God that bed was nasty. Glad to get up, but not at the same time. Getting up having a quick shower and eating brekkie was good. The view over looking the Mekong was amazing, the sun coming up and some very good scrambled eggs and home made apple & cinimon jam was a perfect way to start the day.... Stijn joins me not too long after I finish my brekkie and has his.. We're all pretty pumped and I'm getting sad to leave Thailand... It was hard at first and I wasn't sure I enjoyed it, but looking back on the whole experience I really really love Thailand. Bangkok and obviously CM have been the highlights- I guess teaching down south was pretty awesome in its own way even if i did find it very hard- and yeeeh I guess I have a small soft spot for the Islands... AAHHH its been just great.
We settle the bill, get in the back of the ute, pick up the Dutch girls who had to drop back their bikes and we're arriving at the ferry crossing. There's no que for immigration on the Thai side... So we filled out our departure cards and got our exit stamps...
The boat over to the Laos side was only 40B and it couldn't fit that many people in it. There was us and the 3 Dutch girls. Wasn't too long, like 1min and we're in Laos- super wierd. Getting off the boat and up the river bank to immigration wasn't too bad either. There was a huge crowd of people, but the seemed to be waiting, not queing. We set our bags down, and Dom & I went up, gave them our passports and money, and then joined the crowd of people waiting for thier passports back... Maybe waited like 10mins and they hold up your passport at the picture page and you go up and take it.. Easy peasy.. It even a sticker inside, not a stamp:) The boys get theres, and we're off. We get a tuk to the ferry point and get our slow boat tickerts. 900B which is what I was expecting.. All this confusion with money- you can pay in US$ Thai B and Lao Kip of course. Driving up the road aswell I noticed that they drive on the otherside- once being a French colony and all.. Didn't realise of think? lol... We sit at a resturant and the boys have some food.
Thankfully we get on the slow boat before the rush. We found our seats, quite near the front facing face to face with some leg room which is cool. Sitting next to some twins and I'm thinking how long it'll take the boys to clock onto this, haha...
Felt sorry for the late comers cos there isn't room- They bring more chairs from other boats on- they're like car seats, pretty random. Most people gets a seat apart from this Dutch girl we saw in Pai- Misery face and this English guy offered her a seat and she didn't say thankyou! really!
We set off, and its quite fast for a slow boat, haha. The scenery is amazing and its quite soothing. I don't have any music though cos the kindle didn't charge properly :( But I have my game of thrones!!!!
Have a little nap, some noodles and we get there around the time we thought. We have to scramble up this stone hill and with my bag it was tiring on my legs i tell you! We find a hostel cheap enough and have a beer laos... Its a wierd fishing town in the middle of nowhere along the river.. So we have a little walk- There isn't much but its pretty cool in its on way i spose. We bump into the Dutch again.. and I have a little dance with the kids to gangdam style which was super cute:)
We have an awesome dinner- Stijn & I have steak and chips and it was OK, was nice for a change i guess.
Dom & I stay up and have a few beers but we're told around 22:30 that we have to go inside the room cos the police don't like people being around after 22:30.. So its an early night- Just aswell I guess seeing as the boat tomorrow is 9hrs....
