Spending 9 days in Chiang Mai, it was definitely time to go to Laos. Both Matt and I had spent longer than we anticipated but after the fantastic 4 days of Songkran and activities such as cuddling tigers, we booked our tickets outta Chiang Mai, the town that has taken it to our hearts. We did have a souvenir with us. We picked up another travel mate from SpicyThai Backpackers where we were staying at. This constantly laughing American guy went by the name Jon and he was soon to attend medical school.

Booking for the night bus to Chiang Khong, the Thai border town, we didn’t realise we were going to be in a world of pain!

Picked up 45 mins late by the minibus that were to take us to Chiang Khong, we speedily sped off into the night.

I found myself next to a Chinese girl on her way back home and also next to a Swedish girl . The Swedish was abit of an alright and hoped that I would accidentally bump into her to see what reaction she would make. The problem? I was bumping into her too much. Not my own fault mind, it was the road. The road to Chiang Khong from Chiang Mai bends more than a spaghetti on a bender. John was out like a light, Matt luckily had his own private seat and I was between 2 girls who nudged me away as I crashed into them muttering ‘sorry’ as the road bended and the driver laughing maniacally as he sped round the corners.

This lasted 6 long, long, looooooong hours.

Chiang Mai, I love you, why did I leave you?!

Thanks to my trusty iPod, I braced myself through the hours and looked out in the dark wilderness until I double glanced. The driver was actually considering this?! I held on tight as he drove through thick black smoggy smoke. He just went through a forest fire.

It was that hot that cinder wood was bursting not flames on their own accord and did I tell you the air con was on the blink in the van?

Bleary eyed and stiff backed trying not to fall myself onto the girls on either side, we arrived, 3am, at the hotel for us…well I wouldn’t call it a hotel. It was pure hell for me. Ok, I might be exaggerating but after a hectic week in Chiang Mai coupled with Songkran and this journey, I was not in a mood for a bad hotel.

As the woman pushed us 3 inside, we saw a body disentangle itself from one bed, gave a flash of his bearded face which moaned at us in the slatted light and collapsed back onto the bed. Both Matt and John rushed to the next room that contained the 2 other beds leaving me to take the other free bed to share a room with the yeti. Thanks guys.

I stared down the bed in disdain knowing that it had seen much better days and I weren’t gonna climb in the stained sheets. Throwing my sleeping bag liner for the first time out of my backpack, I covered it to sleep on it. Reaching for the light and prayed that the next 3 hours would give me sleep, I was soon interrupted when I saw something skitter below my arm on the floor. Peering over the side, I saw a cockroach waving its antennae at me to say hello. My only solution was to squash it with a sandal. That made things worse as its ninja brother skittered out under my bed and tried to jump on me. Ok, I’m exaggerating but I knew I couldn’t sleep with the bugs around so for the next 20 mins, I truly defeated them without the help of the yeti that moaned every minute or so for me to turn out the light. has travelling truly come to this?

I closed my eyes and thought to myself ‘welcome to the dark side of travelling…‘ while the yeti breathed raspily through his throat…

P.s. sorry for the lack of photos. I was not in a snappy mood to take pics.