I took a boat back to Luang Prabang from Nong Khiew on the Nam Ou river which connects to the Mekong in Luang Prabang. Very close to the water and no cushions, my butt took a real beating for 4 hours but it again was worth the pain. All the rivers here are brick red in color, very turbulent, to the point where the current will actually make waves, about 18" in height, going in the opposite direction of the flow.