Change of Plans

My plans change all the time and by the time I post this something will probably be different. I didnt make it to Mae Sariang because the bus was broken and I would have had to wait about 6 hours to catch the next 'economy' bus. Instead I spent 11 hours on a bus to Chiang Rai. Even though it doesnt look very far it took that long. When I got to Chiang Rai I waited at the bus station for an hour to get a ride to the city by a local bus (pickup with seats in the bed). It cost 10 Baht to get to the city instead of paying a Tuk Tuk 80. Today I found out that the water is too low in the Mekong River so I cant take a slow boat south. The buses in Laos are pretty unreliable from what I hear so Im going to stay in Thailand and make my way to the Laos Capital boarder crossing from this side. Although things dont always work out like I plan it usually turns out pretty good.
One note about traveling: When I first started and saw an American I thought that I must be in the wrong place because they were there too. Now when I see an American I think that we are both in the right place. There are not many Americans traveling compared to other countries. Most people I talk to have only met a handful of Americans including me. While Ive been traveling I have met tons of Europeans, Israelis, Canadians, and Argentinians (not in Argentina). So far I have run into less then 20 Americans and that is a generous estimate.