So it’s often a rather charming culture shock for those of us used to immediate travel, to deal with a form of transport that purposely aims to be slow.

The slow boat to Laos is a boat that travels down the Mekong, from the Thai border to the Lao capital of Luang Prabang. While fast boats may speed past in their rush to get to their destination, the slow boats slowly ponder down the river.

The river winds through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, so guests on the boat get to enjoy some stunning view.

The boat itself might not be as luxurious as some of the tourist ships, but it offers passengers a kitchen, bar and service counter, toilets and a sunning deck.

It’s a boat built to enjoy the slow and relaxing trip down the river.

The trip itself takes hours, usually including a stop-off in the town of Pakbeng. Further along in the journey, several stops are made in villages that offer local crafts and homemade alcohol concoctions. These tours offer the local communities a vital income, without which they’d struggle to get by.

Travellers finally arrive at their destination, rested and having learnt more about the wild countryside along the Mekong. Slow boat journeys are proof that it’s not the destination that matters, but the journey itself.

Image: [dms_303]

Six Senses is a highly regarded, luxury resort group that promotes slow life and environmental conservation throughout its spas in Thailand, The Maldives, Vietnam and Jordan.

The book’s title – SLOW LIFE – doesn’t irk from its contents either. This particular SLOW LIFE stands for Sustainable, Local, Organic, Wholesome and Learning, Inspiring, Fun, Experience, and it’s a philosophy that shimmers from its very cover.

In its beautiful delta square perfect bound form, the book considers every aspect of your life that you can slow down, including our favourite, Slow Travel. While including its own Six Senses Spas within its “eco experiences” chapter, this book is far more than a self-promoting accolade. The jorg&olif team have already had a love affair with it.

There are wonderful refreshing sections from The Slow Home and Office for powering down at work and Slow Parenting – in which creativity is given its own space and time to Slow Food with various raw and organic recipes delectably  teasing you and inspiration of ‘from waste to wealth’, and Slow Style which looks at wholesome beauty and fashion and the innovative designers pioneering the change.

We adore the presentation of the section Local Knowledge which through gorgeous imagery and informative prose uncovers the species that share our world, including the many threatened animals and plant life.

The book doesn’t shy away from the big issues or startling facts either. Unlike most books of its time, the issue of climate change has been dealt with in an unusually unhurried way within the first chapter entitled A Sustainable Planet, inviting the reader to think more. It also invites you to participate at its own resorts through volunteerism.

There’s mesmerising photography throughout that keeps your heart warm and your mind calm – it’s the perfect book for winding down and capturing a few moments of alone time. Don’t forget to make a slow hot chocolate or slow cocktail to accompany the captured mood.

Visit your local book shop (ISBN 9789814217385) or wander over to the Six Senses website for further inspiration.

Images: Kiattipong Panchee, Ulli Schonart and paintlight, and courtesy of Six Senses.