We left Chang Mai and spent the day in the “VIP” AC bus, which was actually a packed mini van. Since we were picked up last we had to sit up front with the driver, which was a little uncomfortable for a 6 hour drive.  We stayed the night at the border in the city of Chang Khong.  The next day we were eager to get on the boat as we had heard it was a very fun trip.  We were told by our driver and the guy who sold us the package that since we already had our Laos visas we could leave on an earlier boat.  However, that turned out not to be true and the boat that was supposed to leave at 10am didn’t leave until after 11am.  I’m not sure if it’s a miscommunication with the language barrier or people just say yes even if that’s not really the answer, but that is one part of traveling that gets super annoying.  And everything takes longer than expected.  Finally we were on board and the boat loaded down with people pulled away from the shore.  We met some nice people from England who were well prepared for the long boat ride and came equipped with two cases of beer and a cooler with ice.  As we went down the river we saw a few fields on fire since it was the end of burn season.  Some of the hill tribe people burn parts of their fields before replanting.  After 6 hours we docked the boat at the small hillside village of Pak Beng.  They run off of generators so at 11pm all of the electricity shuts down…including the fan in our room, much to our dismay…it was a hot and sweaty night. 

The next morning I got up early and went for a walk/jog through the little village.  The air was heavy and thick from all of the smoke.  I don’t think many people exercise here as I got a few sideways glances from the locals.  But most people were smiling and friendly and I got some good photos.  I came across a group of small children crowded around a window.  As I got closer to see what they were all trying to look at I realized they were watching TV.  Television is a novelty for many of these villages and towns whose families do not have electricity or a TV of their own. 

We headed down to the boat and made a bee line for the back baggage room to score a spacious spot next to the window where we could lean against the bags.  We were the only non-locals in there.  Part of the time we would spend up front with our English friends.  It was nice to hang out and play cards and drink with everyone up front, but it was also very nice to be able to escape to the quiet back of the boat as well.  It was so peaceful laying next to the window and looking out at the lush emerald mountains passing by.  We made many stops at small villages to drop off locals and supplies…I guess that’s why they call it the slow boat.  There is a fast boat which gets you to Luang Prabang in about 6 hours (compared to 2 days).  It’s a very small boat and very dangerous.  We saw a couple of them pass by.  The passengers and driver wear helmets since people have died on the fast boat…scary!  We liked the slow boat because it’s a lot more relaxing, social and safe.  We were originally told that we would arrive in Luang Prabang around 3:30, but surprise, surprise we actually got there closer to 6:00.  But once we saw how beautiful Luang Prabang was, we decided it was definitely worth the long journey.