Slow Boat up the Mekong
ByFor the last two years we have lived by the influence of the Mekong River one way or another. It drew us like a magnet, connecting us with dramatic civilisations, bustling markets and the unequal struggles of the poor. At the ancient Laos capital of Louang Phabang the brown swirling Mekong flowed steadily, its level dropping every day of the dry season. We were told that the bigger cargo boats would soon stop sailing north until the rains came in June. It was time to continue our journey north by boat to Hauy Xai, a border town near the confluence Laos, Thailand and Burma.
Consulting the riverboat crews on shore we were presented with several options. Slow cargo boats carrying sacks of corn being exported to Thailand, passenger boats with fifty hard benches for a hundred people and livestock, fast speedboats which could navigate the rapids in one day and new, comfortable, but expensive, slow passenger boats which took two days. We discounted the speed boats because of their deplorable safety record. We were told of boats skipping off of submerged rocks and smashing into rock buttresses in the river. Whilst spending a day on a crammed local bus was fun and interesting the prospect of two days on the hard bench of an overcrowded boat going through dry season rapids had less appeal. So we checked our finances, bit the bullet and opted for the slow comfortable boat up the Mekong.
At dawn the ropes were let go and we slipped out into the Mekong. Moving against the current our progress was certainly slow but watching the sun rise over the jungle was unforgettable. We were headed for a remote stretch of the river where there were few roads through the mountains, sparse population and only jungle villages. Within minutes the mountains crowded in and we were buffeted by swirling water powering through narrow gorges. High above us were towering walls of rock which were submerged for most of the year. Where the river widened out the jungle fringed banks were fifteen to twenty metres above our deck, that’s the incredible change in water level that drives this river every year.
Our fellow passengers were a great bunch of French, Danish, Dutch, British and Thai tourists. We established an instant rapport, spotting birds, waving to other river users and chatting about life in South East Asia. Some lived and worked in Bangkok or Singapore. At Pakbeng we tied up with the cargo boats and walked up a wide sandy beach to the steps of an Eco Lodge to spend the night. We were not sure exactly what an Eco Lodge was, but the local insects were certainly friendly. Having a six inch long bright green preying mantis clearing up the smaller flying insects on your mosquito net is not however a welcome sight at close quarters. Delicious, fresh locally produced vegetables and fruits from the jungle surrounding the mighty river gave us a taste of the range of Laos foods and made a perfect ending to a breathtaking day.
Mist shrouded the mountains as we slipped back into the current in the morning. At wider parts, where the indigenous people were panning for gold, the boated slowed and the crew tested the water depth. As the jungle closed in and the sun rose higher in the sky the brown river twisted and turned. Flecks of black lace fluttered slowly on to the deck like despondent butterflies. The familiar smell of wood smoke gradually increased until at one turn we heard the crackle of burning wood and saw the flames of slash and burn dart and spring through the jungle.
At sunset of the second day we tied up at the frontier town of Hauy Xai having thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful slow boat trip up the Mekong. It was a great end to our visit to Laos and its delightfully friendly people.
