Nong Khai, Northeast THAILAND

The mighty Mekong river is flowing strong and brown, and very wide, as it is passing the small town of Nong Khai en route to Vietnam. This is the monsoon rainy season and while the river flows high above its dry-season levels, so far I have experienced nothing but nice and dry weather. Very hot and humid, as you would expect in this part of the world. I am staying at a nice guesthouse right on the banks of the river and as I sip on my Singha and slurp down the spicy Thai soup and curries, I can watch the longboats as they maneuver down the stream. On the other side of the river, the People's Democratic Republic of Lao is waiting for me. This afternoon I will cross the Friendship Bridge to Vientiane, the capital of Laos and "Asia's biggest village."

Prior to arriving here at the banks of the Mekong, I did a two day homestay in the small village of Nong Nak Ham. An agent in the town of Khon Kaen arranged this homestay for me with a really nice Thai family. I stayed in something like a treehouse with a thatch roof which was built not more than 12 months ago. I was given access to a motorbike so I did some sightseeing and met with locals tending their flooded rice paddies (mostly sticky rice farmers). I'm amazed with how friendly the people are. But hey, this is Thailand!

Its time for my green curry lunch with some fresh crumbled catfish salad at the restaurant by the river. Later this afternoon I am crossing into Laos.