Rollin' Down the River...

Longboats on the Mekong River

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We decided to approach Laos the more local, slower way. After driving for 6 hours from Chiang Mai, we got to the Thailand/Laos border town of Chiang Khong where we spent the night. The next 2 days we spent cruising in a longboat down the lifeline of much of southeast Asia, the infamous Mekong River. It was awesome. We were among about 100 other 'falangs' (Laos for foreigner) crammed into this narrow, long boat. We were warned buy the locals to buy pillows for the wooden bench seats, but we figured after 5 months of traveling we have enough of our own cushion to withstand the 8 hour journey each day. It was actually quite comfortable, and everyone on the boat had a great time. Good company, open minds, adventurous spirits, and a couple Beerlao seem to do the trick. There was even a couple of Italian guys blasting Creedence Clearwater Revival's, "Rollin' Down the River", which made the whole setting a little surreal given the lyrics and the history of the landscape. The green scenery, the fresh air, the chocolate milkiness of the Mekong, the cashew trees, the water buffalo flocking the shores, and the local people bathing and laundering in the water made for quite the cultural experience. If you didn't bring your own baguette, you could always pick up a squirrel along the river for the mate to cook up on the back of the boat, and wash it down with Beerlao (we were in awe watching the locals buy, skin, cook, and then eat a red squirrel!). We had a quick overnight stop in Pakbeng, and backdown the river we went. Day two was a boat so full it felt as if it was going to tip as we stopped to pick up more and more locals along the river. The class 2 rapids exemplified this feeling as the waves crashed over the sides of the 80ft long boat. We arrived in Luang Prabang as the sun was setting over the mountains, the reflection seemed to turn the brown waters gold. The French-influenced colonial style architecture is a great contrast to the many ancient Wats, and the monks that roam the city. The town has a pleasant 'early to bed, early to rise' feel. Each morning the Buddhist locals line the road to give offerings to the monks, who walk by the hundreds down the streets to accept and pray for these offerings. We got up at 6am to stand back and view this cultural activity that has taken place every morning for centuries. The main nightlife is the market of hilltribe women selling woven silks and cottons along the roadside, all of which are so beautiful it is hard to just pick one! A climate of cool breezes and hot sun, it's easy to just roam the streets for snacks and settle in for a colorful sunset on the river.  Our last day the weather cleared up nicely and we were able to enjoy a hike up to the Kuang Si waterfalls.  It was beautiful, and there was even a rope swing into some clear (and cold) blue swimming pools that Steph couldn't resist!