Khong. The final part of the journey got quite hilly at we approached the border and their was a lot of banter between the bus driver and locals to keep us amused. We didn't really stay long in Chiang Khong, just long enough to get our exit stamps in our passports and to jump on a boat across the Mekong River. There were only six people on the boat, so that even though the Lao customs and immigration shack was a bit chaotic, it only took us a short while to get the formalities completed and we could clamber up the river bank into the little town of Huay Xai. We had a lazy afternoon with a couple of Lao beers ( including a potent dark jobby ), a bowl of noodle soup and a nap. 
We pootled out for a few sundowners at about 6pm and found some loverly views back across the Mekong to Thailand. Once the sun had set, the Thais got into the swing of their festival again, and treated us to a firework and chinese lantern show on the opposite bank of the river. It was a very nice evening topped with a nice bit of Bye Jove on the bar stereo. It seems the Thai has a taste of 80's soft rock.....
