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About
Bokeo ( Houei Xai
)
Bokeo the smallest
province in the country, Located along the three-border intersection
of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. This is the Lao side of the 'Golden
Triangle'. The province has 34 ethnic groups, the second most
ethnically diverse province in Laos. It has five districts: Houixay,
Ton Pheung, Muang, Pha Oudom, with 36 townships, more than 450
villages and a total population of 61,000 consisting of many ethnic
groups, each with own lifestyles and customs.
Ban Houei Xai ( or Huay Xay ) is the
border town with Thailand, the city is busy and prosperous.
The most lucrative occupation in
Bokeo is gold panning and digging for precious stones, where you can
see at Ban Nam Khok (The Lu village), 6 km from the town and Ban
Houi Sala (The Hmong village), it's around 18 km far from the town
of Houixay.
Getting there
Buses run between Huay Xai,
Luang Prabang, Udomxai and Luang Namtha. Lao Aviation flies to and
from Luang Prabang, Udomxai, Luang Namtha and Vientiane. Lao
Aviation's domestic timetable.
Slow boats travel between Luang
Prabang and Huay Xai via Pakbeng. Taking a slow boat is an
adventure for seasoned travellers only. Speed boats run on the same
routes but will take just a few hours - you will pay accordingly.
The journey is fast and furious and not for the faint of heart.
From Thailand:
Huay Xai is reached by ferry
from Chiang Khong in Thailand. This border entry point does not
currently issue visas on entry. Unless you are travelling with a
pre arranged tour, a visa in advance will be required. Chiang Rai
airport in Thailand is served regularly by Thai Airways
International. Chaing Rai airport is an hour or so away from Chiang
Khong.
Golden Triangle
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Gold from
the mine |
Located about 80 km to the
North-west of Houeixay. Visitors can see the beautiful panorama of
the border areas of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
Forespace
Forespace is a new National
Tourism Authority Bokeo province and French private investment
venture. This ecotourism project, in the Nam Kan pretected area
will be a major international attraction for visitors and will
provice one of the longest, most interesting forest canopy walks in
the world. There are ten walkways planned along with bungalows and
an information centre.
Located in the center of Huay
Xay is Chomkao Manilat temple. The view from the the temple hill
over Houy Xay city,the Mekong river and surrounding mountains is a
definite reward for making it up the many steps.
At Ban Namkeung Kout, Ban
Namkeung Mai and Ban Done Deng, it's 26 km far from the center of
Houixay town to the north where you can visit the traditional Lu
village, who came originally from Muang Sing, Luang Namtha. The
villages can be reached by boat trip, upstream from Houixay.
See also
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