Day 19,20,21,22 (29/03 - 1/04) Hello I have safely arrived in to Laos. I left Chiang Mai on the bus and headed for Chang Khong, the town at the border of Thailand and Laos. Left at about 1pm and didnt get there till about 8. Not a nice jounrney, was cramped and uncomfortable, but was cheap so cant complain. Stayed overnight. and the next day crossed the border into Laos. And then the long journey on the boat began. Took the slow boat down to Luang Prabang, with an overnight stop in a nice little town called Pakbeng. First half of the journey took about 6 hours and wasnt all that bad, though i dont think my buttocks enjoyed it. We were sitting on hard wooden benches. Met a lot of people and the scenery was beautiful. And wasnt too cramed. Passed the time talking, reading, listening to music etc. Thank god for mp3 players. Pakbeng was a nice llittle place. Found some cheap accommodation, and got some food. Order some Lao noodles, they turned out to be super noodles :S We started playing cards in the guesthouse, but then the power went out, so we resprted to torches and candles. Didnt have any electricity since. Was as if i was travelling back in time. Was cool though. Next morning, got on the boat at 9am, a different boat, which was so much more cramped. And was an 8 hour journey this time. Again passed the time away doing the same things. Though the scenery gets a bit repetitive after time, same thing over and over again, but still nice to look at. Anyways, reached Luang Prabang yesterday evening and i met heren.Then found a place to stay, again cheap, the backpacker way. Very nice town, very relaxed and laid back, and some cool bars by the river. And the people are even more friendly than Thailand. Today we just rented some bikes and cycled around the city exploring. Our group now consists, of me, Heren,2 guys from Canada that we met on out trek in Chaing Mai, a woman from Argentina who i met in Chaing Khong, and a guy from England who i met on the boat. Tomorrow we are going to see some waterfall and then on to out next port of call Vang Viang, where you can do tubing; which is basically sitting in a rubber ring and floating down a river, whilst riverside bars pull you in for drinks, Sounds fun. Anyways pictures from the boat should be up Hope your all well Anish