Day 15: Chiang Khong — 99DaysInSouthEastAsia

Claire: We like it here at this resort (did I mention we’re the only ones staying here?!?) so we book another night and are fed breakfast, then fruits, then teas throughout the morning as we attempt to sunbathe round the pool. John (a scouse) and his Thai wife are accommodating and look after us very well!

14:00 — Town bound with 4 dogs

Knowing we’d be spending the next 2 days on a boat we stroll into town to stretch the legs (it’s about 2 miles away). Turns out the hotel dogs want to go to town too, so they trot along behind us… I think Gav is a dog whisperer.

14:40 — We still have 1 dog in tow!

We’ve named him Soi. I panic to Gav we don’t have a lead and we’re on a main road now. What if the dog goes off, what if he gets lost, what if he gets hit by a car?! Gav said dogs are different here. Maybe all the other dogs we’ve seen throughout the trip weren’t stray after all? As we approach town, Soi finally gets distracted from us (by another 4 legged friend) and we eventually lose him. I panic for the next few hours and hope he made it home safely.

LOVED this mural by Juli Baker & Summer.

Chiang Kong is a quiet little town. It used to have a ferry crossing to Laos but a few years back they built the Friendship Bridge which all tourists must now cross via border control. The bridge is actually a fair few miles down the river therefore a lot of the town has got hit by the change so hotels sit derelict and cafes closed due to loss of trade. It’s quite sad.

We find a cute coffee shop though and sit on the terrace with some locals who are playing games on their various devices (Thai folk love iPhone games!).