Up the Mekong - part 2

Over a three day journey, we travelled up the Mekong River from Luang Prabang to a Houay Xai, a border town with Thailand, and then a bus the next day to Chang Rai in Northern Thailand. 

We had heard many horror stories about this trip involving delays and broken boats but everything worked out fine. It was a long 2 days, 9 hours each, spent watching the countryside and Lao riverside life. 

We were on a boat like this:

And spent much of the day like this:

or reading, sleeping or chatting with other tourists. 

Occasionally there were some interesting sights with local people:

And lots of haze due to people burning their fields:

There are few ways in and out of Luang Prabang, and even fewer that are financially feasible for Lao people so we saw how important the river is for Lao people. 

China has proposed a plan to build a train from southern China (Yunnan) through Laos to Bangkok and eventually Singapore. While this would be an incredible engineering feat, reminding me of the train through the Copper Canyon in Mexico that I travelled with my Dad, it would be a poor deal for Laos people. 

On our last morning in Laos, our day started with a friendly chat with a monk and Zac helped him with his English lessons.  A good end to a great visit in Laos!

We eventually arrived in Chang Rai, Thailand and wont see the Mekong again until we are in Yunnan, China in about 3 months.