Wednesday 3 August 2016

Today I will take the slow boat to Huay Xai, on the Thai border. I pack up and leave my unimpressive guesthouse around 7am. I grab some breakfast then some food to take on the boat and wander down to the jetty. There are many boats lined up but it’s easy to get directed to the right one. You can pay for tickets on the boat. The day is a continuation of Monday. Amazing jungle-covered hills and peaks line the river while rocky outcrops in the river keeps the skipper awake. About two thirds of our way the motor cuts out! We drift. Backwards. This isn’t good because we could easily smash up against rocks. Two very young boat boys are told to jump in and grab a rope to drag us into the bank but they have no hope. A boat coming from behind latches on and pushes us onto the bank. The skipper sets about fixing the problem and within 40 minutes we are away again. Just as we get on the edges of Huay Xai, a storm hits and we have to seek shelter on the bank. We get saturated. Then it’s a short final ride into the township of Hauy Xai. I have no accommodation booked so just wander up the street until I find somewhere cheap with wifi. Then a quick walk into town for dinner.