Chiang Khong to Pakbeng

We woke up early, got breakfast and then started the border crossing procedure. This was a series of trucks carrying packs and people for a while. The last truck finally took us to the river, and this is where we boarded a super narrow longtail boat. The water level was just a few inches from the boat's side. We had to go across to get the Laos visa and stamp. The Laos visa was a little frustrating to get since it was slow and crowded. Just a 3k drive from there, we boarded the slow boats that took us down the Mekong River.

The slow boats are a Laotian engineering marvel. The hulls are steel and the sides are wood with a large flat wooden canopy. The first boat we boarded had set numbers and, of course, our numbers already had people sitting in them. They told us just to sit wherever. When they do that it means that all order is out the window and it will be a very long boat journey. Then we heard that we could also ride in a second boat. I looked over at it and saw a boat with fewer people and a large open area in the center. We made the decision with our French friends to leave and sit on the floor of the other boat. Once we were underway, we realized that having the space to stretch was a good decision.

The Mekong River begins in the Tibetan plateau and, at this point in Laos, it has traveled a long distance. It is huge! It's banks are sided with silt and dark grey bedrock. This bedrock also protrudes through the water in many places making travel a little difficult. Our captain sat at the front of the boat and kept the vessel on track the entire time. Until.......

The propeller fell off!

We heard the engine rev up and the boat stopped moving. At this moment, we were traveling the speed of the river with no way to turn. I had gone to the front to take a few pictures, so my view was great. The second boat in our party was out in front of us and had passed a turn, so we couldn't see them anymore. The boat men were frantically waving a flag and trying to yell at it without any luck. Remember, there are rocks. It is a good thing that we were in a smoother section of the river at this point, but at any time we could round a corner and have some really nasty obstacles to deal with.

Dressed in only his underwear, one of the men jumped off the bow with a rope in his hand. He swam as fast as he could to try to get to the land. Hopefully he would get there to stop the boat. Even if he got to shore with the rope, he still had to find a spot to tie the rope to. This was not looking good. Everyone on the boat was getting nervous, and when the man did not hit shore with the rope. It got worse.

At this point while everyone was watching the man swim to shore, the boat was sideways in the river. If we broadsided a rock with the river going as swiftly as it was, we would be done! But soon enough, the lead boat had noticed we were missing and turned around. They came to our rescue and pushed us to a sandy beach area and we tied up to the sand. Some passengers got out, some stayed, but we knew the boat would not sink, yet.

The propeller.

I gave it a few minutes and did not want to get in the way, but I really wanted to watch what was going on. I went to the front of the boat, jumped off, climbed the sand, crossed the mountain stream, and could see the back of the boat. They had removed the driveshaft and were already installing a new propeller. But there was one problem... It did not fit. The prop was made for a larger driveshaft, and that meant Laotian engineering. It would work! They managed to use a nail, castle nut, and some wire to somehow keep that propeller on the shaft. Then it took 3 of them to support the apparatus for reinstallation. It all looked good and they seemed to have it together.

We boarded the boat and within 30-45 min we were on our way. This time with a little extra vibration. Surely the propeller was not balanced giving the shaft a little extra wobble. It was felt through the boat, but no one cared since we could go forward and had some control to avoid hitting rocks. The boat guys just earned their paycheck!

The boat ride was terrific. 8 hours of meeting new people and the views weren't too shabby. We played Tichu and Uno, took photos, and ate wonderful meals we picked up at the border crossing. Some Argentinian girls talked to us for a bit and the older lady traveling with them offered a special tea, called Yerba Mate. Katherine took them up on the offer and I just sat on the railing talking with Thomas.

We pulled into Pakbeng with a few more hours left to take care of business. Finding our guesthouse and eating were our two priorities. The friend crew was Thomas and Anne plus the addition of Robert. Robert is a Deutschlander at about 6'2" and in his mid 30's. The 5 of us ate dinner which was a new event for us in Laos. Table service is interesting and paying the bill was flat out foreign. We slept just fine with only a fan and tomorrow will be another day on the Mekong. Can't wait!

 

 

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Chiang Mai to Chaing Khong

This was an entire day of travel, which is always a little tough. It was nice to ride on the minibus and talk to people, and we made a few new friends. One was a couple of recently graduated Americans. They were from Seattle, but living in Southern California to go to school. They seemed to have all their planning together and had a good grasp on travel. The minibus was full of some other interesting people too. The front was loaded with some nice English folks that have been out for a year, and listening to their conversation taught me a bit. They left in Chiang Rai for a visit of 3 days. We continued to the border town of Chiang Khong. Supposedly, this was a tour with travel connections included and lodging provided. At any time we were expecting to get ripped off or have the next agent claim no knowledge of anything. We made a stop at the White Temple for a brief time. The guide mentioned to be back in 15 minutes, but some of us thought he said 50 minutes. This turned out to be a problem when our Chilean friend Leo was nowhere to be found when the minibus was heading out. At the same time it started to pour down rain. Our soon to be friend Thomas went running after him. He must have torn through the Wat in searching, but turned around and crossed Leo's path. At that exact moment, the people in the bus had clear view of Leo giving a Wei to the Temple and Thomas bringing him back to the bus. With the laughter that followed we knew we would have a great trip the rest of the way. Once the ice is broken in a situation like this the communication opens up and people will start sharing stories.

With the funny conversations, we lost track of time and the minibus soon arrived at the destination. Right outside the bus was another guide that greeted us with a smile and a Laotian laugh like Khan on King of the Hill. We were directed to rooms in which to stay, and told that dinner would be ready at 6pm. Our new French friends, Thomas and Anne were in the room next door. This was where we had our first view of the Mekong River, and a beautiful sight it was. Huge and brown, with dense jungle on both sides. The river would be our highway to the Laos border in the morning, and from there, to the city of Luang Prabang.

One thing that we are sure to bring with us are earplugs, and this night they were surely needed. After dinner most of the group left while a small group of English and Irish kids stayed out on the patio. They were very young and very loud. A glass was broken and bottles were dropped. Thanks to my earplug induced coma, I did not know that they were yelling and singing until after 2am. When we woke up, I looked out the window to see the table where the party had taken place. There was a pile of trash and nothing was cleaned up. I was embarrassed for them, since this is a small family operation and the mess was left for the teenage girls to clean up. There are many types of travelers we run into, and these are some of the lowest. They have no regard for the country that they are visiting and are totally unaware of the poor foreigner image they are spreading. Good work guys! Hopefully Mom and Dad's dime will run out and you will have to go back home. Unfortunately, it doesn't usually work like that and you hear that they have been out for a year reinforcing stereotypes to the masses.

 

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