Happy Valentine's Day!

We are in Nong Khai on the Mekong River between Thailand and Laos. We are relaxing for a couple of days before we head out across the border to Laos.

We really enjoyed the town of Nong Khai, particularly the stretch right down by the Mekong River. It is so peaceful and relaxing here!

We changed guest houses from the Ruan Thai guest house (with a really comfy room) to the Mut Mee guest house which had smaller (read: cheaper) rooms but with a fantastic outdoor common area for the guests along the Mekong. It had lots of hammocks and great food and drink.

We spent lazy afternoons hanging out with interesting fellow guests, including a couple from the States, Marc and Karin, who have been traveling for 12 months now and going strong. We were sitting next to them when we heard a snake in the rafters. In Thailand, when you hear or see a snake, you move…fast. So, we got out of the way and watched a bright green snake stalk a red-spotted gecko. He went in for the kill, had the gecko, and at the last second the snake lost its grip. The gecko fell from the snake's mouth (a constrictor, so not venomous), the gecko landed with a thud on my laptop, and then bounced, dazed but alive, onto my empty chair. Later we moved the chair near some trees, and when the gecko felt safe enough, he took off. Talk about a National Geographic moment. Well, minus the laptop, I suppose. :)

Anyway, the guest house was situated right along the Mekong, with great views across the river into Laos, great Lao coffee (roasted Lao coffee poured on top of sweetened condensed milk), and a great little outdoor area with Internet access. We spent a good chunk of time just relaxing, planning our next phase of the trip, and getting caught up with bills and such.

We walked around the town a decent amount, and on Valentine's Day, we went to a great local Thai restaurant. No gifts or cards…too much stuff to carry already. The town is very sleepy. It isn't your typical touristed area, with malls, clubs, bars, etc. It is just a Thai town with Lao influences along with a little Vietnamese and Chinese flavor peppered throughout.