Slow ride, take it easy

There are several ways to make the long journey south from the more remote regions in the north to the cities of Laung Prabang and Vientiene in central Laos.  Trapped on a bus, fearing for your life on a speed boat...hitchhiking perhaps? Take your pick. But one of the most popular modes of a transport is a "slow boat" ride down the Mekong River.  Two lazy days drifting down the river sounded pretty good to us, and although we'd heard mixed reviews on the experience, but we decided to give it a go anyway.

Day one starts in Huay Xai with an early breakfast and transport to the boat launch at the north end of town. We hop aboard one of many large longtail boat along the shoreline and settle into a couple repurposed bus seats (always the inventive recyclers!) near the front of the boat as our packs are stored below deck. In typical Lao fashion we hang around for another hour so, periodically loading new passengers until all the seats are full.

The boat is pretty simple but functional: four seats wide, with two on each side of a reasonable isle down the middle. At the front of the boat there's a small enclosure for the captain and at the back a small "shop" for snacks and a clean enough bathroom.

Photo hijack.

We'd heard rumors of a party boat-ish atmosphere, and although the boat is filled with mostly twenty-something backpackers, they're hardly rowdy. A few beers are downed here and there by some, but generally the ride turns out to be a peaceful, relaxing affair. The scenery is gorgeous and the fresh, exhaustless air is more than welcome in our lungs. It's also nice to be able to get up and stretch your legs or use the bathroom whenever you feel like it, unlike a typical bus ride.

(Later, in Luang Prabang we cross paths with the four girls from Norway who were with us on The Gibbon Experience. They decided to take the bus from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang, which turned out to be a joyous, 17+ hour journey.  Their trip included: two flat tires, getting out to help push the bus and late night mosquito attacks. Not to mention the hour the driver spent teaching his protege how to park the bus on the side of the road. Needless to say, we're certainly glad we opted for the boat.)

riverside 7-11

The two day trip is broken up with a night spent in the small riverside town of Pak Beng. Essentially a small, rural village, any tourist industry here has sprung up solely around the daily deposit of slow boat passengers and their basic needs.  You know, the basics: snacks, western breakfasts, drinks, drugs...maybe even a place to sleep for a few hours.  Before our bags are even off the boat we're assaulted by all manner of salesmen touting their guesthouses, and more importantly their ability to procure you marijuana.  We manage to slip away and wander along the main road until we find a tolerable room for the night.  It was a bit dingy, but at least it was only 40,000 kip (8000 kip = $1) for the night.

Views from the boat.

With our new friend Fran, a sweet middle-aged teacher from France who took the room next to ours, we wander the streets for an hour or so, chatting and exploring past the guesthouses to catch a glimpse of real life in this riverside village. Most of the homes in Laos have a very wide, open floor plan, so it's often possible to sneak a peek at the going's on around the home.  Sometimes the little moments you glimpse in this way are the most interesting of the day.  After our walk we grab a nice dinner with Fran at an Indian restaurant and then head for bed.

Did I mention our boat was also a submarine?

In the morning it's breakfast and back on the boat by 9AM.  The 2nd day's boat is a bit smaller and considerably more cramped.  Especially for the hungover late-comers to the pier who are forced to sit in the very back of the boat, nearly on top of the roaring engine.  For us it's just fine--we grab two seats up front, and aside from a bit of rain the trip feels rather short and sweet.  We arrive in Luang Prabang around 4PM with no place to stay.  Bags strapped to our backs, giant, attention-grabbing travel guidebook in hand, and sun blaring down on us we set out to find a place to lay our heads.  You know, just another typical day...