Chiang Khong … don’t think we’ve written about this charming little Mekong riverside town yet so to make up for our glaring omission here’s a series of colourful sunrise photos of this remote yet scenic border settlement.

Overview of Mekong near Chiang Khong.

Pinkish mauve sunset.

Actually first up are a couple of sunset pics taken from a vantage point above Chiang Khong town and looking east over the Mekong to Laos’ Bokeo province. Facing east with hills behind you’re a bit limited sunset-wise but if you can get up early enough there’s some awesome sunrise views to be had.

Pale blue sunrise.

Red sunrise.

Purple sunrise.

Now to confess, we’re not the best at getting up early — even if some spectacular views are to be had — so I did actually purloin some of these photos from my wife and before you cynics out there start making ‘fell asleep on the saturation button’ type comments, the more colourful images were taken on a cheap old camera which, though totally incapable of reproducing anything like true colours, does come up with some  pretty wacky alternatives of its own.

Mauve sunrise.

Sort of fuschia-ish sunrise.

Easy -- blue!

Chiang Khong lies of course in Chiang Rai province and being opposite the Lao town of Huay Xai is a major entry point for travellers and tour groups heading into the LPDR. Yes, it’s where you head up north to photograph hill-tribes in Muang Sing or board the boat for the de-rigueur Mekong trip to Luang Prabang but even if you’re not heading across the border this very pleasant town is worth a visit anyway. It possesses a good selection of eateries and accommodation and there are plenty of interesting sites around. More details and practicalities on Chiang Khong will come in a later post — this one’s just an excuse for a few pretty pics.  So … one for the road!

Mostly orange with purple hints sunrise.

All sunrise photos were taken from the riverfront (or various hotel balconies) in Chiang Khong.

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Tags: Bokeo, Chiang Rai, Huay Xai, Laos, Luang Prabang, Mekong, Muang Sing, photography, sunrises, sunsets