Slow Boat

From Chiang Kong we crossed the Thailand border into the Laos town of Huay Xai. From here we decided to take the slow boat down the Mekong river to Luang Prabang. This is a two day trip with a one night stop over in the small town of Pak Bang. This trip used to be the main mode of transportation for locals but with the recent upgrading of the roads the trip is mainly used for tourists. We booked the trip through our guesthouse as recommended by our travel guide book. He arranged a Tuk-Tuk to pick Marina and I and another couple up at the guesthouse and take us down to a ferry which then takes us over to Laos. Here we wait, along with thirty other confused tourists, to get a visa and then have our passports stamped. Then we meet up with someone who is going to buy our tickets and take us to the boat. We make two stops along the way just to make sure we all have enough food and drink to survive one day on a boat and end up near the harbor. We hand over our passports at our second food and drink destination and the man heads off to buy our slow boat tickets. He arrives a few minutes later with our tickets and we head off for the boat. The four of us all traveling from the same guesthouse are the first four on the boat so we pick our favorite seats at the front of the boat with lots of leg room. Here we wait for a few minutes discussing if we are going to be the only ones on the trip. The rest of our fellow tourists arrived a few minutes later and eighty of the one hundred seat are filled and we are ready to go. We head out the harbor and onto the silty brown colored Mekong River. I am surprised at the relatively fast speed of the slow boat but when we are passed by a fast boat, with everyone wearing helmets, the name then makes good sense. The boat takes us down the river through its rocky and sandy shores, the hills in the distance look like jungle.



On the sides of the river we see locals fishing, panning for gold, and kids playing in the river(some without clothes).




There also appears to be gardens at various locations with locals growing different varieties of plants. The only one I can recognize is corn. It's a very nice trip which lasts about seven hours before we arrive in the town of our overnight stay. When we get off the boat we are inundated with people trying to get us to stay at their guesthouse. We have a couple of names of places that we found online so we head towards them. I can't help but think of how tourism has had major impact on the way this town operates. There are guesthouses and vendors lining the main street into town. All the vendors are selling the same western treats and box lunches for the next day's boat ride. The next day we are told the boat would leave around nine thirty so we head down at twenty to nine and there are two boats that are mostly full. We end up on a less comfortable wooden seat with a cushion which requires getting up every once and a while to ensure you don't get too sore. The second day is similar to the first filled with beautiful scenery and chance to take it in slowly as you head down the river. This is a great way to travel although I do have some concerns about the impact this type of travel has on the local communities.