WELL WE'VE MADE IT OVER THE BORDER IN THE RECORD TIME OF ONE AND A HALF HOURS. THERE WAS A VERY SMALL CHAP WHO PUSHED IN THE QUEUE TO PAY FOR THE VISA, (FOR THOSE OF YOU EHO DONT KNOW ME I CAN'T ABIDE QUEUE JUMPERS) BUT I FIGURED AS HE WAS SO SMALL I WOULD BE ABLE TO ELBOW HIM OUT OF THE WAY BUT HE WAS NIFTIER THAN I THOUGHT AND SIDE STEPPED MY SWIPE BEAUTIFULLY. HOWEVER THERE WAS A LOUD CHEER OF DELIGHT FROM ME WHEN HE DISCOVERED HE'D BEEN JUMPING THE WRONG QUEUE HE HAD MISSED THE PREVIOUS Q WHERE HE HAD TO DO THE PAPERWORK BEFORE QUEUEING TO PAY FOR HIS VISA. IT MADE MY DAY, ESPECIALLY AS I HAD TO GET UP AT 5:45THIS MORNING. ALREADY THE GROUP ARE TAKING BETS ON HOW EARLY DAVID WILL BUY HIS FIRST BEER -APPARENTLY HE WAS 15 MINS AFTER THE DEADLINE THIS MORNING AT ONLY 10:15! The hotel last night was very colonial. The lobby had low wooden beams and was full of backpackers. Reminded me of a set from an old Peter Lawrie film. You will have read about the concrete bedroom so I will say no more. The border crossing though tedious was comical. Huge concrete edifices with tiny windows. You hand passports in at one window then stand around for 40 minutes. They have a smoke and a coffee and then another small window opens and a guy holds up a passport and you surge forward to see if it is yours. We next had a crazy journey in the back of a converted truck stacked high with rucksacks which felt like it would tip over as it swerved around slower traffic. We now spend the next two days cruising down the Mekong surrounded by paddy fields. The people really do wear coolly hats. All that is needed is a helicopter gunship and some loud music to complete the picture. Peter from Canada has just got out his fiddle and is playing traditional country violin. Magic! Glorious day floating down the Mekong. Now at our halfway point, more cruising tomorrow. Will have done some 300k by end of tomorrow. Now in a small village at a much nicer hotel although having looked at the plumbing don't hold out too much hope for a shower. Pictures attached.