Moving around

Since my last entry I have been pretty much continually on the move first from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai about a four hour ride in a comfortable air conditioned bus. Then a two and a half hour ride from Chiang Rai to Chiang Kong in a clapped out old bus to the border. After clearing Thai immigration a ride in a longtail boat across the Mekong to Hua Say in Laos then from there two days on the slow boat to Luang Prabang where I arrived last night.
The slow boat trip was greatly enlivened by all the other travelers that make this journey. The locals probably take the bus these days as apart from the crew there were only a handful of people that joined the boat at various riverside villages then disembarked again a few hours later.
The travelers contingent on board alternately make me feel old, I must easily be twice as old as most of them, and still young enough to join in. Two days on the river gives ample time and opportunity to talk and I managed to practice my Dutch with a beautiful young thing from Utrecht, discover that there were two other people from Auckland on board and listen to an impromptu violin and flute performance by two Irish musicians who were taking a break from touring with the River Dance ensemble. There were also Poles a Brazilian and of course some English on board. Funnily enough no Germans who you can normally find just about anywhere.

I was going to load some pictures but this connection is so slow it times out before I can get even started. So maybe tomorrow .