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Published: October 27th 2008
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Pak Beng
Was greeted with a fantastic sunrise as we set off on Day 2 of our journey to Huay Xai After the craziness of Vang Vieng it was quite a relief to be leaving for the peaceful surroundings of Luang Prabang. I had heard so many positive things about it that I couldn’t wait to explore the city on the Mekong.
The night markets were fantastic; the best markets I have seen in South East Asia. The quality of the local handicrafts and the manner in which the shopkeepers went about there business made it a pleasure to walk around endlessly. It was a stark contrast from Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok where you were constantly hassled at every stall you entered. A warm smile followed by some friendly conversation definitely increased there chances for a sale where upon they would take your money and say “Lucky, Lucky, Lucky” whilst hitting all there other goods with the money to spread the luck. I was usually the one smiling at the end.
The architecture of the houses was very similar to Hoi An with most of them made of teak with lanterns hanging out the front. Other than our paper thin walls our guest house was in a beautiful wooden building. It was also right across from a temple
and with the arrival of the new moon we were woken abruptly at 5am with the banging of drums. It didn’t bother me at all because it was nice to see some rituals in practice.
The town was abundant with temples and the atmosphere was reverend to say the least. Every morning the local people participated in the giving of alms ceremony, where they would provide rice and vegetables for the monks. They relied on the generous contributions from the community to provide there one meal of the day. It was great to witness this ceremony and hopefully it doesn’t turn into a tourist circus in years to come.
Every night we couldn’t resist the all you can eat vegetarian cuisine on the sidewalk outside the Old Presidential Palace. The husband & wife team did well to cope with the long queues but it didn’t deter anyone from coming back the next night.
The late night bowling alley was a bit of a laugh. All the pubs closed around 11pm so it was the only place open to have a drink. I found it quite strange the first day I was there that in the same sentence
of being offered marijuana & opium I was asked if I wanted to go bowling! I thought shit they must have some good stuff at the bowling alley. I’m not sure if I was that drunk (actually I was) but I swear the lanes sloped from left to right. It made for interesting bowling that’s for sure but obviously we were there for a drink so it didn’t really matter that I got beaten by a 60 year old.
We visited the Kuang Si Waterfall on the 3rd day which was amazing. The colour of the water was so blue and it just kept going on and on. The swim was refreshing after we had climbed to the top of the falls and back down again. There was also a bear refuge at the base of the waterfall with around 10 bears being looked after. They were being protected from bear hunters who were after their bile for medicine.
Other than a lot of relaxing and some beers on the river I did manage to go mountain biking one day where we rode to another waterfall and into the hills and a Hmong village. A bit of
exercise made me feel 100% better and also justified my adventure to the bowling alley that night!
After 5 splendid days in Luang Prabang we jumped aboard our boat and readied ourselves for the 2 day journey to Huay Xai. Northern Laos is very mountainous and the roads are either non-existent or outlined by some worn down grass so boat travel is by far the easiest and most pleasant way to travel: it just takes a long time!!
There is a speed boat option that runs in both directions as well from Luang Prabang - Huay Xai. However, I couldn’t think of anything worse than being strapped in tight with my knees in my chin, holding my bag and on for dear life. You have to wear a helmet and considering the river is low at the moment the chances of hitting rocks and overturning the boat are high. And why spoil the scenery with a two stroke engine and the countryside going by in a dizzying whirl? The slow boat was definitely a better option for me to enjoy the sights and sounds of Northern Laos.
Our boat was rather empty which meant everyone
had a bench for themselves and could spread out and make themselves comfortable. Most travelers were coming in the opposite direction from Thailand so when we passed there boat later on in the day we realised we were traveling First Class whilst they were all cramped in Economy.
The morning was cold and misty and the chill off the river could be felt by everyone. The sun broke through around 11 which made the rest of the day rather pleasant. Reading books, listening to music and just taking in the scenery was the order of the day. It was very relaxing. Luckily we had packed enough supplies for the day as we floated down the river until 5:30pm where we made port for the night in Pak Beng.
It was mainly a port town as it was difficult to get into the mountains inland with the roads pretty much non-existent, which meant most of the people here were just stopping for the night. We found a fantastic Indian restaurant with great views of the river so we broke tradition and tried something different. The owner was quite jovial and we even talked some cricket as he served us
our delicious meals. Later on in the evening there was some kind of music festival going on with some crazy music and lots of local people having a good time. We spent as much time as we could out because our room was rather dingy and we were certain to get devoured by mosquitoes with all the holes that were in the net over the bed. I called it a Malaria Avoidance Policy: stay out longer and get pissed.
Pak Beng was beautiful in the morning with the mist hovering over the river and the wonderful colour of the surrounding mountains. We boarded the boat with the same people as yesterday and soon we all worked out that most of us were doing the Gibbon Experience in the Bokeo Nature Reserve the next day so we would all be in each others company for a few more days. The journey was much the same as the day before except for a bizarre spotting by one of the girls on the boat.
Julie was looking out the side of the boat as usual just gazing into the mountains when she saw something strange floating near the banks of the
river. It was a dead body. She announced her finding rather quickly and everyone turned around to catch a glimpse of it as we headed downstream. From what we saw it appeared to be a local and it looked pretty decomposed so it could have been there for weeks. It was in the middle of nowhere so we were not sure if it was a local tribe dealing out there own punishment but it was not the nicest thing to witness.
It was nice to be on solid ground again once we arrived in Huay Xai around 5pm. It had been a long but pleasant journey on the Mekong, one I would truly recommend.
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