Home »

Mekong Cruise

Posted by Stuart at 07:42 PM on May 04, 2003

Sone and I arrived at the Luang Prabang boat dock this morning at 7 AM. The plan was to take the "fast boat" down the Mekong River from Luang Prabang to Houai Sai near the Golden Triangle. I pictured the eight-hour trip to be a nice comfortable ride on a big boat for with plenty of room to move around and maybe even a toilet. When I saw what I was actually going to ride in, I was in for a big surprise.

It's hard to describe the boat, other than to say it was completely packed with eight passengers, our bags, and a driver. We sat in four rows, shoulder to shoulder, with just enough leg room to sit with my knees against my chest.

The only thing that made the ride bearable was the amazingly beautiful scenery along the river. Huge limestone jungle-covered cliffs rose on each side. Water buffalos lounged in the mud along the shore. Small villages appeared every now and then, with their inhabitants sitting, eating, fishing, and swimming in the river.

At times, the ride was exciting (speeding past huge rocks in the low dry-season river). Sometimes it was excrutiatingly boring (I actually feel asleep at one in the sitting fetal position). Sometimes it was downright painful and annoyingly uncomfortable (the loud motor combined with the hot sun and the inability to move at all).

But, it was "adventure" and that is all I wanted in the first place.