Chiang Saen - Chiang Khong - Huay Xai

We loaded our ever growing backpacks and managed to carry them whilst pushing the mountain bikes from the previous day the hundred yards to the Coffee Shop where they were to be returned whilst avoiding the bin men and truck and ladies setting up their fruit carts for the day's trade.

Mission accomplished we set about the next task of attaining directions to the "bus stop" where we had to get on the sawngtheaw to take us the 68km to Chiang Khong the town where we needed to cross the border and Mekong river into Laos.

After hand signals, broken English and attempts at Thai we got the gist of the general direction we had to head in and the name of a temple we had to look out for to find the point of departure.

The "Bus Stop" is not as we would know it. There is no tall sign with symmetrical lettering nor is there a shelter a statement of "here I am waiting for public transport" No in Thailand there is a knowledge between locals that this is where the bus picks you up and you can tell it to drop you wherever you wish as there seem to be very few set points for disembarking just door to door service.

Finally we made the 600 yards and were instantly accosted by the driver of the "mini bus" who saw us coming a mile off, knees buckling under the weight with a look of mild irritation beginning to spread on our faces (the Steph frown is unmistakable) He rushed towards us shouting Chiang Khong while ushering the other passengers into the back of the van as we were the last people to complete the load. Nine out of ten times you have to wait until the back is full before the driver will leave. Anyway bags thrown and secured on the roof and us squashed in the back with the relieved locals returning home after doing their shopping at the early market we were off.

We travelled alongside the Mekong River for most of the way and the scenery is stunning. The backdrop of the mountains running into woods and then onto the river bed offering snip bits of life as you whizz by still excites and intrigues us. The array of characters and life going on inside is another great source of entertainment.We love to people watch and try and read the expressions and share in the humor and conversation, building up an understanding even in different languages. The moments shared between the children and their mothers or Grandmothers are so special to watch and just the buzz of laid back daily life which seems to ignite a sparkle in everybody's eye regardless of age, gender or any other isms society likes to label us with.

On the way we stop to pick up a group of Monks and the seating arrangements are all re jigged to accommodate these as the monks are not allowed physical contact with women at all. The monks are in and there are now people hanging off the back, sitting on the floor beside the leaking dubious looking bags of groceries and us now crushed together nearest the cab with no room for maneuver but not for long as we start to take turn off's along dirt tracks as we drop one after the other locals home. We love the service so much, there are limited timetables and restrictions, it will be there when it arrives, it will leave when it is full and you get there when you get there. This is frustrating for the first few days until you are fully immersed in the lifestyle but after that its fantastic and just another part of what makes Thailand so Special.

An Hour and half after we started we pulled up on a rough patch of ground in the middle of nowhere and were told we had to swop buses. There was a bus/van waiting so we were not phased by this and another traveler had joined us who could speak a little Thai and she confirmed that it was ok and we would eventually get to where we wanted to go. After a 30 minute wait there was enough people to leave as another group of monks had joined us so we all piled in the back and in a blur of burnt orange we sped along and seemed to get there in no time. This journey went even more quickly as we were absorbed in a deep conversation with Quiterie the lovely French lady who was working for an NGO in Thailand that provided education and support to children be it in centers or village environments.

We arrived in Chiang Khong and were told to get out at the side of the road. The bags were tossed down from the roof with the familiar shout of "Ooh heavy" and us laughing in agreement. We found the sign for the port and immigration which was written in black marker pen on a rotting piece of white sun stripped wood and followed its general direction until we saw bigger signs that read "Visa's, money exchange" When the men approached promising Hassle free crossing with visa for $50" we knew we were going the right way.

We declined their generous offer and headed down to a booth that said passport control which housed Thai immigration. We had already prepared the departure cards so with a quick stamp we were ready for the next leg of the journey.

There is always a small niggling fear of the unknown even if you know it will always be ok but we needn't have worried at all. After walking through the customs check which was empty we headed to a trestle table where two ladies sat issuing boat tickets. We paid our pound and loaded our packs onto one of the decrepit looking long boats. Sitting very low in the water we did our best to maintain equilibrium as the little outboard motor kicked in and we made the one minute crossing.

Exiting the boat and entering Laos in a town called Huay Xai we made our way to Immigration which was this time an actual small brick building a little way up the hill, filled out an arrival and departure card handed over a passport photo and $70 and after five minutes wait we were all done. We don't know how paying $100 could have made it more hassle free it was the easiest most pleasant crossing ever.

Now all we have to do is explore the rest of the country …