Rollin' on the River

Tom Sawyer did it and Tina Turner sang about it, but this wasn't exactly a do-whappin' ride that merrily, merrily took us gently down the stream. We enjoyed our two full day boat trip down the Mekong river though I think we will all be rather stiff and sore for a couple of days as we iron out the aches.

DAY 1 - We are not off to a very promising begining. The "large ferry" is actually quite small with 2 rows of wooden benches and a floor filled with holes. After waiting an hour to ensure that every available inch of seating was filled, the engines reved and we started to back out. Then we stopped and plastic stools and lawn chairs were pulled out and placed in the aisles as more backpackers tromped down the hill to the boat. I think there were 80 or more of us by the time we actually left! However, even though the gray sky threatened rain and we knew that we had two full days on the boat squished together, everyone was in friendy spirits, especially when the little Lao man at the front of the boat began selling huge bottles of yummy Lao beer.

It would be difficult not to enjoy yourself when floating down the Mekong river, surrounded by the best that Mother Nature has to offer. If Thailand is beautiful, then Laos is simply stunning. Huge, rocky cliffs junt upwards along the banks and the vibrantly lush hills reach up, up, up until they are shrouded in blankets of mist and disapear into the clouds above. We pass many tiny fishing villages, long boats of every shape and size, and beach huts in every imaginable color of canary yellow, vivid blue, and pale green. Storybooks are coming to life before my eyes!

Day 1 passed rather uneventfully, except for one harrowing ride down some angry rapids and rocks. Books were traded back and forth and oreo cookies, chips, and beer floated up and down the aisle. Just as the sun was about to dip behind a fushia dotted hill and encloak the river in shadows, we pulled over to a small dock and the engines stopped. Those of us in the boat were rather confused for there wasn't a house or lodge in sight. We were simply confronted with a huge set of concrete stairs looming on the hill in front of us. After much encouragement and arm waving from our boat driver, we learned that it was our destination for the day so all 80 of us jumped out of the boat to stretch our legs and meander up the hill. Well...79 of us did. I stayed behind in the boat to lug 79 backpacks out the window into 79 eagerly waiting arms. However, I was pleased to discover that mine was not the heaviest pack among the bunch! After mastering the huge staircase (only falling once!), showering, a meal, and a close inspection of our bunks for rats and spiders, we slept quickly and were back on the boat by 7:30 the next morning.

DAY 2 - Today is sunny!! I've been watching the skitterbugs skate and dragonflies circle overhead as we smoothly glide down the Mekong. We just passed a herd of water buffalo bathing along the banks. They are not very attractive animals. We switched boats and ours is much bigger and we have a bit more leg room today. On the other hand, the 1/4 padding on the wooden seat does little to provide comfort and we are all wiggling around trying to situate ourselves for the eight hour journey. Try to forget the uncomfortalbe seats and have a beer.

Around three in the afternoon, we are confronted with a quick rain shower. Everyone pulls down the tarps that serve as windows and our boat pulls over to the side to wait out the storm. It passes rather rapidly and we are once again underway with the smell of rain in the air and mist rising off of the river. Arrival in Luang Prabang finally arrives at 5:30. We eagerly stumble off of the boat and hike up yet another hill towards town to find accomodation for the night. The town is damp from the recent rain and delightful smells drift up and down the street, beckoning weary travelers to come eat! I think I will!!! More to write after dinner!

LATER THAT NIGHT - Before leaving Thailand, we had a few days to waste in Chiang Rai so we traveled north to the Golden Triangle where Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand converge along the Mekong River. It had once been a popular trade route for opium and a romanticized area full of fields of purple poppies. Now it is somewhat of a tourist trap. I don't quite know what I was expecting. There was simply a river and a sign that said, "The Golden Triangle." We actually planned to cross the border of Myanmar in order to get some fun stamps on our passports but it was much too expensive. I settled for throwing a rock over the river and said that would have to do. We also visited the opium museum and played with the opium pipes! Mom always said that I should learn something new everyday.

We had to find a post office to mail our souviners home. Although we knew it would cost an arm and a leg to mail our parcels home, they were much too big to carry with us for an exteded amount of time. Our boxes had to be specially designed to accomodate our fans and silk umbrellas so we hung around the air conditioned post office for several hours and napped on the floor. Our bus didn't leave until the early afternoon and I wasn't about to sit in the hot bus station when I had the pleasure of air conditioning. Enjoy it while you can!

Local transportation is still the best way to go!! As always, it is much cheaper than the VIP or tourist buses and just as quick. However, we have discovered that we don't normally have assigned seats. Therefore, when the bus of choice pulls into the station, there is a mass exodus that explodes and throngs of people rush for the single door of the bus. Since we are usually the only westerners that will take local transportation, we are also the sole bus riders with bags to stow under the bus. After a few trials and failures (meaning we had to stand on the bus after waiting to stow our packs) we have developed quite an efficient system. Two people are in charge of baggage, which is a hot and sweaty job, especially when there isn't a "chief bag helper." The other gets to push and scramble and knock elbows to grab 3 seats. I am always the lucky one that gets to sit by the fan that doesn't work. No complaints - at least I have a seat. I have to emphasize that these seats are normally designed for a 5'4", 100 pound Thai man, not an American girl that is 5'9 and mostly legs. Half of the trip is spent with your knees crammed into the seat in front of you and the other half is spent wiggling around and trying to shake some life into you legs that seem to have lost all blood circulation. No complaints - we are saving money!!!

Laos is wonderful and we have so many things to do. There are waterfalls to explore and caves to climb. We will travel east to the Plain of Jars and then south to Vang Vieng where we might work on an organic farm for a week and enjoy some kayaking and white water rafting. From there, we will stop in Vientiane before going straight down the coast to lay on the beaches of the 4,000 islands and swim with freshwater dolphins. Happy Easter everyone!

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