After a lengthy process to pass from Thailand into Laos, we boarded the boat somewhat later than anticipated. Our guide blamed this on a bus-load of Chinese tourists who had turned up at the Laos immigration post shortly before us. (The Chinese aren’t much liked in Laos – more on why this is so in the next post).
Our boat to take us down the Mekong. At 48m long there was plenty of space for our party of just 13 to sit, or lie. The boat can take up to 45 passengers. The fast-moving Mekong with rocky outcrops, sand bars and swirling eddies, is a difficult river to navigate. Our experienced helmsman watched the muddy waters constantly, checking for variations in hue which would indicate a change in depth.There was very little traffic on the river, but we were occasionally overtaken by speeding long-tailed boats carrying foreigners. The passengers in this one are wearing crash helmets, but very often none was worn, the occupants oblivious to the dangers.The changing river levels are marked on the rocks on the bank. We were told that the current level of the Mekong is unusually low after a drier than expected rainy season. ‘Mountain rice’ is grown high up on the slopes in July, August and September, when the rainfall is usually sufficient. Apparently the harvest this year was very poor.
Watching out for the occasional water buffalo, and the few people going about their activities was very pleasant, and after a freshly-prepared lunch showcasing the best of Lao cuisine, we made a stop to visit a village that is supported by the boat company.
We climbed a steep slope to reach the village …and found the houses perched rather precariously. Animals are kept in the space beneath the houses. We saw one solar panel, but apart from this the village has no electricity.It being the weekend, the children had no school. I think they were as curious about us as we were about them.
When we reached the school, the children took their seats, some holding balloons which one of our fellow passengers had given them. The school room accommodated two classes covering the entire primary years. The nine, younger, children in Primary One faced a blackboard in one half of the room … and the twenty older children in Primary Two faced a blackboard at the other end. The children must be very well-behaved to allow the single teacher time to work like this. The government in Laos has very little money for education, and provision in rural areas like this is sketchy.Some of the children followed us down to the boat and were given pens by another passenger. I wish I’d taken paper and pencils for them. The chap in the white t-shirt is the village chief.
We made an overnight stop in Pakbeng at the end of our first day and found ourselves at a very quiet, but plush, hotel on high ground overlooking the river.
View of the Mekong from our balcony
The only other guests were two Scottish ladies, Heather and Shirley, cycling from Chang Rai in Thailand, through Laos and into Vietnam in aid of two charities, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and The Motor Disease Association.
Heather had come off her bike earlier in the day and she had stuck her face back together with steri strips. On hearing of the accident, Shirley’s husband decided they needed somewhere more luxurious than their usual overnight stops, and booked them into the hotel where we were also staying.
My husband, Mark, and I have just sold our house and are taking a year out to have an adventure before we settle down to retirement. We decided on a journey through Italy as it has the perfect combination of good weather, interesting history, great wine and wonderful ice-cream! As we will be starting our journey in January, we are beginning in the very south of the country.
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Tortoise Travel 