Backpacking Laos
A week traveling down the mekong river on a Slow Boat
Ever dreamt of drifting along the Mekong River, straddling the border of Thailand and Laos, on a leisurely bamboo boat? Nope, me neither! But somehow I found myself floating down the Mekong at a snail’s pace, surrounded by a motley crew of old and new friends alike.
After finishing up three semesters of teaching English in Thailand, Laos was the first stop on our three month journey through Asia. The brackish brown waters, set against the backdrop of the low-hanging Luang Prabang range, may not offer a postcard-perfect view, but they unfold a canvas for stories more memorable than any picturesque scene. We witnessed kids at play in fishing villages, a bloated cat carcass drifting downstream, and hills—endless hills. Yet, within this tableau lies a moment of revelation, a peek into the shadowy underbelly of a country yet untouched by the tidal wave of tourists. Life is dirt cheap in Laos, and corruption is a vaguely discussed but a seriously impending issue.
The rugged Laotian landscape juts out behind old French buildings and local fishing boats and the small hillside towns illustrate a simple way of life. The rivers and mountains running through Laos invite and incite the adventurer within. We kayaked, motorbiked, zip-lined and tubed our way from Northern Laos down to the capital of Vientienne. Navigating from point A to B presented its fair share of comical challenges, including a rather memorable episode featuring motion sickness brought on by hours on the winding, unpaved roads. After two years of living and traveling with some of our new teacher friends, Liza, Charlotte and I hugged goodbye and split off from the pack onto our next adventure.