LOEI

Loei felt tired and old, like a weary old man who finds the couch a very comfortable place. Its infrastructure is that of old buildings with peeling paints. It's very much what you might expect of small provincial cities who have seen better days. Places have their unique personalities much like people if you've traveled enough.

For tourism offerings, you need to go outside the city limits - the provincial parks where you see waterfalls, and a lot of nature. The satellite towns like Chiang Khan and Dan Sai are likewise charming.

Needless to say, this is not a popular place for tourists. Loei is a working city where people make a living supporting their families. But you can make this your base to explore the other offerings on the outskirts.

1. as of this writing (June 27, 2020), there are only 5 bus trips to Loei: 07:15, 08:00, 09:00, 11:30, and 12:30. Fare is B38, duration: 45 mins, ends at Loei Bus Terminal
2. from the bus terminal, it's usually a B40 tuk-tuk ride to your hotel if within the town proper

1. From Loei town center, take a tuk-tuk ride to the bus station, B30. There is only one bus station.
2. As of June 28, 2020 (still on Covid schedule), there are only 3 night trips: 8:30pm, 9:30pm and 12 midnight. 9 hours, B470.
3. The bus makes the following stops at the following times from a 9pm Loei departure: Phu Ruea (9:50pm), Phitsanulok (12:40am), Uttradit (2:20am), Lampang (4:35am)
4. Final bus stop is at the Red Bus Arcade, Chiang Mai, 9 hour-trip, arriving 6am (from 9pm Loei departure).
5. Take a red songthaew to Old City, B50. They'll try to charge you B100, but they'll take B50 (just assure the driver you won't tell the other passengers).

1. Peang Din Waterfall
2. Huai Khrai Waterfall
3. Pla Ba Waterfall
4. Tat San Waterfall
5. Phu Kradueng National Park
6. Phu Ruea National Park
7. Phu Pa Por
8. Chateau De Loei Restaurant

1. arrive early - in case there is a snag (visa snag, documentation snag, transport ticket snag, etc.), you will have ample time to troubleshoot the problem if you arrive early (to the airport, to the bus terminal, etc.)
2. put detailed itinerary on the Calendar apps of your smart-phone according to timelines - this is where you do all your thinking and planning. Once written down, you don't have to think anymore while you are on the journey...you just follow the steps. This frees your mind for something else that might happen while you are already en route
3. avoiding scams - as a general rule, I ignore the touts or anyone I don't know who call out to me. The calling comes in many forms - "Hi! Where are you from?", "Excuse me! Excuse me!", "Where are you going?". I don't look them in the eye and I remain non-verbal with them. If you reply to them, you just gave them an 'in' to hound you. In order not to look rude, I smile and wave the 'not interested' hand to them, without looking at them.
4. power bank - hand-carry your power bank. Do not check it in. You can be called in when you are already inside the plane to go all the way to the loading dock so you can personally remove the power bank...and chances are, you'll have to surrender it to them. And you might delay the plane departure!