Cruising the Mekong River with Nagi Tours

There are always options of travel, and making our way from Northern Thailand into the heart of Laos had us looking at our travel options again.
A quick flight is always a good way to cut down travel time.
Folding ourselves into a bus seemingly made of wet cardboard, with plastic chairs lining the aisle for extra travellers and sucking in exhaust fumes for 14 hours was our cheapest option.
But for this leg of the trip we decided that it's not often we could travel along such an amazing waterway. The mighty Mekong  River that flows from China all the way to Vietnam.
Some more adventurous travels and locals take the fast boat- a harrowing 6 hour speed boat ride (not American standard speed boat) that might or might not offer you a helmet for the hang on for your life trip that has resulted in at least enough people dying that it is talked about.  Then there was slow  boat option 1 where they will take as many as possible on their boat and you hope for a seat to enjoy the view and mingle with other budget conscious travellers for two days. Finally, slow boat option 2 where you join a tour group and you are escorted through customs, you have plenty of room to lounge, accommodations, meals and stops at significant points are made along the way.
Safety and comfort won of course, but beauty and uniqueness of scenery is of course, free for all.

Morning sunrise in Chiang Khong as we wait for our taxi to take us to the boat.

Nagi Mekong River tour boat awaits!

Fast boat! Was so not going to happen!

Traveling in VIP Thai/Laos style meeting new friends.

Unlike most rivers that just seems to flow along, the Mekong seems to follow its own rhythms and whims, flowing here and there, swirling, bubbling, and churning around menacing rocks jutting out of the water that our driver seems to anticipate ahead of time as he expertly navigates us along the great grey green brown murky Mekong.

Our sites vary along the way. You'll see naked children playing along the shores, men fishing with long bamboo poles holding out nets,  and peanut fields  along the sandy shores which will grow and be harvested in the 5 months that the water is low.  Small villages peek out amidst the green jungle foliage and other boats crossing your path will hold cattle or other goods for trade reminding us that the Mekong is a vital resource to this land locked country called Laos.

Stops on this trip included Hoy Kamuk where daily survival is so evident. The people live off the jungle, rice for the village is stored in one shed like structure set up in a way to keep out the rats, marriages are arranged and girls marry at 14, homes are made with what the jungle offers and children begin drinking rice whiskey young. Children abound and dusty dirty faces hold up village wares for you to buy. The tribes have been given condoms but do not know how to use.

The children are beautiful no matter where you go.

Boats are not allowed on the river at night. We were told this was due to the drug trade, but simple boat safety would be a good explanation as these boats don't have lights at all.

Every boat stops at Pak Beng and so this village has grown with restaurants, markets and hotels or guest houses. Our tour guide Khae introduced us to Lao whiskey and some local specialities like spicy bamboo soup seaweed chips, buffalo dish called laap which had refreshing herb flavours. Of course we needed to be reminded how to authentically use sticky rice to scoop up our flavourful dishes of spicy vegetables and salty seaweed dips.

Our early morning start required to get us in before sunset was misty and cool. Each traveller had on their full layers of clothing and still an offered blanket was not refused.

I think I have decided that I like sunrises more than sunsets.

Another stop was the Kok Eng Village where the Hmong tribes live. Clear cutting abounds as China is in need of timber and the poor tribes need the trade and resources China offers.
This is a quiet tribe of farmers, we are told non-drinking, children do not got to school and again subsistence living personified.

Stopping at these poor villages with the people quickly setting up their goods for sale, walking through, trying to be respectful but still disruptive with our photos and simple presence raises mixed emotions and many questions with more opinions than answers. Fortunately or sadly, these emotions begin to dissipate as we go back to full tummies, comfortable beds, and our many options of entertainment. Hopefully the thoughts, questions and memories linger and bring about some change in our lives. Increased thankfulness, generosity and thoughtful decision making in the future.

Our final stop before arriving at the city of Luang Prabang, were the Pak Ou Buddah Caves.
Three caves. Two at the base of the mountain, another 244 steps. Set in limestone cliffs, these caves seem to be a graveyard of a multitude of unwanted Buddha images. An eerie and somewhat mysterious atmosphere permeates the space.

A trip is always made better by those you share it with.  Thanks to Khae, our ever positive,
informative and entertaining tour guide who had us all doing shots of Lao Lao whiskey. To Keith, Brian, John, Cindy, Bev, Ernie, Phil, Cathy, Ross and Arlene, thanks for the fun conversation and shared moments.