Same Same but Different

Trip Start Dec 26, 2007
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Trip End Ongoing


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Flag of Lao Peoples Dem Rep  ,
Saturday, April 12, 2008

I flew back in to Bangkok and spent a total of about 5 hours there before I caught a bus north again to Chiang Mai. My mission was to get to Luang Prabang in Laos before the Lao New Year started on April 13. The overnight bus arrived at 6 in the morning from where I found out that the next bus farther north wouldn't be until 1 that afternoon. I hung around Chiang Mai that day and then continued on. I met a girl from England, Gee, who wasn't sure what her plan was but decided that I had a pretty good one so decided to head in the same direction. We made it to Chiang Khong on the Thai-Lao border in the north and found a really cool guesthouse to stay the night in. The owner, a long a haired Thai hippy who made home made bread and coffee, was a bit eccentric but entertaining nevertheless. The next morning, we crossed the border and found a boat heading down the Mekong River to Luang Prabang.

We were fortunate enough to grab the last two cushioned seats on the boat for the 8 hour journey ahead of us for that day. All down the river, we passed people farming along the banks and others fishing out of small wooden boats "Coke? Ships?" girl selling snacks on boat
"Coke? Ships?" girl selling snacks on boat
 . Apparently there are catfish in the river called paa beuk, that can get up to 2-3 meters (6-9 feet) in length and weigh up to 300 kilograms (600 pounds). The meat is really expensive and sold in nice restaurants in Bangkok. Every time we saw some kids swimming by the shore, I kept waiting for one of them to get sucked under. No such luck though. 

The trip takes two full days so we had to overnight it in a small town called Pak Beng. Not much to do around there besides sleep so we went out to dinner with some friends we had made on the boat. The water buffalo curry was good but I was paying for it all night and into the next morning. By the time we set off again the following morning, I had gotten it all out of my system and was good to go. 
 
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