Laos - Taking the slow boat on the Mekong to Luang Prabang

My journey from Pai in Thailand across the border to Laos by bus to Luang Prabang was very diverse and exciting. First, we took a minivan for about 9 hours to the small village of Chiang Khong. On the winding road, some people had to rethink their breakfast. Chiang Khong is located directly on the Mekong River and you can wave to the Laotian side across the river. From a cozy dinner at Rin Bar with my crazy travel companions Ally, Ella, and Stella from England, it suddenly turned into a wild karaoke party with free tequila shots, cocktails, and really bad singing. The next morning, half of the group was either still drunk or hungover (I'm surprisingly fine). The perfect conditions to make a good impression on the border officials. At the border, everything went smoothly and we were able to take the slow boat over the Mekong River for the two-day journey to Luang Prabang. On the first day, we sat tightly on the discarded bus seats for 6 hours and drank a lot of beer. On the next day, we had to kill another 7 hours on the boat. Nevertheless, the ride was very entertaining and you could enjoy the beautiful landscape.

Luang Prabang is a beautiful and relaxed city on the Mekong River with a lot of French influence. Apart from the architecture, you can find delicious baguettes and croissants here.

In the city itself, there is a lot to experience, numerous temples, great views over the city and the Mekong River, great cafes and bars, street food, a night market, wobbly bamboo bridges across the rivers...

Furthermore, the beautiful Luang Si Waterfall is only about 30 km away. Here you can hike, swim in one of the many pools, and of course simply enjoy the view of the waterfalls.