Friday, November 5, 2010 and Saturday, November 6, 2010
Yesterday morning we left the hotel at 7:45am in order to be at the Thai border when it opened at 8. Got stamped out of Thailand and took a small boat across the Mekong to the Laos border, Huay Xai. The process there took a bit longer as we had to fill out visa applications (pretty short) and entry cards. Americans currently pay $35 for a visa, $7 less than Canadians (I’m not sure why they pay more). When all that was sorted, we bordered our private boat, which could have fit at least 50 passengers, and set sail. The Me Kong (Mother River) flows through eight countries, but half of its length (1,240 miles) is in Laos.
The text below describes what I saw on the river, but in far better prose than I could ever use. So I’ve quoted parts of the article “Gilded pleasures” from the Conde Nast which accurately illustrates my time on the Mekong.
“[The Mekong] is an artery of communication, a source of food, a dispenser of fortune and disaster, a goddess to be placated and worshipped.
For the first hour or so the river was the border. On the right bank Thailand was cultivation and fields, a raised stone embankment, a paved road, a line of street lamps, the occasional modern hotel. Laos, on the left bank, seemed to belong to another century. Jungle pressed down to the river banks. Should one pass down to the river bank at night, Thailand would be lights and movement; Laos would be dark and still.
Near the village of Pak Tha, the river swung left, and Thailand and the 21st century fell astern. Cascades of exuberant greenery descended on both banks. For long stretches there was nothing but tangled jungle then suddenly a roof would appear through the trees – the itched thatch of a house, or the red and yellow tiles of a temple. The trees would falter, revealing ragged banana plantations and strands of withered maize, grey wooden houses on stilts leaning at precarious angles, with black pigs rooting beneath their floors, water buffalo wallowing in rice paddies and children sleek as fish, leaping from rocks into the river. The villages were a mosaic of ethnic tribal ethnicities – Hmong, Yao, Lahu and Akha peoples. Each village, each tribe, had its own traditions of weaving, its own distinctive dress and its own religious practices involving spirit houses and ancestor worship….
From time to time, [women] appeared along the banks with lampshade hats and flat baskets. They were panning for gold. Years ago the French had a gold mine in these hills though it eventually failed because the seams were not sufficiently productive. But there is enough, in the season of low water, to keep the gold panners happy. In a good month they can pull in US $100, a better income than farming.
But the real riches on this river lie in fish not gold. Fishing is a way of life here, with nets suspended from bamboo poles on the banks, and buoys marking traps in the shallows. Somewhere in the river depths, far beneath our boat, there lurked a treasure trove of wealth in the form of a river.” (Stewart, Stanley. "Gilded pleasures: Luang Prabang." Conde Nast Traveller. Nov. 2009: 134-145, 202-204.)
At 11am, we stopped at the small village of Hoy Noh Khome to discover local life for the Hmong tribal people. Children selling bracelets greeted us at the bank side and the absence of parents was obvious. Other than the old woman we saw, the children (apparently on a lunch break from school) were unsupervised. The houses of the village were built on the ground (as opposed to being raised).
Back on the boat, our hostess served our first taste of Lao cuisine, a mix of soup, fried fish, mixed vegetables, chicken and pineapple, noodles, and rice (sticky and steamed). The rest of the afternoon I spent relaxing on the boat, mostly listening to podcasts. We pulled into Pak Beng around 4pm and walked to the hotel (while our bags were driven in a tuk tuk). Pak Beng is a very small town which was basically set up to act as a mid-point for boats travelling from Luang Prabang to Huay Xai. J.P. took us on a stroll around town as the sunset over the hills. On the walk back, everyone was walking so slow that I kept speeding ahead then retracing my steps to rejoin the group.
We got to the dinner restaurant around 6pm, way earlier than I wanted to eat, but it took over an hour to get the food, so it all worked out. I tried the buffalo with pumpkin, but the buffalo was super tough and I mostly ate the pumpkin. There was nothing to do in town, so we headed back to the room for an early night.
Today we met for breakfast at 6:45am and were back on the boat by 7:30. It was a very chilly morning and extremely misty. I was bundled up in my jacket and scarf to protect myself from the breeze. Mostly passed the time by watching the scenery flow by and listening to my iPod.
Like yesterday, we stopped at a riverside village, this time Kang Hung of the Khamu people. Children were playing in the water, but none came up to sell anything. We saw locals sitting around talking and a talked to a couple, both teachers, the woman who was weaving (and didn’t have any other items that she could sell) and the man who was creating a fishing net. Further in the village a couple was repairing their bamboo roof. A very traditional village with a large new school funded by an NGO. The lack of items for sale was a welcome change and gave the impression that we were in a village that sees few tourists.
Another delicious lunch was served on the boat consisting of curry, morning glory, spring rolls, fried chicken and pork with pineapple, and rice of course . For the duration of the journey I organized pictures on my computer. Before arriving in Luang Prabang, we stopped at the Pak Ou caves (one of the famous excursions from Luang Prabang). It was unimpressive to say the least. Compared to the cave we saw in Mandalay with 8000 buddhas, the 4000 buddhas in the small sacred caves seemed mediocre. When I mentioned this to J.P., he replied by saying we are the first group he’s had coming from Myanmar (even he seemed disappointed and he’s seen the caves tens of times).
We arrived at the port in Luang Prabang around 4:30pm and were transferred in tuk tuks to our hotel. J.P. walked us into town center, pointing out the main attractions and taking us through the night market to the Royal Palace where a few of my tour-mates were going to a cultural show. I went with J.P. to the tour office to find out if there were any cooking classes for tomorrow, but sadly, no schools offer classes on Sunday (and we should have been here on Saturday, urrr). At least I was able to drop off my laundry for a weighed charge rather than itemized. The two of us went to Tamnak Lao for dinner, a restaurant described as unmissable by my Footprint guide. Maybe it was the Mok Pa (steamed fish in banana leaf) that I ordered, but I would hardly say the restaurant is unmissable. It was a good try anyway.
On my way back to the hotel, I spent some time in the night market seeing what was on offer and managed not to buy anything. This town is adorable though and I look forward to exploring it tomorrow. I’m off to bed now as I’m waking up early to see the monks collect alms from the residents.
No comments:
Post a Comment