This is a bit strange as I don't know what the last entry was but hopefully it was when we were leaving Thailand to cross the border to Laos. What an experience! One that we are both glad we did but wouldn't do it again it was really hard work!! We got to the border and it was all a bit of a fiasco - so many people trying to show visas and trying to get onto the boat. When we eventually got on (we got a very hard seat) they kept trying to get more and more people on - Noahs Ark had nothing on us. There were enough seats for about 200 people and when everyone was seated they started to try to get another 200 on!! It really was unbelievable they just had nowhere to go in the end and so a couple of English girls protested very loudly and everybody joined in until they got another boat. Not a good start!! 9 hours later with a lot of sore bums we arrived at a pitstop for the night and got ripped off although they did it so nicely!! It was the worst room ever 200 baht (2 pounds 50) but because of the change of money, which they changed for us!! We ended up having a meal, accommodation, breakfast and takeaway lunch for 1000 baht (13 pounds) You might be thinking thats really good but believe me it was rip off! Anyway up the next day and back on the boat. For whatever reason it didn't seem so bad although it was another 10 hours but it was a very entertaining 10 hours with some great people. We had Israelis all around us smoking menthol through the pipes - they explained it all to us and assured us is wasn't drugs so I had a go along with a couple of others and it was just like having a ciggie but a lot more complicated! Anyway we still refer to our druggie mates but they were all great, taking a year out of studying medicine. Eventually got to Luang Prang and stayed in a much nicer guest house for 2 nights. The Laos people are absolutely divine - we were both glad we made the effort to get there. The atmosphere of the place was very noticeably calm and serene. You really felt at peace there. The people are not so smiley as the Thais and they just let you do your thing whatever that may be and they do theirs. No cyber cafes - poor but content and peaceful - you felt the atmosphere immediately it really was wonderful. We both loved it.