I was walking up the stairs to the Slow boat ticket office at Huay Xai to buy my ticket for the two day passage to Luang Prabang, when a solicitious fellow Californian by the name of Peter approached me about the possibility about a far more comfortable alternative. It seems that he was trying to organize an impromptu private charter for 15 or more passengers on one of the newer boats in the village and asked me if I wanted to join him and his group - the cost being about 25USD. I told him to count me in! I waited for about 20-25 minutes for him but Peter was nowhere in sight. I heard from another farang that they were closing ticket sales on the last slow boat departure, so if I wanted to get a seat ion the boat, I better buy a ticket pronto. I waited another 5 minutes waiting for Peter to show up but to no avail. There’s an old expression - A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. So rather than risk being stranded in Huay Xai, I opted to buy my ticket. Just a couple of minutes later, I found out from one of Peter’s friends, that he was successful in securing the charter. Oh well… I was resigned to travel for the next two days on a dilapidated old longtail boat where the passengers were packed in like sardines, while Peter and his buddies enjoyed their ‘luxury cruise”.

I have already reported about the uncomfortable two-day ordeal and I have read other reports on the Internet where fellow travelers have remarked about the very uncomfortable traveling conditions. One traveler called it “the slow boat to hell”, while another traveler remarked that the vessel resembled a refugee boat.

About seven hours into the trip on day one, the private charter with Peter and his buddies passed us by - everybody aboard was smiling and laughing with a drink in their hands (and their legs stretched out) obviously enjoying themselves. On day two, we encountered another charter boat. It was a real luxurious vessel compared to the dump that I was on - it had nice leather seats, a cocktail bar and wood panels with a glossy veneer. Sitting in circle with drinks in their hands and smiles on their faces, the 20 or so passengers waved at us in unison.

Bottom Line - If you’re thinking about going on a two-day slow boat cruise on the Mekong river to Luang Prabang, you don’t have to suffer like I did. There are alternatives to this ordeal - Scout around and see if there are any private charters being organized or if you’re part of a group, consider scrounging up enough passengers for your own charter. Also I read about a comfortable slow boat journey to Luang Prabang that makes it one day. Sure beats overnighting in the hustle-hustle village of Pakbeng, a dusty little place that reminds me of the Wild Wild West.

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