Down the Mekong River to the Kingdom of Smiles

After three or so weeks in Laos, we plan our escape to Thailand by slow boat along the Mekong River. Andi makes a last minute dash for supplies for the eight hour journey, and comes back with four donut-like objects containing a bright orange fluid. Not particularly being a fan of donuts, I buy some snacks from a vendor, which turn out to be more donuts, this time with sugary noodles inside. Mentally prepared for the starvation ahead, we board the boat and set off at a steady pace, along with plenty of other foreigners and a few South-East Asians. Passing eight hours through hilly forested landscape with the odd village on stilts, we are occasionally overtaken by the notorious Lao speedboats. By sticking a huge engine onto the back of a canoe, you can make a two day journey in only six hours, if you manage to survive that long. A few hours into our very sedate journey we gained a couple of passengers mid-river, as three very green looking Germans evacuated from the bone rattling speedboat, swapping crash helmet and life jacket for a more favourable Beer Lao.

Finally reaching our stop, we find ourselves unexpectedly on the road less travelled, as everyone spare a few Laos and some chickens stay firmly in their seats. We hop off the boat and are ushered to a waiting pick-up truck, which after being pushed up the hill by the men, is somehow crammed with 22 people and all kinds of luggage. Having a twisting mountain road made purely of sand, we accumulate a nice coat of brown dust before reaching the nearest town. After retreating there for the night we finally reach the border town of Boden, and walk two kilometres across into Thailand.

A lot can change in two kilometres and we find ourselves in a blacked out, air conditioned minibus heading for the provincial capital, travelling at a speed and smoothness unimaginable in Laos. Nan, characterised by the friendly happy people that inhabit it, proves to be the perfect welcome to Thailand. With never enough time, our journey takes us quickly onwards to the North-Western city of Chiang Mai. A pleasant town, with a walled old town at its centre, but bearing the undeniable scars of tourism in Thailand with special 'Farang' prices, western restaurants outnumbering Thai's, and bar girls (or boys) entertaining men old enough to be their grandfathers. We end up staying longer than expected as Andi cant to resist the temptation of getting a tailored suit. With a full day spent annoying every tailor on the map with a bombardment of questions, he finishes with a good deal, some broken tailors and a newly found expertise on the trade.

After some measuring-up we head off into the mountains to the hippy town of Pai while the beloved suit comes into creation. Away from the pollution of the big city, we cross a rickety old bamboo bridge to find ourselves living in a small wooden hut complete with hammock. With all the necessary facilities of restaurants, bars, shops selling hippy attire, and of course free wifi, its not hard to see why this quiet, laid-back, little town is a haven for the backpacker kind. Its a place where you could relax for weeks, months, or even years (and many in fact do), but on advice of a good friend met previously in China, we leave after a few days for a very different destination- Wat Tam Wua, The Forest Monastery.