The slowboat trip from Huag Xai to Luang Prabang

There is nothing much to write about Chiang Khong, because there is nothing. Also Huag Xai, the border city on the Laos side of the Mekong River had nothing much to offer. We just made one experience confirming the prejudice of Laos being a very laid back country. We arrived with ferry at about noon in Laos and found out that all busses and boats in any direction leave one time a day in the morning - we were stuck but a Canadian girl recommanded a good guest house to us and we could relax and do some reading, writing diary, and sleeping. Early the next morning we boarded the famous slowboats floating down the Mekong till Luang Prabang. The boats look nice, however, only have wooden benches sampling a high challenge to our bums. The scenery on the shore was very beautiful, jungle and mountains, but remained the same till Luang Prabang making the whole story a little boring in the end. Still we enjoyed our ride and chatted with other people and once again read (so that I could finish the Davinci Code - nice book, can just recommand it). The night we spent in Pak Beng a small village full of guest houses. The next morning nobody was sue when the boat was about to leave, everything between 7:30 and 9 o'clock was spread. Taking the middle, 8a.m., we got on the boat, with us three with machine guns armed military persons and another guy with a briefcase spreading once again a feeling of discomfort. But again we were lucky and arrived safely with an unhappy bum in Luang Prabang.