Change of Plans

So I was in Kratie thinking about going to the Ratana Kiri province in Cambodia but then decided to scrap that, go down south to Phnom Penh and get a Visa for Laos. Tomorrow morning I will take a 10 hour bus ride to the Cambodian border, stay over night, and then enter Laos in the morning of July 12th. I plan to spend two days relaxing on an Island in the Mekong River. From there I have to get to Pakse because I booked a flight to Luang Prabang in the north where I will once again attempt to book a trek into the forest. Cambodia is an interesting place. Although they maintain the facade of having a democratic government since 1999, they most certainly do not. I'm looking forward to Lao and curious as to how its government will enter into my experience there.