Chiang Khong, Thailand

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Day 1 (Wednesday) - Par for the course, I slept most of the first half of the bus ride. Along the way we got some stunning views of the countryside. Thailand is a beautiful country with rolling prairies, sharp hills and dense forest. And what is amazing is how fast they all transition from one setting to the next and then back again. There were breathtaking views but perhaps most breathtaking was the thunderstorm that came up in the last 30 minutes of the trip. Light danced all around the windows as the bus jitterbugged with the wind as we climbed around the bends of the highway. We finally arrived and for once no one wanted to leave the bus. It was pouring outside and Chiang Khong was not large enough to support a large bus station. We all huddled in the small office of the bus company and under the overhang outside while the rain pelted down. There waiting at the bus terminal was an American man there with his girlfriend, who ran a hostel in town. We didn’t have a room and theirs’ was nearby so it was the easy choice. We waited for the rain to turn into a mist, and then took a tuk-tuk the 300 meters to our night’s lodging. It was a nice enough place and we got three beds to ourselves. Once there, we set up our room. I tried to turn on the fan but in the process got one heck of an electric shock, not the only of the night (for me or others) but by far the worst. I learned my lesson that time and studied the fan a little better before trying again. We went into the main lodge, where we grabbed dinner and just relaxed for a little while before heading off to bed.

Day 2 (Thursday) - We debated purchasing our ride on the boat we were planning on taking down the Mekong that day at the hostel for 1300 Baht (~$37) but decided against it as the book said we could get it much cheaper. Often the Lonely Planet Books are off by a third in their prices but rarely double. So we decided to take our chances in Laos when we got to the other side. We took a Tuk-Tuk to the Mekong, which we would have to cross to get into Laos. The prices there were 1200 Baht, which was still high so we decided to continue pressing our luck. After going through immigration, we took a narrow boat taxi across the Mekong to Laos.

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