I traveled from Kunming to Vientiane overland over a decade ago. At the time, the best way from Kunming to Laos was to take a sleeper bus to Luang Prabang. The

I traveled from Kunming to Vientiane overland over a decade ago. At the time, the best way from Kunming to Laos was to take a sleeper bus to Luang Prabang. The roads were adequate on the China side of the border but unsafe in any kind of rain on the Laos side. On one Kunming—Luang Prabang trip to refresh my visa stay in China, I had to remain in LP for 3-4 extra days because the road washed out. This sort of thing was fairly regular so I was prepared, but still. In that context, the China-Laos railway is mind blowing. It sounds like it comes at a very steep cost to Laos. Never the less, it’s an exciting development and I look forward to riding it north to Kunming once travel into China is less restricted by the zero COVID policy.