Leaving Luang Prabang behind, we loaded our rucksacks and belongings onto a slow-boat and prepared for the long two-day sail down the Mekong. The boat, a long barge-type motorised boat was owned by a young Laos couple, a wedding gift from the groom's father.
We meandered slowly down the Mekong past large rock outcrops and trees and small villages perched on hillsides. Past fishermen casting their nets and small groups of children swimming and playing in the river who waved and shouted to us. Past bathing water buffalo and mountain goats and dogs roaming the beaches or mountainside at either side of the river while dragonflies darted in and out of the boat.
We spent our time, around ten hours each day, chatting, reading, playing games, sleeping or drinking. On the evening of the first day we stopped off at a small town Pakbeng, consisting of one main street, and stayed in a local guesthouse for the night, venturing out briefly to sample some food at the Indian restaurant in town before heading back to our rooms. The town looked like it was a stopping off point for boats such as ours and catered almost exclusively for tourists.
Next day it was more of the same, interrupted with a brief excursion to a local village and a quiz after lunch. Otherwise it was a slow, lazy trip down the third longest river in Asia to our final destination on the second day, the border town of Huay Xai, Laos. The next day we were heading back into Thailand. There would be elephants, tigers and opium trails. But first, a final meal in Laos - an interesting meal of a traditional Laos dish 'Larp' made with tofu and a potato curry - followed by an early night.
Laos, like Cambodia, took me completely by surprise in that I hadn't known what to expect and even after I thought I'd figured out Laos it constantly exceeded my expectations. We had only scratched the surface of the country after our all too brief journey into Laos, one of the pay-offs of being on a tour. The itinerary was set and our time was limited but Laos is somewhere that I fell completely in love with and somewhere I fully intend to return to. It's a beautiful, intoxicating, charming country and a definite highlight of my South-East Asia trip. As to the rest of the trip, I'll keep you posted...