Anyone travelling through Thailand and Laos should take the Slow Boat down the Mekong River, no doubt about it. This is definately not a trip to be missed! It is one of my highest highlights in Laos, not just for the incredible views of the mountainous shores that surround you, but also for the amazingly social nature of a journey that takes two days and has at least another 60 passengers, backpackers, locals and otherwise. It is a great opportunity to meet like-...

We decided to move on to Laos after 2 weeks in Chiang Mai, taking the easy package-deal option which included a minibus to the border, accommodation, meals and the slow boat fare. It was sad to leave Junior guesthouse and all our friends there, but we are going back for Thai New Year in April to have a huge waterfight, so it's all good :) On the minibus we met fellow Brits Jack and Jim, and many more lovely people. We stopped off at Chiang Rai, which is home t...