We made it! After 18 hours on the boat (14 of them it was moving) we've arrived in Luang Prabang, Laos. It was long and cramped but not as bad as any of the horrid stories that I'd read. We met a guy from San Fran right before we got on the boat day 1 and ended up having dinner with him when we stopped for the night. He introduced us to a father/daughter from Bath and then we met another American at breakfast so day two we had some people to talk to on the boat.
I think one of my favorite parts about this kind of travel is the kindness you see in fellow travelers. I've seen so many people offer help and when in situations like the ones we've been in people actually take it. There was a French family on this boat trip with two small outgoing children. They talked to all the French people and would run up and down the boat stopping along the way to take pictures of passengers and then show them to them. It was adorable and everyone loved it but when it came time for movement it was hard for the parents to get the bags the kids, the shoes the kids left behind but someone always helped them out. Both times that we disembarked the boat there was a steep climb up to the towns. Unfortunately not everyone is as packing savvy as we are and most have large heavy bags. Today when got off everyone helped. I went back down to retrieve some shoes when the French family realized their little boy took his off and left them in the sand, Michael was carrying his bag and an older gentleman's bag and the French mom was helping someone get up the steps who wasn't doing so well on his own. The kindness went around and around and it was a great thing to see and be part of.
So we arrived, found a nice hotel, had a crappy dinner and planned our lodging for the rest of our time here. Just another travel day. Except it wasn't just another day, it's my 30th birthday and it sucked. New country, knowing practically no one and having your travel partner plan absolutely nothing. Luckily I have a few more birthdays ahead of me and I'll celebrate those properly.
This is the boat day one, day two the seats got smaller
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