Floating down the Mekong

In order to come to Luang Prabang, where I've been the last two days, we had to leave Huaixay by slow boat and traveled down river to Pak Beng, stopped for the night and then carried on to LP.

I had thought that spending two days on the river just floating along would not be all that enjoyable and that the days would pass very slowly. Boy, was I wrong. In fact, floating down river was great. The days passed really quickly and the scenery surrounding us was magnificent. I think that five years from now, Laos will be the new Prague (or what Prague was in the late 80s) - a hip vacation location. The backpackers have already discovered it - it is time for everyone else.

I will be posting pics shortly, but I am not exaggerating when I say that the trees and mountains surrounding us made me think of the great Northwest in the US or perhaps what Ireland must look like during the days when it earns its name, the Emerald Isle. Alongside the trees and mountains, we watched water buffalo bathing alongside the river's edge and saw children jumping into the river with naked abandon.

While traveling downstream, we were able to stop at two villages on the way. In both villages, most of the adults were off in the fields and the children were either being watched by grandparents, neighbors or the older siblings. They live in mostly wooden huts with the odd brick building (owned by a villager who works in the city - LP probably). Next to the huts were smaller buildings to store the rice and corn they cook, while chickens, ducks and pigs (as well as cats and dogs) roamed around.

Being in the villages brings to bear that Laos is one of the least developed countries in the region and many of its villages are isolated - but life here is refreshingly simple. Life here is languid and it allows you to slow down a notch - definitely enough to enjoy the scenery as you float down a river. Ahh, this is the life.