At 6am the next morning, we left our guesthouse in Pakbeng with our pre-ordered, packed breakfasts and bag-carrying local boys in tow.

The morning is cold there are no windows to close. We wear our layers and shrink our necks and hands into our clothing to keep warm. By lunch we’ve shed the layers and are happy in our t-shirts. We draw more, play cards, draw more and give most of the drawings to the kids on the boat.

Kelvin’s drawing of the girl and the boat.

Monk Bunny.

Hilltribes Bunny.

Buddha Bunny.

Mekong River Catfish. We didn’t see any, but these fish get crazy big. As in 3 metres long and weighing 300 kg.

Mekong River doodle.

Lunch on the boat is a delicious Laos style feast made by the family. At 40,000 Kip / $7NZ / $5US each, we certainly ate until we were full. The chicken curry was the crowd favourite.

Immigration is painless and we get stamped in for a 2 month visa for Thailand. Too bad we only need 1 month.

Our guesthouse in Chiang Khong, Thailand looks directly over the Mekong River. On the opposite bank, is Laos. It’s pretty cool having a river as a border. Early the next morning, I watched the sun rise up over Laos and contemplated the last couple of weeks. Laos was amazing and will always have a morsel of my heart. The place where I first ate laap, the land of a million elephants, a million monks and a million buddhas.

Buh-bye Laos!