Chilled out day today, had a walk around Louang Prabang - a really stunning place full of old french colonial buildings. Stopped off for lunch (and the obligatory beer Laos) where we met some new travelling friends, Joe from Oldham, Shirley from Holland and Eric (a dead ringer for the dart player Raymond Van Barneveldt and so forthwith to be affectionately known as 'Barney') also from Holland. They told us about something called big brother mouse where at 9 am ...

Same same indeed...but really very different. Different boat, different seats and no allocation. Bill would never again forget the meaning of 'same same but different' (hell they even print it on t-shirts!) and Lis would spend the next 8 hours grinning smugly in her cushy seat right at the front occasionally making the trip to the back of the boat to take note of the folks sitting on the floor next to the engine... Same same my ass... More lovely scenery and be...

Early to rise! If there is one thing our research of this trip has told us its be there early to avoid getting a rubbish seat. We all piled into a van which preceded to take us exactly 20 meters down the road to...er...a backyard really. Passports were checked and yellow slow boat stickers were issued. From there we walked exactly 100 meters down a very steep hill to the Thai immigration office who were very efficient and pleasant I must say. Officially stamped o...

7 hour bus trip from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong which is on the Thai side of the border with Laos. As it was our first road trip in Thailand we thought we would travel in comfort and take the minivan. I suppose it differs from the local buses in that you're not sitting on a sack of rice and under a couple of chickens, a goat and a child. What it does mean, however, is that you're at the complete mercy of the driver who is often running several 'businesses' at o...

After 3 days in the jungle we were pretty knackered so thought we'd have a lazy day. Late start and after some brekkie/brunch we booked our trip to Laos. Leave tomorrow by bus to Chiang Khong, overnight stay, cross the border into Laos and two days (stopping overnight in Pak Beng) on a slow boat down the Mekong to Luang Prabeng. Had a stroll to the local's market, which was an experience, and then crossed the river Ping and found a nice riverside bar where we tho...