Boat To China

[sceadugenga]

Any one been to Chiang Saen recently? I was wondering if the passenger boat was going up to China. Last word I had the river level was too low.

I put this in Travel for a Nil result, wondered if any of you guys had any up to date info.

[Joel Barlow]

Any one been to Chiang Saen recently? I was wondering if the passenger boat was going up to China. Last word I had the river level was too low.

I put this in Travel for a Nil result, wondered if any of you guys had any up to date info.

My understanding - we Farang cannot get by-land (or river) visa approval yet. Well, can by road, I guess... so, with difficulty, you can drive up to China. And locals, Southeast Asians, can go by river. But we can't yet.

I have not verified this officially or anything. The show I saw on river-boat trips was interesting but made it clear the comfort level is low; one had best be very acclimated to local realities, or extremely hardy, to try it.

Beautiful waterways, horrendous toilets. Not great food, no available canteens to suppliment things, or refridgeration access. I walked across the Kok River not so long ago (one month), and sometimes Mekhong River boats must simply stop and wait! There are no "passenger" boats - only cargo boats. This is likely to change, but economies being what they currently are, well...

Sure, would be a wonderful trip. but there are issues - for instance, when Cobra Joe took dirt-bike trips up into Shan State, there were few problems because of his local understandings and linguistic capacity. W/o help like that, the proliferation if automatic weapons in the hands of so many might well be cause for concern about one's wallet (as with the road north from Vientianne). Last I heard, Joe was in Mae Ai and writing for the SHAN news, but somehow thier interest quotient has fallen off (no explanation) - I did not even see reports on the recent fighting north of my wife's area (MaeMoh/Prayaprai). I used to see lots of reports of Chinese pirates in the international press - and expect private armies solicit "tax" as has long been their wont.

[sceadugenga]

Thanks Joel, this doesn't exactly add up to the information I had a couple of months back but it gives me an excuse not to go, which is what I'm looking for. A mate's coming over in July and I'd foolishly told him that I thought there was a regular service into China and he was hot to go. I'll talk him into something more comfortable like a nice drive to Nong Khai via Loei and Chiang Khan followed by a couple of nights in the flesh pots of Vientiane.

You may be interested in this earlier thread.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=103337

[Joel Barlow]

Thanks Joel, this doesn't exactly add up to the information I had a couple of months back but it gives me an excuse not to go, which is what I'm looking for. A mate's coming over in July and I'd foolishly told him that I thought there was a regular service into China and he was hot to go. I'll talk him into something more comfortable like a nice drive to Nong Khai via Loei and Chiang Khan followed by a couple of nights in the flesh pots of Vientiane.

You may be interested in this earlier thread.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=103337

something tells me redbicycle's not a "Farang" Western non-rice eater...

Loei's great. Wish I'd ever spent more time there. Pi'i ta Khon festival especially. coming up, I think...

flesh pots of Vientiane? think I found one once. wasn't much but I had a good time.

Will always remember a singer in Nong Khai, though, going on about "Tai Tai"... something Chinese about minor wives. break through the boredom in NongKhai and you're in!

[redbicycle]

Thanks Joel, this doesn't exactly add up to the information I had a couple of months back but it gives me an excuse not to go, which is what I'm looking for. A mate's coming over in July and I'd foolishly told him that I thought there was a regular service into China and he was hot to go. I'll talk him into something more comfortable like a nice drive to Nong Khai via Loei and Chiang Khan followed by a couple of nights in the flesh pots of Vientiane.

You may be interested in this earlier thread.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=103337

something tells me redbicycle's not a "Farang" Western non-rice eater...

Loei's great. Wish I'd ever spent more time there. Pi'i ta Khon festival especially. coming up, I think...

flesh pots of Vientiane? think I found one once. wasn't much but I had a good time.

Will always remember a singer in Nong Khai, though, going on about "Tai Tai"... something Chinese about minor wives. break through the boredom in NongKhai and you're in!

yeah , i am not a farang... i am from from singapore.... i do not need any visa to go to china but in the boat there are two german with me i suppose german are farang.

[sceadugenga]

Thanks Redbycycle, I'm sure Joel never meant anything offensive by his comment.

Have you heard of anyone going up there recently?

[soap]

Thanks Redbycycle, I'm sure Joel never meant anything offensive by his comment.

Have you heard of anyone going up there recently?

you might get good info about taking a boat to china from four lens tours,

they have a office on the super highway opp little duck lights and advertise

boat trips to china

[Joel Barlow]

Redbycycle's Germans are the first farang I've heard of doing it.

I certainly think it's great that it's possible!

Four Lens also has an office at Pratu Siri Intersection (by "Money Massage" and the new SandwichWorks);

when I inquired with them about help getting a Thai driver license (years ago) I was not impressed with the results.

When the owner of the Honda shop immediately across Pratu Siri Intersection showed me photos of his boat trip up to China on the Mekong, I most certainly was impressed!

but as I said, accommodations are not great.

real adventure, though - sure.

[redbicycle]

Redbycycle's Germans are the first farang I've heard of doing it.

I certainly think it's great that it's possible!

Four Lens also has an office at Pratu Siri Intersection (by "Money Massage" and the new SandwichWorks);

when I inquired with them about help getting a Thai driver license (years ago) I was not impressed with the results.

When the owner of the Honda shop immediately across Pratu Siri Intersection showed me photos of his boat trip up to China on the Mekong, I most certainly was impressed!

but as I said, accommodations are not great.

real adventure, though - sure.

For your info , four lens tour is very expensive, they are quoting me 5500 baht one way.... just go to chiang saen , there are cheaper tour there. Regards

Rb

[redbicycle]

Thanks Joel, this doesn't exactly add up to the information I had a couple of months back but it gives me an excuse not to go, which is what I'm looking for. A mate's coming over in July and I'd foolishly told him that I thought there was a regular service into China and he was hot to go. I'll talk him into something more comfortable like a nice drive to Nong Khai via Loei and Chiang Khan followed by a couple of nights in the flesh pots of Vientiane.

You may be interested in this earlier thread.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=103337

something tells me redbicycle's not a "Farang" Western non-rice eater...

Loei's great. Wish I'd ever spent more time there. Pi'i ta Khon festival especially. coming up, I think...

flesh pots of Vientiane? think I found one once. wasn't much but I had a good time.

Will always remember a singer in Nong Khai, though, going on about "Tai Tai"... something Chinese about minor wives. break through the boredom in NongKhai and you're in!

yeah , i am not a farang... i am from from singapore.... i do not need any visa to go to china but in the boat there are two german with me i suppose german are farang.

No , i am not offended at all.... I am not sure cos i am not in thailand at this moment. you can drive to chiiang sean and many will tell you where you can get your boat ticket there. Four len is charge 30% higer than those tour in chiang saen. Please get someone who can speak simple mandarin to go with you.

Rb

[sceadugenga]

Thanks guys. I've had dealings with Four Lens myself, he charged me 3200B for a Chinese visa about 2 years ago when I flew up to Kunming from Chiang Mai, more than twice the price than if you do it yourself. I'll check for his prices on the phone though and then have a drive down to Chiang Saen and get the details direct. As I said earlier, I'm a bit dubious about going.

Be surprised if language is a problem though I've ran into English speakers in fairly out of the way places. I was in Savannahkhet, LaoPDR once and two highschool girls started talking to me in a net cafe. Most young people seem to have some English.

[chownah]

I'd like to get you

On a slow boat to China,

All to myself alone.

To get you and keep you in my arms evermore,

Leave all your lovers

Weeping on the faraway shore.

Out on the briny

With the moon big and shinny,

Melting your heart of stone.

Darling, I'd love to get you

On a slow boat to China,

All to myself alone.

[sceadugenga]

I'd like to get you

On a slow boat to China,

All to myself alone.

To get you and keep you in my arms evermore,

Leave all your lovers

Weeping on the faraway shore.

Out on the briny

With the moon big and shinny,

Melting your heart of stone.

Darling, I'd love to get you

On a slow boat to China,

All to myself alone.

Jeez chownah, I thought I was the oldest guy on the forum. That's really giving your age away.

[chownah]

I'd like to get you

On a slow boat to China,

All to myself alone.

To get you and keep you in my arms evermore,

Leave all your lovers

Weeping on the faraway shore.

Out on the briny

With the moon big and shinny,

Melting your heart of stone.

Darling, I'd love to get you

On a slow boat to China,

All to myself alone.

Jeez chownah, I thought I was the oldest guy on the forum. That's really giving your age away.

Great music, like great people, transcend time.

[David2up]

Any one been to Chiang Saen recently? I was wondering if the passenger boat was going up to China. Last word I had the river level was too low.

I put this in Travel for a Nil result, wondered if any of you guys had any up to date info.

Hi,

We live just down the river from there...and Came back from China via the river last October. Easy to do going both ways! And zero need to go through a travel company. Just show up at the ticket office with China visa in hand and the next day you are on the boat. At the worst you would have a one day wait during the crowded times. But lots to see and do around here so the extra day could/should be an added treat.

And yes the river is low right now, so there should be some difficulties. But every 2-4 days the Chinese are kind enough to open up one of the spill ways and extra water depth is available. So during the low/slow season you would need to double and redouble check to insure if in fact enough water... This goes for going both up and or down the river right now.

Please feel free to email me for more details.

Cheers

[David2up]

I'd like to get you

On a slow boat to China,

All to myself alone.

To get you and keep you in my arms evermore,

Leave all your lovers

Weeping on the faraway shore.

Out on the briny

With the moon big and shinny,

Melting your heart of stone.

Darling, I'd love to get you

On a slow boat to China,

All to myself alone.

Jeez chownah, I thought I was the oldest guy on the forum. That's really giving your age away.

And what was Jimmy's first tape called? Didn't have CDs back then. And can you recall the first one of his songs that you ever heard - and what you were doing?? for me; it was making dinner on my sailboat... and she brought a bottle of wine and a tape with "God's Own Drunk"...

Cheers

[arizonadave]

Sounds like a fascinating trip. What was the scenery like on the boat trip and what was the town and people and area like at disembarkation? Did you go further on into the country? What type of currency is accepted? Would you recommend it to others?

[David2up]

Sounds like a fascinating trip. What was the scenery like on the boat trip and what was the town and people and area like at disembarkation? Did you go further on into the country? What type of currency is accepted? Would you recommend it to others?

Good morning,

River trip is easy! Six hours from Chiang Saen to Jinhong China. And over night bus from Jinhong to Kunming. We actually came the other direction having spent a month traveling with our 8 year old son during school break session.

The river is different in the China section as apposed to what you see when traveling in the Laos section. And then Cambodia and Viet Nam are different again.

Cost of the China boat section is about $80USD per person and takes 6 hours. There are 2-4 boats that leave within a few minutes of each other and each one carries about 60 - 70 persons in a fiberglass bullet looking thing. There is A/C and a box lunch - of sorts. This is the same type of boat that does the Siagon to the coast run.

Up until last year the way to travel in the China section was via cargo boat and took two days. But since they made the investment of the speedy fiberglass jobs, they Do Not want you traveling via the cargo boat route.

Suggestion is to only do the river trip one way. Then return by road from Kunming to Chiang Khong which takes 4 days, as apposed to the 2 days via the river route, but the trip is interesting. After doing it both ways like this - then fly Kunming/Chiang Mai.

Email me for more particulars if you want.

Cheers,

David

[sceadugenga]

Good post Dave, I actually thought of the Kunming Chiang Mai flight last night. My major issue with the trip would be getting a Chinese visa but we could go to Chiang Mai first, wait the necessary time for the visa from the Chinese Consulate, then fly to Kunming and return via bus to JinHong then boat to Thailand.

I know the bullet boats, I did the trip from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh in one. Hate to have to get out of one in a hurry if it rolled over!!!

[benji1003]

Hi,

Thanx for the info, I just wanted to know how to get a ticket to take the boat from jinhong to Chiang Saen, or to Chiang Mai. Can you please give me the price as well ??

Thank you.

[sceadugenga]

I'd say you'd buy it at the dock or a local travel agent.

That sort of travel can be hard to book online or from overseas.

No boat to Chiang Mai, it's about 300kms overland from Chiang Saen. Plenty of buses though.

[fukuman]

Hi I would like to go from chang sean to china in the next few days, I have a china tourist visa already. how much is it now and is it still possible, whats the journey like?

thanx 4 the info davis 2 up

[Focus]

Quote: "...followed by a couple of nights in the flesh pots of Vientiane..."

You're really not too familiar with these parts, are you?

[sceadugenga]

Au Contraire

I lived in Vientiane for about a year and found it a fun town. I was back there 6 weeks ago and managed to have a good time that took me several days to recover from.

Of course if you like to meet woman lined up on a stage like livestock you'd find it boring.

[Ulysses G.]

Of course if you like to meet woman lined up on a stage like livestock you'd find it boring.

Vientiane has its own charms.