Hello all,
Just wondering if anyone here has been on any planes or speedboats in Laos, or knows about them. I was originally planning on going to Bangkok and making my way into Northern Thailand around Chaing Rai and Tha Ton and then making my way over to the Laos/Thai friendship bridge in Nong Khai. But, I guess this would make me have to go all the way back to Bangkok and then up to the bridge right? Well, I was reading and saw that I could take a ferry across the Mekong in N. Thailand at Chiang Khong into Huay Xai (Laos). From there, I can take a ‘speedboat’ for about 20USD or a plane for about 45USD to Luang Prabang.
What I was wondering was, will I have to find a ‘full’ speedboat to ride in, and if I don’t, would I have to pay the more than the 20USD to make up for the empty boat? And if I have to have a full boat, what are my chances of finding one? Then, how is Lao Airlines? They offer a flight from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang. Thank you all very much!

Danny