The main purpose of me coming to Laos at all was to take this trip.
My friend did this a few months ago, and was told since they are building a damn on the river in this area, the boats will no longer be able to make the voyage between Luang Prabang and destinations north.
So, since I was in the area, and like boats, I decided I wanted to have this experience while it was still available.
The driver picked us up from the hotel at 6 in the morning, which is when I discovered the people staying in the room next door were also going on this trip.
It turned out, this family of 3 and I were the only passengers, since most people start the journey in Houy Xai and head south to Luang Prabang and beyond.
Usually there are 15 to 20 or more on the boat for a voyage, and I was very glad to have the limited number and the space to spread out. Sad for the company that they could not get more on the boat, but glad for me.
Golly it was good to be back on the water. I missed my boat last year. I was too busy with the house and too unsteady with the bad hip to go out alone, but I had put the feelings aside until I stepped onto the boat here.
There is something refreshing and tranquil for me when I am on the water. A let it all go feeling when the breeze hits that makes the boat maintenance worth the expense and bother of having another thing to care for.
I did not realize how the simple act of stepping onto a boat would drain away tension, but here we are.
The family that operates the boat, live on the boat. The pilot; 2 younger girls who prepared food and helped with docking; and the tour guide, who stayed with the family but was not related.
We went over a few basics, like where the bathroom was and how to operate it.
You may thing that an odd statement, but there was a system. The pink – yes pink – toilet did not flush, so there was a bucket with a ladle next to it. Yes, you used the ladle to fill the bowl until the water level dictated the excrement move down the pipes.
Not new tech, but it worked as well as anything the romans had.
Oddly, we had no safety briefing. Only the fact lunch would be served, and we could help ourselves to the fruit, water and coffee at any time.
It was not long before we made our only stop of the day at Pha Ou/Tam Ting cave.
The mouth of the lower cave is a prominent landmark visible from the Mekong River. Paved pathways lead up to this cave as well as the upper cave, 60 meters above the river.
The first use of the caves for religious purposes was at the time when the local population worshipped Phi, or the spirits of nature. It is said the caves are associated with a river spirit.
It is believed that the Lao people first entered the river valley in the middle of the 8th century, after moving southward from southern China, but Buddhism did not appear in the area until the 15th century.
By the 16th century, Buddhism had been adopted by the royal families of Lao and the caves received patronage from that time until 1975. Every year the King and the people of Luang Prabang made a pilgrimage to the caves as part of the New Year religious observances. Many of the sculptures in the cave date between the 18th and 20th century when the King commissioned artisans to prepare them for the religious observances.
Approximately 2500 sculptures are located in the lower cave, and more than 4000 throughout both caves. Most are carved from wood or molded from tree resin, then coated with red or black lacquer and covered with gold leaf.
The lower cave is a significant climb from the dock on the river. The steps inside are common height for SE Asia mountains, in my experience at least. Note from foot to hand is only two steps in the below picture. I know I’m not tall, but that is not OSHA regulated height.
It was also noted, these caves flooded. Yes, they flooded.
We are not strangers to floods in Iowa, and I imagine a case could be made we have had similar depth of water at the reservoir, but damn.
The cave is also near a point where two rivers flow together, which creates the interesting visual of the water being two different colors. The Mekong is brown, and the bluer water is from the Nam Ou.
The caves are said to resemble a dragon from the water. It helps they built a railing that looks like teeth, but the nose and mouth are defined by the openings of the cave.
Our journey upriver continued, and I mentioned to my boat companions that China and others were building a damn on the river which would stop these boat cruises in the future and consume caves like that in the depth of the water, not unlike what happened in China on the Yangzi.
I was informed that cave was downriver from China and would not be affected. I was further informed that China building dams would not cause anything here to be flooded, and more likely a drought.
Of course, a dam would reduce the water level downstream, and I was just repeating what I had heard from others. I did not have hard data to back up my words against these apparently very informed and right people, so feeling like an idiot after the very informed lecture from my companions, I remained silent and worked on my writing.
I wrote a lot on the boat.
But after a couple of hours, guess what? Somebody was building a dam. Our guide said it was a joint project of the government and private contractors from China. It would indeed block the access for the boats going up and down the river, and yes, many people and villages were being relocated to accommodate the damn and reservoir.
The cave we were in is indeed downstream and would not be consumed by the dam, but others upstream would.
As for the fate of the boats, the guide was not sure. It is possible a lock will be included in the plans, but nobody knows at this point. It is possible the boats will dock on one side and move everyone to a waiting boat on the other by car or van so the trips can continue. No one is sure, but in 2 years or less, the dam will be complete.
My information was correct, simply not complete. My companions expounded on their knowledge of damns and how wonderful they were. How they were worth a little detour and the government would not allow the boat businesses to go out of business.
I stopped listening to my companions.
When the dam is complete, the water will be 30m high, which is the ridge with the white houses in picture.
There are many amazing yet simple things to see on the river. After breakfast, the caves and the dam, we settled in for a while and simply watched.
I wrote, they slept, but we also watched the people and animals interacting with their daily environment. Oblivious or indifferent to our presence other than another boat moved by.
Most of the two days on the boat were spent just looking around. When I had questions, I learned to find the guide when he was alone or my companions would answer for him.
Water buffalo are big in the area. They also have some breeds of cow.
Forgive me, I did not listen to my companions when they expounded on genus and family of the cows in the area. Apparently they went to an educational farm in Luang Prabang and were shocked I had not. Whatever did I do with my time? Sit in my room?
Apparently they had some kind of cow/buffalo forced hanky panky and now the buffalo can produce milk, thus saving the locals from their dairy shortage. I really did not pay attention because it all sounded weird, but now that tid bit about cow and buffalo hanky panky is glued to my odd brain.
They also have goats, but we did not see a lot of those until the second day when we were further up river. Except in the water. I did see 2 very bloated dead goats floating downstream, which was disturbing but not at all surprising.
There is a lot of garbage in the water. They use anything they can find to create markers and buoys to mark the channels and locations of fishing nets.
So amidst the dead goats, and bunches of vegetation swirling around in the eddies, there were plastic bottles and other garbage.
Not a river I would swim in, yet it is the lifeblood of all the villages along it.
I also did not know that gold mining was so prevalent in this area. First we noticed several people standing on the shores with large pans, I assumed doing laundry or washing dishes, but the guide told me they are panning for gold.
A little further up stream, especially on the second day, the water became more turbulent, and the gold mining activities became more commercial.
Construction equipment was stripping away at the shores, digging into the mountains and dumping sand in the river, changing the path and causing a lot of turbulence. It was evident the people standing in the river were looking for any sparkle and not a great income producer for their families because the larger machinery had already taken most of the gold away.
Yet there they stood. A lot of them. Setting up washing stations, and digging into the shore to form little creeks for the water to flow down. Searching for any nugget to sell in what might have been a profitable side gig before the mass mining moved in.
Sick looking trees in natural fall loss of leaves, but teak. A lot of teak here
We stayed in Pak Beng, Laos overnight. It is a small village who’s express purpose is to house the boat travelers overnight. And there are a lot of boat travelers. We were some of the last to arrive because we were moving upstream, which takes longer, and by the time we arrived parties were in full swing.
I went to my room and prayed the power worked, because all my backup batteries were depleted from the lack of power on the boat.
I am finding on this trip that I should not eat before I travel. Every plane ride has provided food, and now I had 2 big meals and snacks on the boat. I did not feel I needed to go out for dinner, so I stayed in.
But it was a dicy stay, I will admit. The room was a good size, but it would not pass most people’s idea of clean. Many rooms I have stayed in would be boarder line.
But we are in the middle of nowhere, in a rural community, and for that, it was very nice.
Still did not want to stay another night.
There was a hotel dog who took it upon himself to guard the gate. When people stumbled in late at night, he alerted the world they were home.
That was startling and at one point I might have yelled “Nova! Shut up!” But I also might have dreamed that. Nova is my informer at home. Butters is my reaffirmer of the information.
Our only stop on the second day was at Houypalam Farm Village.
I admit, by that point I was ready to get off the boat. The scenery and wonder of the ride had diminished considerably after the mining became prevalent. I can understand why people prefer to go downstream because moving from the mountains and scenic views near Luang Prabang to the sandy hills and turbulent water of the north is depressing.
But here we were, so at a village we would look.
I am glad I did.
It is interesting, and this happens in America too, that people think ‘rural’ is below ‘city’ in the grand scheme of things.
I grew up and live in Iowa, where yes, I do reside in a city, but I have always admired farmers. They may or may not understand quantum physics, nor care about the latest, greatest musical to hit Broadway, but they have more knowledge about nature and life in general than any city dweller.
There is a connection to the planet that is lost in the metal jungle of skyscrapers.
There is a need to understand and utilize all parts of your environment or perish upon it.
Yes, farms in the US have industrialized and modernized, but there is still a connection.
Here, even in what I would call a poster for UNICEF village, the people are proud. They were happy. They were providing for families and interacted and supported each other as any social group would.
They had cars, and motorbikes. Washing machines and even refrigeration in some areas.
Perhaps they could improve sanitation, or healthcare, or some ‘standard of living’ to make their lives easier, but after seeing this village, I wonder if it would be a benefit or a hinderance.
I have seen and heard many stories of people coming in to rural areas with all their city knowledge to improve production, or sanitation, or anything they deem important to impose on people they consider lesser than them.
Not saying all. But some. There are good people out there who do help, but we need to be acutely aware of what the people really need, and not what we assume they need because they are not ‘up to our standards.’ I would offer the observation the plastic pollution in the area was brought about by other people’s standards for example, but what do I know about anything.
My companions, who had an 11 year old with them, were looking for a shop to buy something to support the local economy of this village.
I understand that. It is a good thought and one I follow. But this village did not have shops with goods for sale. They were making goods with the resources they had on hand to support themselves, not tourists. There were 3 small ‘convenience stores’ in the village that I saw. Most selling what appeared to be goods from the village to the other villagers and more of a co-op sharing site than store. But they did have some drinks, and made a production that she wanted to buy something for her son to share with the other kids.
Very nice. Very noble. Very appreciated.
But I would argue not needed. She bought the equivalent to candy and then proceeded to ask all the kids to come get some. They came running in droves and were appreciative. It was a very nice scene.
Except these kids do not need to be addicted to candy, or sugar, or processed foods. They do not need to be trained to beg to foreigners for treats. The candy was obviously there in the village, and the families could provided it if needed, and I was left wondering how many similar actions I had taken in my life to show I was helping when I really was not.
The production of handing out candy and explaining to others how it was nothing to her and she wanted to give the kids something led us all the way back to the boat, where she had given out all but 2 pieces of the candy and then was upset her son ate one she was saving for her husband. Or something. I tuned out the drama.
The whole thing was enlightening. I simply passed the tour guide some money and said to give it to one of the adults to use as they see fit.
Probably the same thing as the candy woman, but more subtle. I wondered why I had done that. I wondered if it was appropriate. I wonder if I helped or if I hurt the community. And I wondered how much candy these kids got every day given there was a boat leaving when we arrived, and another one arriving when we left.
I thought about all of that for a very long time.
So eventually we came to the end of our journey. We approached what was called ‘the friendship bridge,’ which spanned the river and joined Lao and Thailand in friendship.
We started to see more elaborate temples and monuments instead of sand and bamboo fences.
And we made it to the dock, through customs on both sides of the river, and to the van which would take us to Chiang Rai.
The van I had prearranged and agreed to share with my boat compadres. I was also apparently happy about getting a discount on my van by agreeing to share it since they would pay half of the cost. Because that made sense to them since they were one group and I was another. Not the fact I was one person and they were three, nor the fact it was my van in the first place and they could all go… yes, I was frustrated by that point and happily left them at their Ritz Carlton equivalent hotel first – because that made some bat guano crazy sense.
Good riddance. Sometimes when you pick things up, you need to just treat them with antibiotic and let them go.
