We decided to go to Chiang Khong by bus, to enter northern Laos at Huay Xai and then travel by slow boat along the Mekong River to Luang Prabang. Everything worked out, as usual the bus driver stopped where we were supposed to spend some money. On the border to Laos, we both got a 30-day visa on arrival. The next morning, we got on our slow boat. The boat trip of two times seven hours was ok despite the rain and cold. Of course, the boat was full of tourists we had already seen in Thailand, which however was no surprise given we were travelling on a “tourist highway”. The two-day trip required an overnight stay in the small, unexciting riverside village of Pak Beng. From the boat we saw forests, fishermen, some water buffaloes and even an elephant 
Luang Prabang, former royal capital and World Heritage-listed, is situated 700m above sea level, at the confluence of the Nam Khan and the Mekong River. Once we got through the usual bunch inviting us to spend the night in their guesthouse ‘Need loom?’, we started to enjoy the small town and its surroundings. Even if quite touristic, it is a laid-back place with nice restaurants and guesthouses.
Orange-wrapped Buddhist monks inhabit half of the beautiful 66 historic temples. We were not sure what it meant to be living like a monk, but they seemed to enjoy using their mobile phones or watching Lao girls dressed in pink pass by on their bicycles.
