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Published: August 14th 2007
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Pug - The Music Man
We met Pug, a crazy guy with an Accordion at the back of the boat. I wore his glasses and he provided the entertainment. The journey from Houi Xai to Luang Prabang by boat is a haunting 2 day river trip. As I neared the Laos border in Thailand, around Chiang Khong, I asked a few people on their way out of Laos what the journey was like. I received cryptic answers to this question that intrigued me. They all came up with the same sort of answer "It's something you have to go through!". I figured that this trip would be rough but worth the effort. At least I was a little prepared. When I arrived at the dock after passing over the border I saw the boat for the first time and it was rammed to the hilt. Over a hundred people I thought, perhaps more, crammed in on wooden planks. An American couple stood horrified on the bank and were collecting people together to share the cost of chartering a boat. But the price was way too much for your standard backpacker and I joined the rest by boarding the overloaded boat. Nobody could tell me where to store my backpack so I ventured towards the back of the boat. Through the engine room I found a small group of travellers on
Packed Boat
People at the Laos border were horrified with the amount of people crammed into the boat and refused to board. Heheh see ya. a deck at the back of the boat. Normally living quarters for the owners it had been relinquished due to the sheer numbers of people on board. Fortunately we had ample room, great views and comfortable plastic chairs to sit on! We pooled whatever beers, spirits or wine we could get our hands on and had a wail of a time getting pissed all day and enjoying ourselves. Being the dry season the rivers were nearing their lowest and the boat charged up the river avoiding jagged rocks and navigating shallow rapids. We surmised that the driver knew every inch of the river and had probably been doing it all his life. Scarily we roared past what looked like a body face down floating in the river and gave everyone a bit of a fright! Could have been a scare crow (doubtful). Strange things happen on such travels. It's all part of the experience and was soon forgotten as the sun sank down beyond the fantastic scenery.
After the first day we spent the night in some pretty rough accommodation at our midway stop over. A small grubby looking town probably existing solely on the back of its location
Good Times
Fellow Englishmen Tim and Laura intoxicated at the back of the boat. half way between the Laos border and Luang Prabang; Laos's second biggest city. Apart from this and a few rural villages there is nothing else of interest in between. The next day I was nursing a hang over and we were not so fortunate as to have our little gathering at the back of the boat. They split us onto two boats and ejected us from their living quarters. Still the engine room was fair game for some as they managed to make beds in amongst the baggage and somehow sleep against the noise of the pounding engine. The day went quickly but despite the beautiful scenery I was glad to arrive and relieve a sore bum. Our next challenge however was to find ourselves accommodation.
Four of us from the boat party decided to go find a room but all the hotels and guesthouses were full up. We met a couple who told us that they had reserved a room but didn't need it anymore. We just had to pretend our name was Dave! Tim and Laura took that room but myself and Aku, a Finnish guy, still couldn't find a room. The problem was solved when we
Mekong at Sunset
The scenery along the Mekong is fantastic. But most of the time I was too busy enjoying myself to notice. persuaded the owners to let us share the room with Tim and Laura for a few extra bucks. We were soon ready to hit the town.
Luang Prabang is like the Las Vegas of Laos. Built up around the US dollar it has a wonderfully clean and tidy feel about it and is beautifully presented even if it is a little 'plastic'. It's a nice place to visit but not really very Laos. It has nice bars and restaurants, shops and scenery. A few temples, waterfalls, caves and other attractions are said to be very beautiful. But all I seemed interested in doing was knocking back the local Lao Lao. A spirit based concoction made from rice. A little like tequila I thought but with twice the effect! After that boat ride I needed to let my hair down for a few days. Which is growing quite nicely by this stage of the trip.
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