%26#39;s, Then the driver tells us that this road and problem has been this way for 2 days now and he already knew (wonderful) so we all spent the night sleepeing on the bus as we are in the middle of nowhere. next morning my wife and I took our backpacks and walked down past the traffic jam problem, I helped an old man push his small car out of the mud and he was happy to give us a ride to the next major Town where we found a bus to Luang Prababng within about 20 minutes.The more I think of why the driver took us to the mountain area where he knew we would be stuck with no way out is probably becauase if customers had known at the Laos border they would have asked for a refund or found other methhods of transport,, my advise to anyone doing this trip by bus from Kunming to Luang Probang be well prepared, have local money and U.S dollars and of course your Lonely planet guide. Travel light and be ready to move fast:)

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