On Tuesday 18th we took the local buses to Chiang Kong on the Thai border. The journey took six hours, the last couple of hours spent on a very old bus with no air conditioning. At Chiang Kong we crossed the Mekong River into Laos, spending the night in the border town of Huay Xai. This evening we tried a Lao BBQ which comprises a clay pot full of charcoal, placed on the table, with a vessel on top in which vegetables and noodles are cooked in stock whilst the meat cooks on the rack. This was very tasty and a sociable meal.