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Slow Boat to Luangprabang STORY |
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Laos is not a comfortable country to travel around, but it's probably the most scenic. It's the least developed country in South East Asia, so there are plenty of untouched, gorgeous, green mountians. They don't have a good infrastructure yet, but I'm sure this will change within a few years (given the rapid pace of progress here). We crossed over the border from Chiang Khong, Thailand into Huay Xia (northern Laos). We then took a 2 day slow-boat (which very much resembled a refugee boat) to Luang Prabang. The slow boat stopped overnight in the small village of Pakbeng. There are speed boats available, but we didn't like the idea of a 6 hour , ass-slamming ride (complete with helmets). Also, there have been several fatal accidents involving these speed boats ...and we have time, anyway |
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Our slow-boat "cruise ship" turned out to be a rickety, old, wooden long boat hauling cargo. We thought Thailand's safety standards were bad ...but Laos doesn't even have any standards! The cargo appears to have been cans of paint. They just threw woven mats on the top of the paint cans and all of us backpackers (about 60) sat on top. At least it had a bathroom! As uncomfortable as this voyage was, it was a great opportunity to meet other travellers, enjoy the scenery, and take photos of the beautiful surroundings. When the weather was good, a lot people crammed outside on the front of the boat ...this freed up some space inside. |
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Each day, the boat would stop along the river at a small village so that the boat crew could buy their lunch for the day. They would prepare their meal in the back of the boat. The first day, they bought an ugly river catfish ...that didn't seem too unusual. But, the second day, they bought a mouse-deer. At least, I think it's a mouse-deer?? I'm sure it was really cute when it was alivee |
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MekongTravel.org
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