Leaving Northern Thailand it was time to move on to Laos and we decided to try a different type of adventure. We did a two day cruise on The Mekong River. This option sounded so much more fun than taking the overnight sleeper bus from Chiang Rai, Thailand to Luang Prabang, Laos.
First, we had to choose the type of cruise we wanted to do. There are many different options for cruising the Mekong. Ranging from a very small boat with an outboard motor, to speed boats, all the way up to high-end luxury cruises.
We started looking for something that fell somewhere in the middle of these offerings. We found it on a traditional wooden long boat called The Nagi of the Mekong. This awesome two day river cruise can’t be beat at $140.00 per person. It included two full days of cruising on the river, delicious home-cooked lunches and snacks served each day. There is an overnight stop at the halfway point, in the small village of Pak Beng. You disembark the boat and stay the night here in lodging of your choice.
Leaving the mountain town of Chiang Rai, Thailand, and took a shuttle van to Chiang Khong. We spent one night at a great place called Day Waterfront Hotel. We had a super nice room, and it included free breakfast, all for $20. The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Day were so welcoming and we really enjoyed visiting with them.
Chiang Khong itself was a nice little town to wonder around in. We had some good food, visited a couple of colorful temples, and walked the riverside promenade.
The next morning was our official meet up with the cruise company. Their shuttle van picked us up from the hotel and drove us across the “Friendship Bridge” into Laos.
Our first stop was at Laos Immigration where we were walked through every step of the “Visa on Arrival” process. There were 24 people in total in our group and we were all in and out of there in about an hour. From here we were driven down to the river boat terminal to board The Nagi of the Mekong.
This traditional wooden longboat is owned and run by a boat family. With a captain, his wife who is also the cook and hostess, a couple of other crew members, and our tour guide to lend a helping hand. The boats interior is beautiful and sleek with highly polished wood and outfitted with very nice tables and padded benches inside. There is some outdoor seating at the front of the boat and a covered sitting area at the back. There are also two modern and clean restrooms on board. The family lives on this boat, so there is a full kitchen and their private quarters. This cruise boat runs like clockwork which made for a comfortable and carefree trip.
The boat pulled away from the dock at 11:00 am sharp and we set off for a relaxing six hours of cruising on the Mekong.
Incredibly, I found myself wondering if I was dreaming as we cruisied down the Mekong River. Just the name “Mekong” sounds so mysterious. The stuff books are written about and movies are made of. This mighty river starts as a tiny spring high in the Tibetan plateau. As it runs its 3,000 mile course to the South China Sea, it provides livelihoods for more than 60 million people across Southeast Asia including Tibet (China), Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
The cruise was not only relaxing, the scenery we passed was breathtaking in many places. Cruising past rice paddies, or slipping through high walled black limestone canyons, the terrain varied a lot. It also gave us a glimpse of the daily lives of the people that live and work along the river. Farmers, fishermen, herds of water buffalo, temples, orange robed monks in motorboats, people panning for gold. Life along the river was fascinating, and friendly. We were constantly returning waves and shouts to people on the river banks and going by in boats.
As we cruised down the river, we saw a large group of children swimming and playing in the water. As we approached, our tour guide told us this was the Hmong village we were going to visit. The Hmong are hill people indigenous to China and Southeast Asia. When the children saw our boat approaching they quickly got out of the water and ran home to get the little cloth bracelets they make to sell to tourists. I quickly bought one and put it on. I would have bought one from every child if I could have, but that many bracelets was not in the budget. The kids were out of school on holiday, and after the bracelet rush was over, they happily followed us through the village, pointing things out and practicing their English with us. There was no doubt that this is a poor village, but they raise their own animals and grow most of their own food, and fish from the river. There is a school in the village and all the children are able to go, which is so important. There seemed to be new construction going on and an atmosphere of growth in the small village. When I visit a village like this I am always reminded of how different life is for everybody on this planet, and how blessed I am. But we all seem to grow where we are planted no matter how hard the soil is.
After cruising down the Mekong for about six hours, the boat pulled into the small village of Pak Beng. This is the halfway point on our journey to Luang Prabang and there is nothing here but accommodations and two bars. As we disembarked the boat there were many vans, tuk-tuks, and motorbike taxis waiting to take passengers to their hotels. There were also people from the local hostels and small budget hotels ready to rent you a room if you hadn’t made arrangements in advance. We had prearranged our stay at The Sanctuary and their pickup truck was waiting for us to climb in the back and take us to the hotel. After arriving, we were pleasantly surprised to find that they had upgraded our room. They put us in a room with a balcony that overlooked the river. It was extremely nice and had a wonderful restaurant and bar that also overlooked the river. We really enjoyed our overnight stay, dinner, and breakfast. But I was ready to resume our cruise the next morning.
Mornings on the river are nice, cool, and covered with a light fog. I actually had to put my jacket on. The farther down the river we went, the more dramatic the scenery became with the forest and the towering limestone rock formations. We did our river cruise in March, which is the burning season in much of Southeast Asia. This is when farmers burn their fields after having harvested their crops. It is an ancient tradition that helps to keep the soil healthy, but not so much the air. There was a continual haze of smoke in the air. Our boat rounded a bend in the river and the air was suddenly thick with black smoke and we could feel the heat from a massive blaze on the nearby hillside. Thick ash was falling from the sky and the wind began blowing it into the boat. The day grew darker as storm clouds rolled in. There was suddenly lightning and thunder and big gusts of wind. Our Captain quickly steered the boat next to the shore and he and his crew jumped out and began securing the boat with ropes. Just as everyone got off the boat, the downpour of rain started, and we all ran back onto the boat. It was crazy! Smoke, ash, lightning, thunder, wind, then heavy rain, it all felt a little hectic, but added to the adventure.
After about an hour, we were back on the river and soon were pulling in to our next stop, a local handicraft market and Lau-Lau distillery. Lau-Lau is rice wine. We all sampled a shot of the local moonshine warm out of the still. At 53% alcohol, it was pretty strong, but welcome after our little stormy episode. After our shopping and tasting spree we set off again.
The limestone cliffs that line the banks of the river were their most dramatic as we made our final stop at Pak Oau Caves about half an hour later. These two ancient caves are fascinating and mysterious as they are filled with thousands of images of the Buddha. These statues are of all shapes and sizes and have been left here by devotees over the last four centuries.
On our last stretch before reaching Luang Prabang, we passed under the tall bridge that carries the new bullet train from Yunnan, China to the Laos’ capital of Vientiane. We also passed the construction site for a massive new dam that will provide hydro-electric power to Laos, Thailand, and even parts of Malaysia. Even though this will benefit millions of people, sometimes development and its impact on the natural environment is hard to see in such a beautiful area.
Our arrival in Luang Prabang seemed to come to soon! I had so enjoyed our relaxing cruise on the river and taking in the beautiful sites, nature, and rural village life along the river. Vans were waiting to collect us and drop us all off at our hotels around the city. Now it was time to start our next adventure here in Luang Prabang. I highly recommend a Mekong River cruise as I have now become a fan of river cruises and can’t wait to do another one.
CHECK OUT OUR MEKONG RIVER CRUISE VIDEO
The ancient city of Luang Prabang is one of most fascinating places in all of Southeast Asia. This beautiful city is full of exotic temples and delicious foods.