there was a time i was in a "speed boat" - where i was always in the speed boat - the past, the future - in the speed boat...
we left Chaing Mai on a mini-bus thinking we were going to spend the night in Huay Xie in Laos, instead we ended up (6 hours later) in the border town of Kang in Thailand. The most notable event for me at this point was that I had so far seen in Thailand - entire families on motorcycles, women eating dinner riding sideways in miniskirts, six year olds piled on and going at speed but in Kang I saw a woman driving a motorcycle with a poodle type dog sitting quite comfortably behind her... so it goes in border towns...we spent the night there in a very pink room overlooking the town (pics to come) and got up at dawn to catch our boat to Laos - a notable piece of information is our baggage - amber and i both have rolly bags with a few carry bags - not backpacker style and definitely not something to be taken lightly when taking boats to and in Laos...so after a little confusion with the woman proprietress of the hostel putting stickers on our chests and then riding off on her motorcycle with our passports – we headed down the “pier” with a few others in a songtheau – once getting there I looked eagerly around for our “slowboat” that was to take us on a two day jaunt down the Mekong river to luangprabang – instead we were directed to these very skinny – long wooden boats that hold about six people sitting at the edge of the very muddy bank – and there I am with my rolly… I have pics – and yes it is ridiculous – so we and amazingly enough our baggage get into one of the boats – for a moment I actually imagine that this is our new home for the next 8 hours and start laughing – instead this boat takes us across the river to Laos’ entrance where we do lots of things with our passports and hand American money to people and general walk around doing the five year old traveler thing where you just do whatever they tell you to do and hope for the best – at this point there is much talk about speed boats and how the slow boat is way overcrowded and yada yada – all I know at this point is that the rollys ain’t going on no slow boat! It would just be way too ludicrous! So we opt for the speed boat at the last minute – get separated from the big group we had been with for the last 24 hours and join a few new people in a Sontheau – again following blindly – but with much hope…we get taken to a random spot along the river that at best bet was I think run by the Lao mafia – after setting our bags down two English guys come over and say that they’ve been waiting for a few others to take the boat and were going to come with us – then a pause – and then they ask if we’d seen the speed boats yet…we hadn’t – and I – as a ignorant American had been picturing the speed boats we take on lakes and you know are white and metal and sturdy…instead when we finally see our speed boats, there is instead a very small, skinny wooden – metal boat with a great big engine attached… then they start handing out life jackets and helmets with visors – and a few people are putting bright green ear plugs into their ears… my stomach gets a little queasy… somehow they get our baggage tied on the front of the boat and six of us get in – there are yes three seating areas with wooden slats separating them – but with two people sandwiched into each section you basically become a sardine with a helmut and a bright red life vest..another important piece of info – we had been told this was going to be a 3 hour ride – but we should have known better – because they never ever tell you the right amount of hours… after about 45 minutes the driver pulls over to a house boat and we all sit up or stand up in the boat – legs have already fallen asleep and my ears are ringing from the sound of the engine – but its absolutely breath taking – stunning – everything – everything about it – the scenery - the house boats – the place the driver has stopped to buy a glass of milk – the kids playing and washing in the river – the cows lining the hillsides – we get back into our holes for another two hours or so and stop for lunch – on basically a floating wooden shanty restaurant strapped to the side of a mountain/hill – speed boats all lined up parallel to the place so that everyone has to climb through everyone else’s boats to get to the restaurant – great egg sandwich – and back on we were – for yes another three hours! this time though when we got back in – we planned everything a little more strategically – ipods in ears to stomp out some of the engine sound – bags readjusted for one more inch of leg space – and it was like a second home – pretty near our destination – the driver pulled over to the side of a cliff with a huge cave opening on the side – we climbed up several flights of stone stairs and were suddenly staring at hundreds of Buddha statues covering every part of the cave don’t know what its name is – or its history but was a little more amazing than I think you can imagine… back into the hole and a half n’hour later we land – at the bottom of a steep incline from what looks to be someone’s house – we get out and form a pass off line for the baggage to get to the top but I have to say the rolly was very gratefully taken up by one of the English guys because I think I might still be there right now trying to get it up those hills! As soon as we had landed a very small little girl had run up and started to point at things – mostly a few people’s colorful pillows – which she was quickly given along with amber’s water bottle – interesting welcoming committee… at the top we get into a waiting songtheau and drive through a neighborhood into the city of luangprabang…
for the rest you’ll have to wait – this blog is too long already!
But final thought – there is nothing like sitting in a very small boat probably topping speeds of 100 plus on the Mekong river to make you feel alive and quite in awe that you made it out on the other side – after seeing what you had just seen and fearing for your life a few too many times!
