River scenery, Xieng Kok, Northern Laos

River scenery, Xieng Kok, Northern Laos

River scenery, Xieng Kok, Northern Laos


Taken on: 17th September, 2012. Copyright: All Rights Reserved - See travelfishery's page of Flickr

Read more about Xieng Kok

A peaceful little town consisting primarily of wooden houses and bamboo shacks along the Mekong, Xieng Kok makes for a good spot for an overnight stay on your way through to the rest of northern Laos.

It's a border checkpoint for a ferry boat to and from Burma (not open for foreigners) and cargo boats up and down the Mekong, with a constant flow of activity ebbing around the boat landing. Huge trucks come to load and unload their merchandise, making for plenty of entertainment, particularly when they need to be winched up from the river banks where they get stuck in the mud. A crowd generally gathers to watch and direct the action.

There's not a lot to do in Xieng Kok once you've wandered around town, chatted with the locals and given your advice on the trucks being hauled out of the sludge. But the town is scenically set on the banks of the Mekong, with a view over to Burma, and has electricity 24 hours per day nowadays.

The most ... Read our complete Xieng Kok travel guide

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