Great escape down the Mekong

After 29 days in Thailand our visa's were due to expire. With our backs to the wall we went to the Chiang Mai bus station and got tickets for a 6am departure to Chiang Khong.

The bus ride was good, we were the only tourists and it was quite empty so we could stretch out down the back and sleep.

Chiang Khong is a small border town set on the Mekong river. We went through customs (a guy in a small wooden office) and caught a boat across the river into Laos . It was pretty cool being able to look across the river at a different country.

We stayed the night in Huay Xai before catching the slow boat down the Mekong. The slow boat (as the name suggests) is a big long boat full of tourists which goes slowly down the river. The first day we were quite cramped and the benches are ridiculously small - the width was the length of my forearm (elbow to wrist).

We docked into a small town at dusk where we were promptly assaulted by the locals trying to get us to stay at their guest house and eat at their restaurants. We blasted through the scavengers and found some comfortable lodgings before going in search of some dinner.

Luckily we managed to find the place with the worst service in the entire town. Eight of us ordered - it took 90 minutes before the first person was served and three of the orders were incorrect - none of this mattered as the host said we could drink his home made rice whiskey for free - rice whiskey for the uninitiated tastes like a combination of mouth wash and petrol and we were amazed that it didn't burn when we tried to set a small amount on fire.

The next day we were back on the boat and after 7 hours we arrived at Luang Prabang. Laos used to be a french colony so there are baguettes and coffee everywhere which is a bit of a laugh. The town also seems to be a meka for the more mature tourists (40-60).

Random Fact: In Laos cars drive on the right hand side of the road (presumably because of the French).

Highlights
- Being a millionaire for the first time. A million kip (the Laos local currency) is the equivalent of $200 NZD
- Cruising on the Meekong sipping a cold whiskey and coke
- Bagettes and coffee. The body has been craving gluten and caffeine.
- The Polish group. Six Pols on tour (25-40sh in age) who had their own recipe for a good time - 90% Polish Vodka early in the morning, along with cameras about the same size as our bags. Hands down, they were the six happiest people on the boat.

Lessons Learned
- Laos ATM's are unrealiable. There are three in this town, two of which don't work, the other is a good distance out of town.
- Town shuts early. The bars close at 11pm at which time everyone goes bowling (ten pin). The alley is exempt from the curfew which means the drinks flow freely until 3am, so we are told...