Laos > By boat over the Mekong

Today we leave Thailand. After breakfast, we walk through Chiang Khong to the border post. After completing the necessary Thai customs formalities, we cross the Mekong River in a small boat. On the opposite bank, our Laotian guide is already waiting for us. He helps us fill out the visa and arrival forms. After the necessary stamps, we are officially in Laos.

Laos - Sailing on the Mekong River

A few tuk-tuks take us several kilometers to the boat. The boat is a slow boat—about 35 meters long with an upper deck. Over the next two days, we will travel on this boat along the Mekong to Luang Prabang. When we arrive, our luggage has already been loaded. We quickly board as well. At the request of the family, we take off our shoes. The ropes are cast off, and we sail downstream, leaving the border towns of Houei Sai (Laos) and Chiang Khong (Thailand) behind us. The thermometer on my backpack reads twenty degrees Celsius, but it feels chilly—especially with the wind. We find a spot in the boat’s cockpit. The view outside is gray and hazy. Along the river, we see villages, fishermen setting their nets, and children playing on the rocks. At the village of Howay Nkokum, we stop to visit. Right on the riverbank, the children are waiting for us and guide us up to the slightly elevated village. Wan, our guide, shows us the local blacksmith, and we walk around the village. The village recently got its own water pump, funded with support from the EU. As a result, diseases such as diarrhea among children have decreased. At the school, we contribute a donation to improve the lessons. Back on the Mekong, the sun cautiously breaks through. The sliding roof on the foredeck is opened. I eat my packed lunch while enjoying the view. Unfortunately, the nice weather is short-lived; the pale sun sinks behind the mountains early in the afternoon.

Laos - The central water tap in the village of Keang Haang

The difference is noticeable, and only the wind remains. As the boat continues along the Mekong, we duck lower behind the panels in the cockpit. Around 5:30 pm, the boat docks in Pakbeng, a small town with a few overnight options. Several slow boats are moored here. The luggage boys jostle to carry the baggage and are already boarding before the boat is fully still. They take the luggage up to the hotel, and we follow the steep sandy climb. At the hotel, we are welcomed with a drink and then have time to relax. Although we haven’t done much today, a day outdoors is intense. I’ve also gotten quite cold, especially during the last few hours on board. I lie down on the bed and pull the blanket over me. In the evening, around 8:00 pm, we walk into the town of Pakbeng. There are several small restaurants along the main street, but none can serve the whole group at once. So we split up among the establishments. From fellow travelers and other Dutch visitors, we hear that service can sometimes take a long time. We choose a restaurant with a better reputation. Our order arrives fairly quickly, and the meal is enjoyable. The bill is 63,000 Kip. I still have no real sense of the exchange rate. Since we only have Thai baht and not yet Laotian Kip, the bill is converted to 250 baht. In Laos, both currencies are accepted. The meal costs roughly 5 euros. The easiest method is to drop the last four zeros from the Kip—slightly more expensive, but simpler. This also means that earlier today, I received 0.16 euros in change. I go to bed around 10:00 pm, before the generator shuts down at 10:30. As I lie down, I can hear the generator running outside. By the time it stops, I’m fast asleep.