we departed from Chiang Khong on a 2 day journey by slow boat (which is a long narrow boat) towards the city of Luang Prabang. Despite the boat being pretty basic it was a most pleasurable journey and allowed us to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the Melong river. The river was completely unspoiled and we saw nothing more than a few stilt huts still with bamboo roofs, the odd fisherman in traditional boats and water buffalo.