Pak Lai to Vientiane by boat

Hello,
can anyone with very recent experience of travel from Pak Lai to Vientiane tell me if there is a regular slow boat or commercial transport boat service downriver between those two places. Latest Lonely Planet says there is a sometimes boat; recent article in Vientiane Times about a new road connection from Pak Lai to Sanakham inferred that there is a regular passenger boat service to Vientiane.
I hope to be up there in late Dec or early Jan.
Any help will be appreciated
Ciaran

Yes there is, but not sure if daily or just every other day.
*****

The last time I went out to the boat landing was last March, when it was still 4 times a week. To check just take a tuk tuk out to Tah Hua Gowleeoh (Kaolio, Kaoleeoh, kohleeoh, etc?) It's past the airport, when road turns north you go straight. The bus looked very bumpy when it appeared beside the river a few times, seemed like most locals still took the boat.

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