HUAY XAI

For centuries Huay Xai was a disembarkation point for Yunnanese caravans led by the Hui (Chinese Muslims) on their way to Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai in ancient Siam; today Chinese barges from Yunnan are able to navigate this far, so there is still a brisk trade in Chinese goods. Thailand's Chiang Khong, on the opposite river bank, is also a significant source of trade. Speed- boats seen along Laos's northern rivers are imported from Chiang Khong, for example.

Nowadays Huay Xai is a bustling riverside town where the biggest commercial district is cent red around the vehicle and passenger ferry landings for boats to Chiang Khong. Many new shop houses have been constructed along the main street, which curves along the base of a hill overlooking the river.

A set of naga stairs ascends this hillside to Wat Jom Khao Manilat, a thriving temple that overlooks the town and river. Constructed in 1880, the teak Shan-style temple houses a 1458 stele donated by a former Chiang Khong prince. Many of the brightly coloured jataka paintings that decorate the exterior of the sim were sponsored by Lao refugees who had been repatriated from the US.

French-built, high-walled Fort Cannot, atop an adjacent hill and clearly visible from the Thai side of the Mekong, is occupied by Lao troops and off limits to visitors

Huay Xai's main morning market, Talat Muang Bokeo Huay Xai, or simply Talat Sao, is in the southern part of town. This is also the main road transport depot. For most ferry arrivals from Chiang Khong, Huay Xai is just a stopover before boarding a boat south-east to Pakbeng or Luang Prabang, or catching a truck north- east to Luang Nam Tha.

Pila Beuk

The Mekong River stretch that passes Huay Xai is an important fishing ground for the giant Mekong catfish (paa beuk in Lao, Pangasianodon gig as to ichthyologists), probably the largest freshwater fish in the world. A paa beuk takes at least six and possibly 12 years (no-one's really sure) to reach full size, when it will measure 2m to 3m in length and weigh up to 300kg. Locals say these fish swim all the way from Qinghai Province (where the Mekong originates) in northern China. In Thailand and Laos its flesh is considered a major delicacy; the texture is very meaty but has a delicate flavor, similar to tuna or swordfish, only whiter in cooler.

These fish are only taken between mid -April and May when the river depth is just 3m to 4m and the fish are swimming upriver to spawn in Lake Tali, Yunnan Province, China. Before netting them, Thai and Lao fisher folk hold a special annual ceremony to propitiate Chao Mae Paa Beuk, a female deity thought to preside over the giant Mekong catfish. Among the rituals comprising the ceremony are chicken sacrifices performed aboard the fishing boats. After the ceremony is completed fish teams draw lots to see who casts the first net, and then take turns casting. The annual catch can vary from as few as two or three fish to as many as 20 or 30. Fishermen sell the meat on the spot for US$20 or more per kilogram (a single fish can bring up to US $ 500 in Bangkok), most of which ends up in Bangkok or Chiang Mai restaurants, since local restaurants in Huay Xai and Chiang Khong can't afford such prices; transport to Vientiane is considered too costly,

Because of the danger of extinction, Thailand's Inland Fisheries Department has been taking protective measures since 1983, including a breed-and-release program. Every time a female is caught it's kept alive until a male is netted, then the eggs are removed (by massaging the female's ovaries and put into a pan; the male is then milked for sperm and the eggs are fertilized in the pan. In fashion over a million paa beuk have been released into the Mekong since 1983. In 2001 fishery experiments in Phayao and Chiang Mai were successful in breeding the first giant Mekong cat- fish in captivity. This means that farms on both sides of the border may soon be able to breed the fish for local consumption for little more than the cost of feed.

Information

Immigration Huay Xai is a valid border entry/exit point for any visitor holding a valid visa. Lao visas arc available at several agencies in Chiang Khong; the most reliable is Ann Tour, housed in a small booth just north of Ban Tammila Guest House, A is-day tourist visa costs US$50 here. If you leave your passport (no accompanying photos necessary) here at 8.30am, you can pick it up at 3pm. Phu Doi Travel, on the main street north of the pier, opposite the Thaveesinh Hotel, can arrange trips to nearby villages - including Lao Huay villages - or to a sapphire mining area 12km south. The agency charges a basic rate of US$30 a day, including car, driver and English-speaking guide,

Money Lane Xang Bank, opposite the Arimid Guest House, is open Sam 10 3.30pm Monday to Friday, Lane Xang also has an exchange booth at the immigration and customs office near the ferry pier. US dollars, travelers chouse, or cash in baht and Japanese yen can be changed for kip at either location, but not vice versa.

Post & Communications A post and telephone office, a few hundred meters south of the main hotel area, is open Sam to 4pm daily; you can make phone calls here until 10pm

Places to Stay

Maniratn Hotel (Manirat; 312040, Thanon Saykhong) Singles & doubles with fan & hot shower US$3.40. Immediately on your right coming from the' passenger ferry landing is the well-run Maniratn. The rooms are basic but clean.

BAP Guest House (211083, Thanon Saykhong ) Singles/doubles with fan and hot-water shower US$2.25/3.40. Turn left coming from the pier, and HAP is 50m up on the left. Formerly Yot Kong Guest House, this friendly two-storey place is perhaps the best place to find out about boats going to Luang Nam Tha via Pak Tha. There's a good restaurant downstairs.

Thaveesinh Hotel (fax 312039, Thanon Saykhong ) Singles with fan US$3.35, doubles with fan US$4.45-6.70, doubles with air-con US$S.90-11.50. Heading north you'll find this relatively new clean three- storey hotel on your tight. All rooms have hot showers.

Arimid Guest House (Alimit Guest House; 21104.0. fax 312006, Ban Huay Xai Neua ) Singles/doubles US$2.60/3.20. This is a collection of thatched bamboo bungalows opposite a petrol station and Lane Xang Bank. All bungalows have attached bathrooms with small electric hot- water heaters. The husband-and-wife owners speak French and English. The pier for slow boats going to Pakbeng and Luang Prabang is only about 200m away.

Keoudomphone Hotel ( in Chiang Khong, Thailand 053791288: Thanon Saykhong ) Rooms with fan/air-con US$4.4S/5.90. In the opposite direction, about halfway between the town centre and the speedboat landing, this efficient three-storey hotel offers very clean rooms. All the rooms have hot showers.

Thaveesinh Guest House (211155 Thanon Saykhong) Rooms US$2.25-3.35. This friendly guesthouse a little north of the post office offers basic one- and two-bed rooms with shared facilities out the back.

Savanh Bokeo Guest House (Thanon Saykhong ) Doubles triples US$2.25/3.35. A bit south of Thaveesinh is the friendly Savanh Bokeo. Rooms are in a two-storey building with bathrooms outside. French is spoken.

Houay Xai Guest House (Thanon Saykhong ) Rooms US$3.40. South of the Laos Chinese Restaurant, the Houay Xai Guest House is a two-storey place with wooden floors and a nice little seating area I that overlooks the river. All rooms have fan and attached hot-water bath.

Keo Champa Hotel (312035 Thanon Saykhong ) Singles/doubles with fan US$3.40/4.45, with air-con US$7.50. All rooms in this fairly new three-storey block building south of Huay Xai Guest House come with attached hot-water bath.

Wungview Resort Bungalows US$4.40 Although it's a little distant from the town centre, the Wungview offers quiet, separated wooden bungalows with verandas atop a bluff at the southern end of town.

Places to Eat

Khem Khong Restaurant Dishes US$0.75- 1.75. Khem Khong, a cluster of wooden tables under a thatch roof that overlooks the Mekong passenger ferry landing, makes decent fried rice, fried noodles and tom-yam.

Laos Chinese Restaurant (Thanon Saykhong ) Dishes US$1-2. Open 10am- 10pm daily. This clean eatery features an extensive menu of Lao, Chinese and Thai dishes.

About a dozen open-air food shops along Thanon Saykhong offer cheap noodle and rice plates.

Getting There & Away

Air The airfield, of US construction, lies a few kilometers south of town. Lao Aviation flies between Huay Xai and Vientiane daily (US$88, one hour and 20 minutes). Flights to/from Luang Prabang operate five times a week (US$46, 50 minutes).

There are also four weekly nights scheduled to/from Luang Nam Tha (US$41) and two flights weekly to/from Udomxai (US$37). All flights in and out of Huay Xai use Y-12 aircraft.

Lao Aviation (312022) has an office in the centre of town off the main street; it's open 8am to 4pm Monday to Saturday.

Bus, Truck & Sawngthaew The road north-east to Luang Nam Tha used to be extremely difficult because of its poor surface, but upgrading sponsored by the ADB is under way. The upgrade is scheduled to be completed by 2005. Heroin production and trafficking along the Burmese border means that areas off the highway can be touchy.

Passenger trucks to Luang Nam Tha, 195km north-east, cost US$6.60 and take seven hours under good road conditions, though during the rainy season it's often impassable. A bandanna would be handy for dust protection in the dry season. When the upgrading project is done, the road will be traversable year-round and buses should be able to make the trip in four to six hours (depending on the number of stops). You can stop off in Vieng Phukha (l30km from Huay Xai) for about US$3.60. There is a guesthouse there.

In Huay Xai the passenger truck terminal can be found next to the main morning market near the provincial stadium, about 2km south of the Chbng Khong passenger ferry pier. Buses leave once a day from Huay Xai at around 8am. Sawngthaew between Luang Nam Tha and Huay Xai leave several times from early morning until about II am, departing whenever they fill up. The fare is US$6.60.

Boat Huay Xai is a major jumping-off point for visitors planning to travel down river to Luang Prabang by boat. It's also possible to boat upriver to Xieng Kok, where a road leads to Muang Sing.

Chiang Khong (Thailand) The short long- tail ferry ride to/from Chiang Khong on the Thai side costs 20B one way. In the other direction it's the same cost for the ferry (or its kip equivalent). On the Huay Xai side, the ferry landing is just below the Maniratn Hotel.

Plans to construct a bridge from Chiang Khong to Huay Xai by late 1997 were derailed by the economic crash but it's probably only a matter of time before a span makes the ferry crossing obsolete.

Slow Boats South Long-distance ferries- the 'slow boat - going down the Mekong to Pakbeng and Luang Prabang leave daily around 9am. These are cargo r boats with space for passengers - locals working for the speedboat mafia will often say there are no slow boats or in some other way try and steer you towards the speed boats. The best way to get on one of the slow boats is to go to the landing yourself the afternoon before you want to go and make arrangements. Or just show up around 7am and be persistent.

If you're going to Luang Prabang the slow boat takes two nights, one spent in Pakbeng and the second moored next to a village called Ban Khok Kat (this may change depending on seasonal river flows).

The slow boat passenger fare to Pakbeng is US$5.50. On the way to Pakbang the boat stops in Pak Tha (US$2.50), where you should get off if you want to try to get a boat to Luang Nam Tha, though strategically it's better to do that trip in the down- stream direction.

All the way to Luang Prabang a slow boat costs US$11. All of these rates depend upon the price of diesel- which depends on the US dollar-baht and baht-kip exchange rates, so prices can be rather volatile.

The Mekong slow boat landing is located north of the town centre next to the vehicle ferry crossing to Thailand. You can walk up the hill about 100m to a market area to buy supplies.

Speedboats Six-passenger speedboats to Pakbeng and Luang Prabang cost US$13.80 and US$23 respectively per person (you can pay in kip or US dollars but baht are preferred). By speedboat it's only three hours to Pakbeng, six hours to Luang Prabang. You can hire a whole boat for four to six times the individual fare. The speedboat landing is about 2km south of the town centre. Snacks and drinks can be bought from vendors there.