A quick note from the Lao/Thai border

Well, it kept on raining in Mae Salong, so we had to leave that enchanted place, but if in Thailand, I highly suggest visiting there-especially the guest house we stayed in- Ho was a great host and he kept pouring us whiskey! We had to bike in the rain for a couple of hours (Christian is a really good scooter driver!) and arrived in Chiang Saen. We tried to sleep last night in the middle of some angry Shih-tzu howling puppies in cages and drunken lady-boys at the karaoke bars surrounding our mildew-smelling overpriced guesthouse. We did not sleep well, and in the morning we went to find transport to the Lao border. (We were definatley NOT staying another night in Chiang Saen!) I left Christian alone to find a bathroom, and when I got back Christian sheepishly asked me for 20 baht, as this weird smelly guy decided to give him a 15 minute unwanted massage- and forced him to pay for it. It takes all kinds... After 2 lifts in different small truck buses we arrived in Chiang Kong. We have met a few travellers who told us that internet access is not as common in Laos, so we will probably be posting less messages for the next while, but we will try our best. Hope you are all well, and tomorrow- Luang Namtha, Laos! Christian has already started writing out Lao phrases in a book and we are still baffled about the conversion of Lao to Thai to Canadian currency- we are both really bad at math.... and it is exactly twelve hours difference from Montreal. So good night and good morning!