Huay Xai, Laos
We crossed the border from Thailand into Laos early this morning to board a slow boat down the mighty Mekong River to Luang Prabang. Over 70% of Laos is inaccessible mountain terrain so the Mekong is a major mode of transportation. It is a Communist country since 1975 after the Vietnam war but they are more tolerant than the Communism we know. They are allowed to practice religion, mostly Buddhism but Christianity is very scarce because they frown upon it. It was bombed by American forces every 8 minutes for 9 years during the Vietnam War because they border Vietnam and we were trying to suppress the spread of Communism. But the people are very friendly to Americans and just want to move forward in peace. Fifty percent of those bombs are still undetonated here in the country which causes a lot of problems so they still live with the war everyday In some areas. We took the slow boat because the trip along the Mekong is very scenic and such an experience. We are on the luxury boat because there are many that ply these waters and we don’t want to be stuck with a bunch of back packers! The boat holds 40 comfortably but there are only 17 on our journey. Luckily there are two boys from the UK almost the same age as Grant and Rowan! We couldn’t have asked for any better. They are happy and we are happy. We are spending the day reading, watching the scenery, eating….the food is amazing, they keep feeding us. Snacks to start, then a full Laotian lunch, then fruit plates, oh and there’s a bar! Nice bathrooms and outside decks, it’s perfect! I love the fact that we have nothing to do or no where to go, it’s such a great vibe. We stopped at a Lao village on the banks of the river. What an eye opening experience for the boys. They are a fortunate village because they moved from the mountains to the river bank and now they have electricity, running water and better huts. There still is no plumbing or modern conveniences but it is much better than before. Tourism is helping them sustain their village by building a school and giving them more opportunities. The boys saw that they don’t have TV……or Wii and Playstation!! Around 4pm we arrived in Pakbeng, a tiny village on the river bank half way to Luang Prabang. It isn’t really a village, just a few lodges for overnight stops. You don’t have to leave the lodge, we had cocktails on the deck overlooking the river, then a great dinner after. Since there are so few of us, we got to know each other pretty well and had a lot of fun. Everything is open air and natural. Each room is an individual hut on stilts overlooking the river. All the windows open up to the jungle and have no screens so there is mosquito netting on the beds. All the huts are situated along a beautiful raised walkway that meanders through lush landscaping with orchids and haleconia hanging off the branches. This is a place to really unplug, no phones, televisions, air conditioning, etc. There is wifi in the lobby but in the huts just time to read and sleep to the sounds of the jungle. I won’t need a sound machine, I have the real rainforest sound!
