We are on our second day down the mighty Mae Khong river after crossing into Loas yesterday. We travel by slow boat, or safe boat as it seems to me. You see, we are on a larger (60 person), steal hulled, diesel powered long-boat. There is also the option of taking a fast boat that look the same as the long-tailed boats we've seen on rivers in Thailand, with their loud gas car engines mounted in the open on the stern, driving a long shaft that hangs over the rail to a propeller that turs near the surface of the water about seven feet aft (hence long-tail). We heard there were deaths every year involving these speed boats, and crash helmet wearing passengers we've seen flying by suggests we aren't the only ones who've heard.

We left Thailand because we had to, our one month visa was to expire on the eighth. We entered Laos because it was nearby. With a Loas visa purchased for less than US$20 each, we left Thailand and entered Laos without a hith. Got a small wad of kip, the local currancy, of witch you only deal with in wads since there is about 10,000kip to the dollar (or a bit over 200kip to the baht), and the largest denomination is only 5,000kip!

We're chillin' in a groovy new/used/trade bookstore and tea room/hang-out in Luang Prabang that seems to be the work of a younger art'y french couple. As always, we've been through a bit, let me try to review.

Before I start, in case I don't get there, let me say now the one month mark has proven as significant as the first week and the second (a natural exponential progression, hmm). Through hours of idle contenplation and sharing of thoughts, we have come to understand what we're now really looking for in our travels. It may sound obvious, but we will now be looking for what we know we want, and let the unexpected adventures of travel find us inbetween destinations, instead of difting from place to place as it seems many do.

There are so many kinds of traveler, we couldn't have known the kind we were (though I had my guesses for myself, which have proven about 80% accurate). Visions from other travelers or travel guides take you to their great experiences, it's easy to get excited and want to follow. Even after you remember, Wait a minute, that's not really my idea of fun, you can go through moments of self doubt, that maybe your not doing this travel thing right, and that's why you're feeling a bit uninterested in it all. If this all sounds a bit over dramatic, maybe my recent experience will excuse me a bit.

I really enjoyed our first day down the Mekong from Hua Xai to Pakbeng, and the overnight there introduced me to a surpise about Loas. Although the country is poor compared to Thailand, anywhere the tourist treds they will be served with prices no lower. Now I'm not complaining, just surprised. Where does all that money go? Is it just the spoils of a few in the tourist related industries? I thought maybe I just wasn't barginning as I should, but all of my attempts seemed to be met with a bit of disgust that I even tried.