The Mekong River! We've all heard of that, right? One of the greatest rivers of the world. Well - it's the 12th longest - only 2,703 miles from the Tibetan Plateau, through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The name is derived from Lao and Thai words that mean 'mother of waters'. I was close to it at Tiger Leaping Gorge which surrounded one of it's tributaries much further north.
Here is it just after sunrise at Chiang Khong, Thailand. That's Laos on the other side. The Golden Triangle, where Thai, Myanmar and Laos borders meet is about 50 miles north and China a few hundred miles beyond that to the north.
I was pleased to rejoin this mighty waterway again to expand my experience of it. Our goal was to spend two days travelling south to get us to Luang Prabang.
The moment of truth after a short minibus ride revealed the type of boat we would be riding in. It is long - lots of space. Nice benches for lounging. Meals provided. Snacks and drinks available and two great, clean sitting toilets! It was a great way to travel! They are built so that the family that operates the boat can live in it while they're on the river. The closed-in part at the back is off limits, as it's their living quarters.
It had nice curtains hanging down to make things look pretty!
But laundry often hangs off the back!
And we spent two days lounging and looking, eating and taking LOTS of photos!
So we got to experience life in this land that still felt very wild. In this area, the river IS the road! There is much activity, but it has an ageless feel to it. I almost felt as if I was in the wilds again - like South-West Tasmania - but this time the indigenous people were still living here. They use motors, dress in mass produced clothing instead of traditional clothing, but their farming and basic lifestyle had an ageless feel to it.
The height of the river is affected by much damming - especially further north in China.The landscape varied as we traveled, but always rocks nearby and hills or mountains beyond.
The little huts are placed in the fields to provide shelter in the heat of the day so the workers don't have to return to the village. They will take a break out of the intense sun in the middle of the day.
It was not unusual to see water buffalo and goats wandering the waterside.
Lush and tropical......
We were told that there are four main groups here - Hmong, Sino-Tibetan, Khmu and Lowland Lao. Religious practices are split between animism and Buddhism with mixtures of each in different regions. It seemed the area we were travelling through was dominated by Hmong people. The Hmong were recruited by the CIA to fight against the communists in the 'Secret War' that occurred here during the time of the Vietnam War. Subsequently they have had repercussions since then, which is why many have moved to the USA, Australia and elsewhere. However, Laos appears to have worked with the United Nations to repatriate many, in spite of the fact that it is a communist country.
I would love to be able to tell you which group was managing this land, but I can't figure it out. I think it's Tai-Kadai, but they weren't one of the four groups the guide mentioned! They were highland tribes of some sort. We were told that agricultural practices used by the people here involve burning large patches of land, which we were able to see clearly from the boat.
I was told they plant sticky rice (which doesn't grow in water) and hops, in spite of it being incredibly steep. We saw lots of bananas and bamboo growing and elsewhere I saw corn planted on some very steep slopes. There were little patches of veggies planted all over - often with little fences built around them. Because the soil gets leached quickly in the tropics, the land loses its fertility, so villages have to move about every 15 years.
It was delightful to observe the numerous activities on the shore - fishing, swimming, panning for gold etc.
I was told kids go to school from 8 to 11:30 am, then have a long lunch until 2 pm, then back in school until 4:30. They really enjoyed their lunch break!
Nice to see a wave from this woman.
Who knows.....?
No doubt about the fun here!
Panning for gold.
Fishing was done by nets suspended in the water from bamboo poles. They also used cast nets.
Nice outfit. Not many wore clothes that looked traditional.
This man was gathering bamboo.
Boating was very varied. There were REALLY fast taxi boats in which people often wore crash helmets. They travel the same distance as us in 6 hours! e took two days,
There were also fishing boats, freight carriers, and some others like us - but it didn't feel congested as if we were just one of many bunches of tourists. It really felt as if it was our own adventure.
This was typical of the smaller boats.
This was about the biggest boat we saw.
One night was spent in a little place called Pakbeng, which felt a lot like a frontier town to me. There was just one street, motorbikes careening up and down, a noisy karaoke bar dominating the scene! I felt as if I was in the wild, wild west! Pakbeng was pretty steep, too.
I was glad this was not our transportation.
Our hotel was quite colorful! The karaoke bar is to the right. It was a night for earplugs! The crew at the truck had hauled our bags up the hill for us - much appreciated!
Sunset looking down on the tributary at Pakbeng - the Nam Beng River - from a little temple.
Of course, one can't go far around here without visiting a temple - well it really wasn't a temple, it was a cave. We stopped here about an hour before the end of the journey. It's called Pak Ou Caves.
The Buddha images were a little worse for the wear.
This was the first time I came across this structure which is used to pour water along to wash the Buddha. I don't know what it is called. It is especially important at New Year (Songkran).
It contained MANY Buddha statuettes!
Not long after, we had to face the reality of dry land and the winding roads here - just a short drive to Luang Prabang.
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