As you can see from my ever diminishing daily targets, I have become lazy. I felt right at home in Chiang Khan where the first people I came across were playing petanque along the riverside. Probably a throwback to the days when Lao was a French protectorate, being a stones throw across the river. I made a short trip to a section of rapids a bit out of town, but the water was so low the rocks were well above the water level, and I decided a boat trip probably wasn't worth the effort. Filled in the afternoon sitting at the markets, eating exotic snacks and listening to the enthusiastic chatter of Thai people going about their business. It's such an expressive language, particularly the women who seem to use a huge range of tones. Later experienced a revelation when I bought a bottle of fresh orange juice, to find it was blended with passionfruit juice. It was so incredibly good. Som Tam, or Green Papaya salad is another delicacy from this region. I prefer it with grilled chicken, but it is also served with marinated squid at many places. I discovered some other treats in the form of candied coconut straps, I'll be using those for riding snacks tomorrow.Chiang Khan is really nice, a bit touristy but in a Thai way - meaning its mainly Thai people that come here. I just had to make sure my guesthouse was well clear of the karaoke scene. Found a spotless room for just 150 baht with fan and shared bath / hot water. Eating dinner I attempted to photograph the Mekong in 'sunset' mode on my lumix, and it turned everything the most outrageous shades of red. It actually looked nothing like this. 
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