The mighty Mehkong

We entered Laos ten days ago. An incredible country.

After spending the night in the border town of Chiang Khong on the banks of the Mehkong, we crossed the river. We got off the boat and found ourselves in Huay Xai in the People's Democratic Republic of Laos.

Steve and I were ill prepared for Laos. Actually, 'badly organised' would be a better way to put it, but that is another story and will probably be told another time.

This is a picture post about our three day journey from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang, the second city of Laos, which included a two day boat trip down the mighty Mehkong river.

On my last day in Chiang Mai a dark cloud blocked my sunshine

The Royal Guesthouse, Chiang Mai: "A nice place to stay"

Mama Honey, businesswoman extraordinaire and madwoman, sorted our Laos visas

Steve leaves Thailand after five golden weeks

Ollie does likewise

The mighty Mehkong #1

The mighty Mehkong #2

The mighty Mehkong #3

The mighty Mehkong #4

The mighty Mehkong #5

A boat bears a precious cargo of Beer Lao - the undisputed king of SE Asian beer

Tired, hungry, dirty but elated, we finally arrive in Luang Prabang


On my second day on the boat, cramped on incredibly uncomfortable wooden benches along with fifty other weary but contented travellers, I managed to record my impressions of the river that has impressed me so much, while the journey was still fresh in my mind.

Friday 5th November, 1pm
Location: The Mehkong river, Laos

The Mehkong river is epic in scale. It's the biggest thing I've ever seen. In places it seems a similar size to the Thames - it's the same unsavoury brown colour - but it's much, much longer. The Mehkong is brown not because of pollution, it's because brown is the colour of mud. It is a very muddy river, it's water deep, dark and mysterious. It's hard to imagine that fish live in there, that they can survive in such a black swirling vortex. But survive they do - and thrive. Huge fish. In the 1970's, American soldiers pulled a 'fish' out of the river that was fully twelve metres in length - some kind of sea snake; scaly, thicker than a man's waist and with a dragon-like head. Completely unique. Nothing like it had ever been found before, or since. It gives you an idea of the kind of creatures that might live at the bottom of this dark, ageless river.

The Queen of Nagas

Yesterday, after being stopped from climbing out of the window and onto the roof of the boat, I was feeling a bit sorry for myself. A gentle Canadian in his fifties, with a twinkle in his eye, suggested I go and sit on the front of the boat, in front of the 'bridge'. Anxious to find a spot where I could enjoy the river and the staggering scenery along the shoreline, I quickly made my way to the front.

It was about five in the evening. The sun was low in the sky. The light was perfect, warm. Occasionally the sun would disappear behind the cliffs and hills that rose and fell on the banks on the west side of the river, to reappear suddenly and dazzlingly. Occasionally you could see sandy beaches, huge rocks jutting out of the river, tiny villages with houses on stilts, fisherman paddling upriver, returning to their homes and families after a day of fishing.

Our boat weaved from side to side, seemingly at random, swaying gently with the current and the movement of the increasingly impatient passengers aboard. It was not random though. The river seethed. It seemed to be alive. In the water there was movement everywhere you looked - so much that you're brain couldn't make sense of it. Currents running in every direction, caused I suppose by invisible rocks beneath the impenetrable waters. Whirlpools, frothing and foaming down into the blind oblivion of the riverbed. Beneath these inexplicable currents, the force of the great current of the Mehkong pulled the boat inexorably downstream.

I sat there, the boat and all the other passengers behind me, invisible, forgotten, my legs dangling to within a couple of feet of the churning brown river below, a stiff breeze on my skin which goosepimpled my flesh, the sunshine in my eyes, in awe of what I was seeing and feeling. I sat for an hour, silent, intense, other passengers coming out to enjoy the view, then disappearing back inside. I marvelled at the beauty and the grandeur and the peacefulness of this place, a river in the heart of Asia, providing life like blood. I thanked God for letting me be there to experience it, wondering exactly what I had done to deserve such luck.