Chiang Saen and Chiang Khong

On Wednesday morning I made a short shopping spree. This included the purchase of a new camera. It was disappointing to have to spend such a large chunk of my savings on another camera, but ultimately I feel that it was the correct decision.

In the afternoon I boarded a coach to Chaing Rai. It arrived in the evening where I made a snap decision to catch another bus to Chiang Saen. This would be my final stop before I travelled to the Laos border. The bus to Chiang Saen was the first time on my travels that I felt like I was going somewhere slightly off the beaten track. The bus was full of Thais, and the English language did not seem to be well understood. It could have been a time where I felt slightly daunted, but actually I felt very relaxed. Maybe if I hadn't been clutching my guide book I would have been more unnerved.

I checked in at a very friendly guest house run by a Thai family. The grandmother, about four foot in height, seemed as pro active and helpful as the younger members. Other guests were scarce, but its certainly the most homely place I've stayed in so far.

In the evening I went out for a meal. As I began the stroll back to my guest house, I came across a group of four men drinking whiskey and playing some music outside an internet cafe. After enquiring to use the computers, they informed me that the shop was closed, but instead they invited me to join them at the table. I accepted. To avoid being rude, I also reluctantly accepted the straight shot of whiskey they thrust in front of me. When they found out I played guitar, however, they became increasingly excited. Upon handing me the guitar they ordered me to play. As I strummed a simple tune, the four men became mesmorised. My playing was far from extravagant, but the men reacted as if Jimi Hendrix had entered their lives. One man, who introduced himself as 'O', stared intently at each chord I played. The others continuously made the thumbs up signal whilst saying 'Very good!'. They also continued to offer me shots of whiskey whilst downing many themselves. O repeatedly apologised for one of the other men who clearly had drunk considerably more whiskey than the rest.

Towards the end of the encounter, O approached me with a felt tip pen. For a moment it puzzled me what the pen was for, but O clearly had big plans for it. If in five or ten years time it appears that I am the new John Lennon, then O will prove to be a very shrewd man indeed. However, it is more likely that O will wake up tommorrow wondering why he ordered an unknown westerner to scrawl his name and country across his otherwise unblemished guitar. Furthermore, the inebriated man, now dribbling on the floor in a barely conscious state, will have absolutely no recollection who 'Andy England' actually is!

The following morning I had a short stroll around Chiang Saen before setting off for Chiang Khong. From here I could cross over into Laos. The plan was to make the journey on a Songthaew; a kind of communal bus which will set off once it is full and takes everyone wherever they want to go as long as it is on the vague route. Upon boarding the bus I didn't think I could fit on, but the locals all squeezed up encouraging me to board. It was very crowded, and two further locals hung off the back off the bus as the journey began.

As the locals alighted one by one, I suddenly found myself alone on the bus. When it finally stopped, I was informed by the driver to change onto another waiting Songthaew. I was not in Chiang Khong after all, I had been taken to a halfway point at Hat Bai. It was around 1pm. I asked the driver of the next Songthaew when he was going to set off for Chiang Khong. He pointed to the number 3 on his watch. I hoped he meant 1:15, but deep down I knew he meant 3pm.

A school was situated across the road and a chicken farm appeared to be next door. Despite my wait it felt quite good to be travelling in such a remote and interesting region. However, one man was not so pleased. At around 2:15 a Korean man was dropped off next to the Songthaew. He was making the same journey as me but was not best pleased to have found himself having to make a time consuming change of vehicle. After a loud and angry moan, the Korean and I were asked to board the Songthaew, and we set off for Chiang Khong.

I was considering making the move into Laos today, but it is getting late and I have no guide book for Laos. I know that in the morning a 2 day boat trip leaves from the Laos border down the Mekong river to Louang Phabang. This trip is very popular amongst tourists and I think it's likely that I'll do it. For tonight I will stay on the Thai side of the border, hopefully learning some extra information about the new country I will be moving to.