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Got up at 4:45 this morning to take the bus down into Laos from Dien Bien Phu. There were several other people who were on it who had stayed at our hotel. It was almost entirely full of westerners (4 from the Netherlands, a Russian, a couple Brits, and the two of us, besides the other 2 Americans). My knees were pretty much touching the seat in front of me. I think it might have been the tightest fit in any bus I've ever been in. Tighter than any plane, too. It was an extremely scenic bus ride with lots of mud, rough roads, and remote villages thrown in. There was a bit of roadwork along the way including a couple new bridges going in. During lunch, we all began to talk about the boat ride. Others were interested and we talked about trying to charter a boat to Muang Ngoi Neua in case there wasn't one going today, as the southbound boat apparently goes infrequently. Turns out a driver was bringing some people up from the river village and was going back anyway, so we got a good rate and he made a chunk of profit. We waited around for the bank to open (at Muang Khua where the bus stops and the boat leaves from) and several of us got money there. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to which cards were accepted or how much money you could get. And the ATM outside the bank would work with some kind of proprietary Lao card, I think, but not MasterCard or VISA. The boat ride was awesome. The breeze was pleasant, so it was comfortable. It rained some, but we didn't get wet (only from some of the rapids!). We paid 100,000 each (about $12.50). It was so worth it. Very beautiful. My girlfriend felt a little sick in the bus (the road was very twisty) and is tired tonight, but feeling okay. See my Asia photos: http://www.jpwphoto.com/f561024062