Chiang Khong - Luang Prabang, Laos

Slow Boat, Down the Mekong River


In a river balance
Two crew members find themselves on the narrow side of a Mekong boat.
Of departure
Boat loaded with backpackers and natives of the region sets sail from Huay Xai downriver, towards Luang Prabang.
Fog in Pakbeng
Mekong River shrouded in fog, as seen from the top of Pakbeng, the village where passengers on their way to Luang Prabang spend the night.
hot passenger
A Lao child catches the wind to cool off aboard one of the boats that travel down the Mekong.
The habit makes the monk
Buddhist monks prepare to get into a taxi after leaving the boat and the Mekong River.
sudden thirst
A Lao passenger draws water from the Mekong to feed the rooster beside him.
Buddhist drying rack
Costumes of Buddhist monks dry in a monastery in Luang Prabang.
lying buddha
One of several golden Buddha statues in Luang Prabang.
holy passage
Young religious apprentices walk through the Wat Xieng Thong temple.
some river acrobatics
A teenager does a somersault into the muddy water of the Mekong River from a bank in the foothills of Luang Prabang.
Government Art
A propagandist poster by the government of Laos combines traditional values ​​of the country with a desired modernity.
Lao Crafts
Mats and balls of ka taw - a popular sport in Asia - displayed in a shop in central Luang Prabang.
Work day
Women organize loads of dried vegetables at a river dock in Luang Prabang
Huay Xai fashion
A wrapped-up child holds sweets freshly offered by western travelers on their way to Luang Prabang
a narrow landing
A crew member of a bright vessel prepares to return to land, in Huay Xai.
A rocky anchorage
More boats moored at Pakbeng Natural Dock, roughly halfway between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang
Somchai Fruit
Workers load fruit boxes into boats taken to Huay Xai by trucks further up the high bank
A rocky anchorage II
Boats moored at Pakbeng Natural Dock, about halfway between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang
On my way
Typical Mekong boat travels along the river along one of its high banks
Laos' beauty and lower cost are good reasons to sail between Chiang Khong and Luang Prabang. But this long descent of the Mekong River can be as exhausting as it is picturesque.

The border is threefold and imposes multiple customs procedures on us.

Even so, we got dispatched from the Thai side sooner than we expected. When crossing to the Laos bank, we go back a few kilometers on the river.

In Huay Xai, an anxious crowd of opportunistic agents and sellers awaits us. We ignore the pressure as much as we can.

We were thus able to be among the first to arrive at the local authorities' offices and obtain stamps in our passports. Upon exit, the agents return to the load.

Chiang Khong to Luang Prabang, Laos, Through the Mekong Below

A crew member of a bright vessel prepares to return to land, in Huay Xai.

They know by heart what semi-accidental tourists come for. Only two reasons could bring Europeans, Americans and Australians to these dubious corners of Southeast Asia.

The Golden Triangle extends into the surrounding mountains and is one of the most active opium and heroin producing regions in the world. Leaving aside that any of the teenagers would come to close illicit and risky deals, only one hypothesis made sense: that Luang Prabang had become an unavoidable scale.

Chiang Khong to Luang Prabang, Laos, Through the Mekong Below

Typical Mekong boat travels along the river along one of its high banks

The river trip, which lasted almost two days and was a little tiring, did not even prove to be the only option. Airplanes depart regularly Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, to Luang Prabang.

Even so, the price difference and the epic delight of traveling down the Mekong through deep valleys and tribal villages was reason enough for all of us to take the slow boat. The journey, however, had its own setbacks.

“This is dangerous. Go much faster and safer in our boats, I guarantee you!” guarantees the representative of a small family business in speed boats with powerboat visuals, while all the others make similar promises.

Travelers might as well leaf through their Lonely Planets, Rough Guides and Routards full of advice, post-it notes and doodles. But they are not prepared either for the real situation or for deciding under the threat of so many lobbies.

Down the Mekong and Laos Below

As if that were not enough, only apparently minor issues disturb us. “Cushions, cushions” proclaim women protected from the tropical sun. The suggestion generates a new wave of indecision. To have or not to have bought those paraphernalia Made in China will come to have enormous significance.

That same morning we embarked on a sort of floating green-yellow parallelepiped. Like an international game of chairs, passengers compete fiercely for seats.

Those who wake up too late for the pastime immediately begin distilling next to the furnace fed by the old two-stroke engine and go crazy with their tuk tuk tuk deafening.

Over the course of two days, the winding route takes place at ridiculous speed, with repeated stops to collect peasants who appear out of nowhere.

The new passengers bring on board inevitable rural cargo: large bunches of vegetables, sacks and sacks of who knows what, chickens, rabbits and even goats.

Chiang Khong to Luang Prabang, Laos, Through the Mekong Below

A Lao passenger draws water from the Mekong to feed the rooster beside him.

Outsiders scrutinize newcomers from top to bottom. With the exception of one or another victim of excessive inconvenience, they are excited about their departure. Everyone travels in discovery mode.

And any novelty combats the growing monotony of navigation in an already diminished Mekong that the dry season continued to shrink.

Chiang Khong to Luang Prabang, Laos, Through the Mekong Below

Buddhist monks prepare to get into a taxi after leaving the boat and the Mekong River.

Pakbeng's Providential Scale

Night creeps in. It becomes increasingly difficult for the helmsman and his assistants to identify the rocks and shallows.

Without warning, we saw a village built on stilts at the top of a rocky slope. Shortly afterwards, the vessel we are on joins a long sequence of replicas already anchored at the riverside of the village.

We had arrived at Pakbeng. It was said on board that this was the middle of the journey.

Chiang Khong to Luang Prabang, Laos, Through the Mekong Below

More boats moored at Pakbeng Natural Dock, roughly halfway between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang

Most foreigners were already thinking of the reward of a hot meal and a refreshing sleep. As with the initial boarding, they also had to put up with the dispute between the owners of small local inns for the profit of their stays.

The night passed in three strokes, shortened by an early departure that the dense fog ended up postponing. Late, still a little sleepy, we returned to the same seats as the day before, ready for another day on the Mekong.

Eight hours and many overtaking speed boats afterwards, we are all eager again to return to earth.

Chiang Khong to Luang Prabang, Laos, Through the Mekong Below

Boat loaded with backpackers and natives of the region sets sail from Huay Xai downriver, towards Luang Prabang.

Finally, Landing in Luang Prabang

Approaching the city on the high banks of the Mekong appears like a mirage. With just 16.000 inhabitants, Luang Prabang is, to the detriment of the capital Vientiane, the must-see destination in Laos.

The surrounding mountain scenery, the approximately thirty-two Buddhist temples that, despite the various wars that ravaged the country, remain standing and the omnipresent French colonial architecture conferred, in 1995, the status of UNESCO World Heritage.

Chiang Khong to Luang Prabang, Laos, Through the Mekong Below

Young religious apprentices walk through the Wat Xieng Thong temple.

They justify the presence and permanent work of French, Japanese and Lao architects.

Very little has changed around these parts since the period of the largest colony that the French knew to be, on the map, between the India and China and so they christened Indochina.

Isolated from the capitalist frenzy of its Southeast Asian neighbors, Luang Prabang breathes pure air.

It radiates calm and spirituality, agitated only by visitors who, depending on the rainy season of the year, arrive one after the other.

The Francophone Legacy of Luang Prabang

Arranged along a peninsula at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, the historic and cultural heart of the city boasts, even today, the refinement of the houses Lao wood and bamboo and French colonial brick and stucco buildings.

On the main street, Thanon Sisavangvong, almost all of the ground floors have given way to cafes, restaurants, bars and other small businesses, tastefully decorated and, here and there, anachronistic French-speaking influences, like the embarrassed Little Prince with which we found ourselves in a picturesque creperie.

In addition to the introduction of electricity and the growing number of cars and other vehicles, rush hour continues to occur when students leave schools and the streets are filled with kids in white and blue uniforms, on foot and on bicycles.

During the remaining hours of the day, it is the orange tone of the monks' clothing that stands out the most and embodies the strongest brand image of Buddhism.

Chiang Khong to Luang Prabang, Laos, Through the Mekong Below

Costumes of Buddhist monks dry in a monastery in Luang Prabang.

Wherever we go, we pass by temples and sanctuaries, some true complexes that group together elegant and grandiose buildings adorned with noble materials.

Hundreds of religious apprentices inhabit them in community, receiving sacred teachings and subjecting themselves to the shared obligation of earthly tasks: taking care of temples and surrounding gardens, washing clothes and dishes, preparing ceremonies.

We find the same passengers on the Mekong boat again at Talat Dala, the city's market where dozens of Hmong, Mien and Tai women gather every day, skilled sellers of blankets, rugs and other distinctive artifacts of their tribes.

Work day

Women organize loads of dried vegetables at a river dock in Luang Prabang

From Thanon Sisavangvong Avenue to the Mekong's Tropical Rim

Lunch time arrives and the heat hits like never before. We join the visitors from the four corners of the world who exchange adventures from their last trips on Thanon Sisavangvong avenue and we share two traditional dishes accompanied by the emblematic Bear Lao.

An hour later, a few meters down, we return to the precious shade of the coconut trees on the waterfront street.

From there, we watch the Lao kids play on old inflated inner tubes and the colorful boats that dock and set sail. Until the sluggish flow of the river unsettles us and we are on our way again.

Chiang Khong to Luang Prabang, Laos, Through the Mekong Below

A teenager does a somersault into the muddy water of the Mekong River from a bank in the foothills of Luang Prabang.

We move in the opposite direction and come across the hill of Phu Si, which is also full of temples. Hundreds of steps up, Wat Tham Phu Si appears.

This is, of all, the most panoramic spot in Luang Prabang and countless sunset worshipers gather here every afternoon.

While recovering from the climb, the first to arrive go around the temple, and enjoy the surrounding landscape. Then, they take their place at a mini-stand and divide themselves between contemplating the star and commenting on the fatigue of the next ones to conquer the long staircase to the mount.

The sunset turns out to be impressive and elicits a collective round of applause. Gradually, those lucky ones on vacation or on a sabbatical return to the bustle of the central streets that are already waiting to serve them dinner.

Once again at the table, we heard from other backpackers good-natured remarks about accumulated fatigue and expressions of admiration for the mystical beauty of Laos.

Chiang Khong to Luang Prabang, Laos, Through the Mekong Below

A propagandist poster by the government of Laos combines traditional values ​​of the country with a desired modernity.

One Australian, in particular, shows great difficulty in conforming: “Well, you're right. But how is it possible for a country like this to have had its back turned to the world? "

Aswan, Egypt

Where the Nile Welcomes the Black Africa

1200km upstream of its delta, the Nile is no longer navigable. The last of the great Egyptian cities marks the fusion between Arab and Nubian territory. Since its origins in Lake Victoria, the river has given life to countless African peoples with dark complexions.
Boat Trips

For Those Becoming Internet Sick

Hop on and let yourself go on unmissable boat trips like the Philippine archipelago of Bacuit and the frozen sea of ​​the Finnish Gulf of Bothnia.
Kemi, Finland

It is No "Love Boat". Icebreaker since 1961

Built to maintain waterways through the most extreme arctic winter, the icebreaker Sampo” fulfilled its mission between Finland and Sweden for 30 years. In 1988, he reformed and dedicated himself to shorter trips that allow passengers to float in a newly opened channel in the Gulf of Bothnia, in clothes that, more than special, seem spacey.
Chiang Mai, Thailand

300 Wats of Spiritual and Cultural Energy

Thais call every Buddhist temple wat and their northern capital has them in obvious abundance. Delivered to successive events held between shrines, Chiang Mai is never quite disconnected.
Hanoi, Vietnam

Under the Order of Chaos

Hanoi has long ignored scant traffic lights, other traffic signs and decorative traffic lights. It lives in its own rhythm and in an order of chaos unattainable by the West.
Beagle Channel, Argentina

Darwin and the Beagle Channel: on the Theory of the Evolution Route

In 1833, Charles Darwin sailed aboard the "Beagle" through the channels of Tierra del Fuego. His passage through these southern confines shaped the revolutionary theory he formulated of the Earth and its species
Puerto Natales-Puerto Montt, Chile

Cruise on board a Freighter

After a long begging of backpackers, the Chilean company NAVIMAG decided to admit them on board. Since then, many travelers have explored the Patagonian canals, side by side with containers and livestock.
u-bein BridgeMyanmar

The Twilight of the Bridge of Life

At 1.2 km, the oldest and longest wooden bridge in the world allows the Burmese of Amarapura to experience Lake Taungthaman. But 160 years after its construction, U Bein is in its twilight.
Saint Petersburg, Russia

When the Russian Navy Stations in Saint Petersburg

Russia dedicates the last Sunday of July to its naval forces. On that day, a crowd visits large boats moored on the Neva River as alcohol-drenched sailors seize the city.
Bangkok, Thailand

One Thousand and One Lost Nights

In 1984, Murray Head sang the nighttime magic and bipolarity of the Thai capital in "One night in bangkok". Several years, coups d'etat, and demonstrations later, Bangkok remains sleepless.
Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

Back to Danny Boyle's The Beach

It's been 15 years since the debut of the backpacker classic based on the novel by Alex Garland. The film popularized the places where it was shot. Shortly thereafter, the XNUMX tsunami literally washed some away off the map. Today, their controversial fame remains intact.
Residents walk along the trail that runs through plantations above the UP4
City
Gurué, Mozambique, Part 1

Through the Mozambican Lands of Tea

The Portuguese founded Gurué in the 1930th century and, from XNUMX onwards, flooded it with camellia sinensis the foothills of the Namuli Mountains. Later, they renamed it Vila Junqueiro, in honor of its main promoter. With the independence of Mozambique and the civil war, the town regressed. It continues to stand out for the lush green imposing mountains and teak landscapes.
Host Wezi points out something in the distance
Beaches
Cobue; Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

The Hidden Mozambique of the Creaking Sands

During a tour from the bottom to the top of Lake Malawi, we find ourselves on the island of Likoma, an hour by boat from Nkwichi Lodge, the solitary base of this inland coast of Mozambique. On the Mozambican side, the lake is known as Niassa. Whatever its name, there we discover some of the most stunning and unspoilt scenery in south-east Africa.
Hippopotamus moves in the flooded expanse of the Elephant Plain.
safari
Maputo National Park, Mozambique

The Wild Mozambique between the Maputo River and the Indian Ocean

The abundance of animals, especially elephants, led to the creation of a Hunting Reserve in 1932. After the hardships of the Mozambican Civil War, the Maputo PN protects prodigious ecosystems in which fauna proliferates. With emphasis on the pachyderms that have recently become too many.
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 5th - Ngawal a BragaNepal

Towards the Nepalese Braga

We spent another morning of glorious weather discovering Ngawal. There is a short journey towards Manang, the main town on the way to the zenith of the Annapurna circuit. We stayed for Braga (Braka). The hamlet would soon prove to be one of its most unforgettable places.
Sirocco, Arabia, Helsinki
Architecture & Design
Helsinki, Finland

The Design that Came from the Cold

With much of the territory above the Arctic Circle, Finns respond to the climate with efficient solutions and an obsession with art, aesthetics and modernism inspired by neighboring Scandinavia.
Full Dog Mushing
Aventura
Seward, Alaska

The Alaskan Dog Mushing Summer

It's almost 30 degrees and the glaciers are melting. In Alaska, entrepreneurs have little time to get rich. Until the end of August, dog mushing cannot stop.
Burning prayers, Ohitaki Festival, fushimi temple, kyoto, japan
Ceremonies and Festivities
Kyoto, Japan

A Combustible Faith

During the Shinto celebration of Ohitaki, prayers inscribed on tablets by the Japanese faithful are gathered at the Fushimi temple. There, while being consumed by huge bonfires, her belief is renewed.
ice tunnel, black gold route, Valdez, Alaska, USA
Cities
Valdez, Alaska

On the Black Gold Route

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker caused a massive environmental disaster. The vessel stopped plying the seas, but the victim city that gave it its name continues on the path of crude oil from the Arctic Ocean.
Lunch time
Margilan, Uzbekistan

An Uzbekistan's Breadwinner

In one of the many bakeries in Margilan, worn out by the intense heat of the tandyr oven, the baker Maruf'Jon works half-baked like the distinctive traditional breads sold throughout Uzbekistan
Nahuatl celebration
Culture

Mexico City, Mexico

mexican soul

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Sport
Competitions

Man: an Ever Tested Species

It's in our genes. For the pleasure of participating, for titles, honor or money, competitions give meaning to the world. Some are more eccentric than others.
Traveling
Moçamedes to PN Iona, Namibe, Angola

Grand entrance to the Angola of the Dunes

Still with Moçâmedes as a starting point, we traveled in search of the sands of Namibe and Iona National Park. The cacimbo meteorology prevents the continuation between the Atlantic and the dunes to the stunning south of Baía dos Tigres. It will only be a matter of time.
Gray roofs, Lijiang, Yunnan, China
Ethnic
Lijiang, China

A Gray City but Little

Seen from afar, its vast houses are dreary, but Lijiang's centuries-old sidewalks and canals are more folkloric than ever. This city once shone as the grandiose capital of the Naxi people. Today, floods of Chinese visitors who fight for the quasi-theme park it have become take it by storm.
ice tunnel, black gold route, Valdez, Alaska, USA
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

Sensations vs Impressions

Unusual bathing
History

south of Belize

The Strange Life in the Black Caribbean Sun

On the way to Guatemala, we see how the proscribed existence of the Garifuna people, descendants of African slaves and Arawak Indians, contrasts with that of several much more airy bathing areas.

On hold, Mauna Kea volcano in space, Big Island, Hawaii
Islands
Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Mauna Kea: the Volcano with an Eye out in Space

The roof of Hawaii was off-limits to natives because it housed benevolent deities. But since 1968, several nations sacrificed the peace of the gods and built the greatest astronomical station on the face of the Earth.
coast, fjord, Seydisfjordur, Iceland
Winter White
Seydisfjordur, Iceland

From the Art of Fishing to the Fishing of Art

When shipowners from Reykjavik bought the Seydisfjordur fishing fleet, the village had to adapt. Today, it captures Dieter Roth's art disciples and other bohemian and creative souls.
Baie d'Oro, Île des Pins, New Caledonia
Literature
Île-des-Pins, New Caledonia

The Island that Leaned against Paradise

In 1964, Katsura Morimura delighted the Japan with a turquoise novel set in Ouvéa. But the neighboring Île-des-Pins has taken over the title "The Nearest Island to Paradise" and thrills its visitors.
Chã das Caldeiras to Mosteiros, Fogo Island, Cape Verde
Nature
Chã das Caldeiras a Mosteiros, Fogo Island, Cape Verde

Chã das Caldeiras to Mosteiros: descent through the Ends of Fogo

With the Cape Verde summit conquered, we sleep and recover in Chã das Caldeiras, in communion with some of the lives at the mercy of the volcano. The next morning, we started the return to the capital São Filipe, 11 km down the road to Mosteiros.
Sheki, Autumn in the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Autumn Homes
Autumn
Sheki, Azerbaijan

autumn in the caucasus

Lost among the snowy mountains that separate Europe from Asia, Sheki is one of Azerbaijan's most iconic towns. Its largely silky history includes periods of great harshness. When we visited it, autumn pastels added color to a peculiar post-Soviet and Muslim life.
Graciosa, Azores, Monte da Ajuda
Natural Parks
Graciosa, Azores

Her Grace the Graciosa

Finally, we will disembark in Graciosa, our ninth island in the Azores. Even if less dramatic and verdant than its neighbors, Graciosa preserves an Atlantic charm that is its own. Those who have the privilege of living it, take from this island of the central group an esteem that remains forever.
Vairocana Buddha, Todai ji Temple, Nara, Japan
UNESCO World Heritage
Nara, Japan

The Colossal Cradle of the Japanese Buddhism

Nara has long since ceased to be the capital and its Todai-ji temple has been demoted. But the Great Hall remains the largest ancient wooden building in the world. And it houses the greatest bronze Vairocana Buddha.
aggie gray, Samoa, South Pacific, Marlon Brando Fale
Characters
Apia, Western Samoa

The Host of the South Pacific

She sold burguês to GI's in World War II and opened a hotel that hosted Marlon Brando and Gary Cooper. Aggie Gray passed away in 2. Her legacy lives on in the South Pacific.
Cable car connecting Puerto Plata to the top of PN Isabel de Torres
Beaches
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

The Dominican Home Silver

Puerto Plata resulted from the abandonment of La Isabela, the second attempt at a Hispanic colony in the Americas. Almost half a millennium after Columbus's landing, it inaugurated the nation's inexorable tourist phenomenon. In a lightning passage through the province, we see how the sea, the mountains, the people and the Caribbean sun keep it shining.
Peasant woman, Majuli, Assam, India
Religion
Majuli Island, India

An Island in Countdown

Majuli is the largest river island in India and would still be one of the largest on Earth were it not for the erosion of the river Bramaputra that has been making it diminish for centuries. If, as feared, it is submerged within twenty years, more than an island, a truly mystical cultural and landscape stronghold of the Subcontinent will disappear.
Flam Railway composition below a waterfall, Norway.
On Rails
Nesbyen to Flam, Norway

Flam Railway: Sublime Norway from the First to the Last Station

By road and aboard the Flam Railway, on one of the steepest railway routes in the world, we reach Flam and the entrance to the Sognefjord, the largest, deepest and most revered of the Scandinavian fjords. From the starting point to the last station, this monumental Norway that we have unveiled is confirmed.
Magome to Tsumago, Nakasendo, Path medieval Japan
Society
Magome-Tsumago, Japan

Magome to Tsumago: The Overcrowded Path to the Medieval Japan

In 1603, the Tokugawa shogun dictated the renovation of an ancient road system. Today, the most famous stretch of the road that linked Edo to Kyoto is covered by a mob eager to escape.
Busy intersection of Tokyo, Japan
Daily life
Tokyo, Japan

The Endless Night of the Rising Sun Capital

Say that Tokyo do not sleep is an understatement. In one of the largest and most sophisticated cities on the face of the Earth, twilight marks only the renewal of the frenetic daily life. And there are millions of souls that either find no place in the sun, or make more sense in the “dark” and obscure turns that follow.
Newborn turtle, PN Tortuguero, Costa Rica
Wildlife
Tortuguero NP, Costa Rica

A Night at the Nursery of Tortuguero

The name of the Tortuguero region has an obvious and ancient reason. Turtles from the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea have long flocked to the black sand beaches of its narrow coastline to spawn. On one of the nights we spent in Tortuguero we watched their frenzied births.
The Sounds, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Fiordland, New Zealand

The Fjords of the Antipodes

A geological quirk made the Fiordland region the rawest and most imposing in New Zealand. Year after year, many thousands of visitors worship the sub-domain slashed between Te Anau and Milford Sound.