I needed to get from the Thai/Laos border town of Huay Xai to Luang Prabang. There are three ways to do this: a 13 hour bus ride, a 6 hour speedboat down the Mekong River, or a 2 day slow river boat which stops for the night in the small town of Pakbeng. For a variety of reasons, I chose the 2 day boat. There is a public option and multiple private boat options, some exceedingly expensive. I chose the least expensive private boat I could find and it was a great experience. I spent two really relaxing days enjoying the peaceful scenery, nursing a few Beerlaos, and binge watching a couple of TV shows.
Another reason to do this trip is the overall significance of the Mekong River. It is the beating heart of Southeast Asia. Starting at the Tibetan Plateau the river runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
Since ChatGPT is getting so much attention now, I thought I’d ask it to explain why the river is so important. Here are some of the main excerpts from its relatively long response:
“The Mekong River basin is home to over 60 million people who rely on the river for their livelihoods. It’s one of the world’s most biodiverse rivers, supporting a wide range of plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. The river is home to over 1,000 species of fish, making it one of the most important freshwater fisheries in the world. The river is considered sacred by many communities, and its water is used in religious rituals and ceremonies. The Mekong River and its tributaries are home to a variety of important wetlands and other ecosystems that provide critical habitats for a wide range of plant and animal species. The Mekong River basin plays an important role in regulating the regional climate, including the distribution of rainfall and temperature patterns. The river also serves as a natural carbon sink, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.”
And since it was on a roll, I asked it to write a haiku on the importance of the river:
“Mekong’s winding course,
Sustains millions with its flow,
Nature’s gift below.”
Hmmm….maybe it should keep its day job 🙂
The view of the Mekong River from my modest guesthouse in Huay Xai.
Sunset from Huay Xai looking across the river to Thailand and the golden Buddha on the hill.
The boat had a lot of room. We had assigned tables, but there was a lot of space throughout the boat to hang out away from your table if you wanted. I shared a table with a Kenji from Tokyo who is a director for NHK TV and an avid railroad traveler. He was there to take the new Chinese financed speed train through Laos into Thailand.
They gave us two really great buffet lunches each day.
Leaving the boat area just outside Huay Xai.
There were parts of the river with light rapids that the boat had to navigate around.
The full boat at one of the pretty nondescript villages we stopped at.
The small town of Packbeng where we spent the night.
A couple of happy young monks pearing out of one of the public boats.
It was burning season in the north. Everywhere I went in Northern Thailand and Laos had smoky, hazy skies because of all the controlled burnings the farmers do this time of year. Between the haze of Bangkok and the burning season everywhere else, I’ve yet to see consistent blue skies anywhere in SE Asia at this point.
We visited the Pak Ou Caves near the end of our journey, about 25 kilometers from Luang Prabang. People take day trips from the city to visit these. They are really known for the hundreds of miniture Buddha figures throughout the upper and lower caves. It was nice to visit, but I don’t think I’d go out of my way to do so.
Another village we visited; this one just sold some not-so-great-tasting whiskey and some really nice hand made scarves. I was more interested in views of the river.
