We crossed from Chiang Khong, Thailand, to Houei Xai, Laos, just the other side of the Mekong River on a small boat. We then boarded the slow boat to Luang Prabang, a 14 hour, two day journey down the river (but only about 250km!) It was quite an uncomfortable trip, but we’d been forewarned by various people to invest in a cushion before we left! Still, the seats were wooden benches that were not of the most ergonomic design, but we eventually arrived at the very small riverside town of Pak Beng, where we stayed for the night, after having dinner with some people we’d met on the boat.

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We headed from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi on a two day tour. The first day we went to see the historical bits around there - the Bridge on the River Kwai and the Death Railway. We first saw a World War II cemetery full of mostly British prisoners of war that died building the railway. We then spent a little while looking around a museum of random WW2 bits and bobs, then walked over the famous bridge (although, in reality its not the famous bridge, just one that happens to be in the exact same place - it was bombed by the allies towards the end of the war!). Following in Thai health and safety traditions the bridge was a bit of a death trap - it had massive gaps in it and trains still run over it and there’s not really many places to get out of the way!

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