Skating across the top of Laos- definitely doable

As the 'shoestring' travellers that we are trying to be, Sean and I decided to attempt the much-written-about trip from Houay Xai to Tay Trang across the northernmost part of Laos to get to Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam. We had read many horror stories about getting to Hanoi from Luang Prabang and thought it best to avoid the "bus ride from hell" as it was called, and instead take the route less travelled: Houay Xai -> Luang Nam Tha -> Uodomxai -> Muang La -> Muang Khua -> Tay Trang -> Dien Bien Phu -> Hanoi.

To put it bluntly, it was easy and enjoyable. Each of these towns is a destination in its own right (mostly for trekking or hilltribe visits) and it was disappointing for us that we didn't have time to stopover for a few nights at each. We ran into a small group of backpackers at each place and there are places to stay in all locations if you're content with the basics. We stayed one night in Luang Nam Tha, a quiet place but popular for eco-tourism tours and one night in Muang Khua, a funny little town with a funny little bridge [read: floating pontoon half the size of the river that has to be pushed by a boat anytime a vehicle wants to cross- very funny to watch from above]. The local buses that we took were actually more comfortable than the tourist mini-vans and the rides were bumpy but bearable. Perhaps our threshold is higher than others, perhaps we were lucky or maaaaybe... it just ain't that bad. [read: everybody stop whinging!]