Sapa to Luang Prabang

The journey from Sapa, Vietnam to Luang Prabang, Laos by bus was an epic one. Let me start by saying if you are making this trip, look into flights. We heard it could take almost 24 hours so we decided to break it up by stopping in Diem Bien Phu near the border of Laos. 

We were picked up at 8:30 in a minivan which we assumed was just a shuttle to our big comfy bus that we had booked. However, the minivan blasted past the bus station. We figure we may change buses in the next town, yet that comfortable transition never occurred. We weaved down and trough the mountains for 7 hours. The roads are bumpy and windy so if you get carsick, this is the place where that will happen. The road was under construction and there was even a point where construction (or a landslide) left the road impassable. A bulldozer was clearing a path by carving into the side of the rubble laden cliff. Traffic (all of 12 cars) was stopped on both sides waiting for a safe path to be completed. 

We arrived at the bus station in DBP, where we were told they do not sell tickets to Luang Prabang. We needed to get back there at 6 AM and hope for the best. We checked into our guesthouse we had reserved and explored the tiny town. We climbed the steps to the monument which commemorated a decisive victory over the French that led to Vietnam's independence. It was the iconic statue where on one side there was a man holding a little girl waving the communist flag and the other side featured a man yielding a massive machine gun. The view up there of the sunset was definitely worth the climb and there was a spacious park to walk around. Sadly, I didn't have my camera with me so you'll have to imagine (or look it up). 

The next morning we got to the bus station at 6:10 AM and were told there was no bus. The bus left at 6. We missed it. We had to take a mini bus at 6:30 to some other city and then change buses for Luang Prabang. It was the same price as the big comfortable bus ($25) except significantly less comfortable and slower with many more stops picking up and delivering goods to various venders. No one spoke English so we just hoped for the best. An hour and a half later we crossed the border. We paid $41.50 each with all of the added "fees" and were expecting it to be $35 so we were running low on cash. We didn't have enough for our bus. We told the driver we needed an ATM and he stopped at 4 different locations before we had success accessing our money. That was close. 

At 1:30 PM we switched buses and had to wait an hour and a half until it departed. This minibus was older and more cramped than the first one. At 3 PM when we finally left, it was packed with people, produce and various goods. The seats were all taken and the isle was stacked with burlap sacks. There was no AC and the bus was in poor condition. We had to stop occasionally so the driver could pour water on the engine to cool it down. The driver once pulled over by a creek and was literally splashing water up to the engine. What a mess. We were told that this bus would be 4 hours to Luang Prabang but it wasn't almost 11 PM, 8 hours later that we arrived at our destination. 

In short, we overpaid for potentially the worst day of travel of our lives. The only thing that compares is when we went from Cuzco, Peru to Huanchaco, Peru on two back to back buses totaling 34 hours. Except with that, we at least had comfortable seats and space.