Chiang Khan

We took a funny open-air bus from Loei through gorgeous scenery yesterday morning. A butterfly landed on me during the ride! Chiang Khan is located right along the Mekhong River. Looking across the river you can see the sleepy hills and mountains of Laos. We were lucky enough to get a room at a guesthouse called LoogMai which is owned by a Thai artist and his wife Malarin. This was really a private home which was built in the French colonial style. It is full of beautiful abstract, minimalist artworks, sparse furnishing and wooden floors. Many of the buildings in this town are made of timber and it's so quiet that it could almost be a ghost town from the wild west. The only downfall has been the heat which is really beginning to set in. They say that there's nothing like the hot season in Issan where it is especially dusty and there is not much greenery. This morning we took bicycles down to the the local rapids on the river and watched fishermen casting out their nets. Life here is very slow. We spend a lot of time talking with locals, walking the streets and exploring. Rick and Chan should be here tonight so we will soon be traveling by car!