We made it down the river to Nong Kiaw. It took us 2 full days and some pretty heavy negotiating with boat drivers. As soon as they see a 'falang' coming they up the price. One dude wanted to charge us $50 for a ride that we knew the locals would pay $20 for..... We beat him down to $25 but it took us 45 minutes of writing numbers in the sand.
We're planning to spend a couple of nights here - there are some caves to visit, and some lounging around to be done.....