Stephen and I managed to find a deal on a two day cruise up the Mekong River to the Thai border. During peak season it is double the price and the boat is usually completely full, carrying 40 + passengers. On our cruise there were only 16 people. It was great! We could sprawl out all over the boat and take turns sitting up on the bow.Each day we battled against the current for about 7 hours, but the scenery was spectacular. The river snaked its way through the mountains and past teak plantations. Hmong, Yao and Khmer villages populated the hills along the river. In some places the river was calm, reflecting images of the hills towering above it. In other places, we fought our way through small whirlpools and larger rapids. The first night we stayed at the Luangsay Lodge, a picturesque wooden village nestled in the hills. It was built just past the town of Pak Beng. Nearly the entire town turned out on the banks of the river to wave as we went by...
We had a delicious meal and chatted with our travelling companions. We met a fun Canadian couple who have been sailing around the world for 10 years. They had several stories to tell about their adventures on remote islands. We had a great time with them! The lodge was comfortable and we slept well, but they had us up bright and early for breakfast at 6am - definitely not Stephen's favorite part of the journey!
The next day, we continued chugging up the Mekong. We stopped and visited a Khmer village. The wooden houses were built on stilts and all of the farm animals lived below them. There were baby piglets, chicks, turkeys, puppies and kittens roaming around. I loved all of the animals! There was no electricity, but they had managed to construct one aerial giving them access to a single TV. The government had also provided them with running water. It was an interesting visit, but I felt a little awkward disrupting the harmony of their lives. It was almost like we came to look at them in the same way we would look at animals in the zoo....so I was glad we didn't make any other stops. It was interesting to watch the local fisherman dropping and gathering their nets from long, wooden canoes. Villagers also pan for gold when the river is low.
We arrived at the Thai border about 5pm. We quickly found a place to stay for the night. The owner of the Bamboo Riverside Guest House was a real character. He had a lovely restaurant overlooking the river and he took great pride in serving up authentic Mexican food. It was actually really good, especially his salsa. He orders his pinto beans from Bangkok so that he can make real Mexican refried beans. I hadn't had Mexican food since our California visit so it was a refreshing change. He also entertained us with stories of former disgruntled customers and he gave us his philosophy on everything from guitar music to cooking fresh food and running a guest house. He was a real character. He was Thai, but he looked an awful lot like Carlos Santana!
