The final event in the north east was a special treat. Ms Kalaya Sathien who had ably assisted our tour guides in Laos, invited the OCA group to a going away party at her restaurant in Nikhom Kham Soi. Lake View is beside a large reservoir occupying a very beautiful spot indeed. Having been here before in 2016 and 2018 we knew it was a great location for our little swaree. We arrived mid afternoon, soon we were eating and drinking the goodies on offer (Heineken wine etc.) and chatting away.

As the sun sank towards the horizon, Aek and Rose arrived with baby Rita. They were the Guests of Honour as we hadn't seen them thus far this trip and they are such special people having done so much for us and OCA. Rita has along with Jasmine, Kat and Kin become something of a little mascot for us, so there were presents for her from the ladies. Koala's and a Kangaroo shoulder bag were just two of the gift's she received. Rita has grown from a very young baby being involved with OCA, that seeing white oldish face's doesn't faze her in the slightest.

As we moved into early evening, the ladies were given a long skirt by Kalaya (Kan), a Pah-Tun. They were to wear it for a Loy Krathong ceremony she had arranged for us. Loy Krathong takes place the day of the full moon in November. Although it was a couple of days early, 'Kan' wanted us to enjoy our own little festival before we departed away from the north east.The purpose of Loy Krathong is to pay respect to the river spirits, and specifically Phra Mae Khongkha, the Goddess of Water, a few small coins are nestled into the krathong along with the nail and hair clippings for good luck.

The water levels in the lake were very high as the wet season was not long finished. An employee of Kan's, Mr Chang, had built a Jetty out of Bamboo specifically for the Loy Krathong festival. We were to be the first to put it to the test. It was surprisingly robust not the slightest movement when we climbed on it. With Aek in attendance to give guidance and I suspect an element of safety, we floated our Krathong's out on the lake. The Dusk light provided a tranquil setting as we made our wishes for the future.

The remainder of our time went quickly and as we were leaving for Ubon on the morrow, we decided to head off back to Mukdahan. It had been a special day and we thank Kan for her efforts on our behalf. The duty free beer and wine we had bought from Laos had gone down a treat. But now it was time to go and pack to prepare for BKK. Most of us would be spending a few days in Pattaya and a good time would be had by all. Watch the slideshow for pictures of the same. The rollover shows our very last photocall as we stopped in Nikhom on the way to Ubon Airport to say goodbye to Kan and her Grandson.