Up at 6:30, showered and out for 7. A crappy breakfast of two fried eggs and to pieces of toast (it was still white!) and everyone is getting their gear together. The heavens opened for about 10 minutes and everyones into a poncho. We are given a sticker to show we had paid for our slow boat.

We were loaded onto a pickup and drove about 30 seconds down the road before we were getting out and walking down to Thai passport control. A quick stamp late and we're loaded into an old narrow boat for a quick trip across the Mekong river. Getting into Laos took longer, even though our paperwork was in order (the guesthouse landlady had sorted that) and paid for (landlady again), and it took a while before we saw our passports again. Then at immigration it cost me another 15 baht for no apparent reason I could see.

During all this I lost my sticker and so the landlady gave me hers. We all got into a Tuk-Tuk and a few minutes later we were at another part of the Mekong were the slow boats were. We had to relinquish our passports again and were able to get a drink before a fellow came over shouting the names from passports (everybody calls me Mr Lee over here).

The slow boats are narrow, with two sets of the most uncomfortable double benches either side of a wide aisle. We set off at 10am, and although we were uncomfortable we had some amazing views of some spectactular scenery as we puttered along.

At lunchtime we stopped at a beach which had a couple of stalls . Kids jumped onto the boat and walked up the aisle with baskets of food and drink (most saying 'cheep, cheep' trying to sell pringles). Stepan, Dave, Koen, Susanne and I all had a Beer Lao, the only beer in Lao. It is served in 650ml bottles! and costs about 50p! I tried to get some of the small speedboats as they blasted noisely past, but with the shutter lag on the camera it was very hit and miss and became a kind of game.

Everyone was getting a little annoyed of the seating, and I eventually spent the last two or three hours sat cross-legged in the aisle reading. Apart from when I was asked to move by one of the crew so he could check the level of the water in the boat!.

We arrived at Pak Beng village at about 5:30 and as I had te lightest and smallest bag (everyone is amazed I'm away for so long with such a small amount of stuff) I was sent on ahead to arrange rooms for the five of us at a place recommended by the laughing pregnant lady. The guesthouse was a two storey wooden structure with bamboo walls. The rooms cost 60baht (less than a pound). It wasn't even worth sharing.

Apart from a few photos, all we did was go out for a meal and a few beers. We were joined by Berna, a dutch girl staying at our guesthouse. At 10pm the lights went out at the bar we were in and so we had to go, and we stumbled off home.

I was up early the nest day (the generators start up at 6am) and had to cross the main road (a dirt track to the river) to have a shower. I must have looked a sight to the locals a big hairy bloke wearing a Sarong!

At 9am we're back on the boat. A different one that was even narrower, so no sitting in the aisle. But it did have an ice box full of water, coke and Beer Lao! (Stepan had a beer before we got on the boat!). After the Laotians tried to get a British couple to pay again for about an hour we were off on our uncomfortable trip. As it was a Monday we were actually flagged down to stop at loads of little villages downstream. It got pretty crowded as people, poultry, dead animals, buckets, a dog and a motorbike were loaded, but we were drinking Beer Lao, so we didn't really care. During (Because of) the drinking we met Mark, a Dutchman and Dirk, A Yank. Dirk joined in the Beer Lao fest and so we had more people in our merry group. As we got closer to Luang Prabang we passed a huge rock cliff. Most people tried to take photos, then we noticed that there were whitewashed stairs in the side, we decided we'd check the place out.

Lao time doesn't work like normal time. We asked when we would reach Luang Prabang the captain said '10 minutes', after stopping at another village downstream he said '15 minutes'.

At 5pm we arrived in Luang Prabang. And after (finally) getting our luggage we went to a guesthouse a friend of Susannes had recommended, they wanted 10 dollars a room! I sent Dave around to the next street where there was a guesthouse from my guidebook. He came back smiling saying he'd booked two twins and a single for Susanne. It would cost me a Dollar a night.

We got settled before heading out for food with Dirk and Mark. We passed through the night market that was in full swing, but we weren't in a buying mood. After a meal we headed to a bar recommended by a backpacker. It was called 'The Hive Bar' and apart from serving the most expensive Beer Lao we'd come across (80p), they played great tunes and had a lively atmosphere. After two early mornings we had a lay in the following day.