Peter Mcconnell

Leaving Pak Beng we were lucky enough to see elephants from the Mekong Elephant camp come down for their morning drink. Further on we stopped at a small village and were greeted by the local children offering for sale handmade souvenirs and trinkets. The final stop was at the Pak Oc caves before finally arriving

We depart from Huay Xai and eventually, Thailand disappears and the river starts its flow solely through Laos. This is day one of the two-day trip to Luang Prabang. I have been fortunate to have made this journey twice.

Colourful Jinghong is China’s only city on the banks of the river. I managed to secure passage aboard one of the Chinese cargo boats for the 200km journey downstream into Chiang Saen Thailand. Unfortunately, due to low river levels, the trip was postponed. With help from my guesthouse, I booked a ticket to Huay Xai

The River widens and now forms the border between Thailand and Laos. This can be a busy stretch of river with cargo being transported back and forth between China plus tourist boat trips available up into the Golden Triangle.