Chiang Kong

We traveled yesterday by bus to a border town called Chiang Kong. We are becoming lazy or maybe more comfortable with travelling as we didn't even look at places to stay before we arrived. Maybe it is just how well Thailand is set up for tourists but there was a hostel owner and his partner waiting for people at the bus stop. The rooms were a reasonable 200 baht ($8) per night and they are the most comfortable we've had so far. We are also ideally located on the Mekong river enjoying a beautiful morning. I really like it here and could probably stay for a while longer except that Laos is calling.

I hate getting off the bus. The bus ride is always so peaceful with the landscape moving by the windows. It's a protective shield from decision making. We know where we are going and it is someone else's responsibility to get us there. Getting off the bus is a little bit like being born I would imagine. It is a new and unfamiliar place, I often feel like crying, there are a lot of things going on that I don't understand, and people have expectations of me again. I've never been able to relate to a newborn so much.

Tomorrow we will be heading to Laos and we will be deciding today whether we float down the Mekong river to Luang Prabang or go to the less touristy northern part of Laos first. Decisions decisions.