Rob8891 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Living conditions, whether on land or on the river are very basic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 (edited) Air quality had been pretty poor in Chiang Mai, so this was supposed to be an escape from the pollution. Rob's first error! The scale of burning along the river was horrendous. That, combined with the smoke being trapped in the valley made for a rather unpleasant day. ADVICE.....If you ever want to do this trip, make sure it is outside the burning season! Ash the size of leaves fell all around us. Edited June 1, 2014 by Rob8891 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Two days on the boat from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang can be tedious at times, but it's a great opportunity for people-watching....both on the boat... ....and onshore, where the boat's arrival seemed to be quite an occasion. People would come down from the village and greet the returnee, then help carry all the goodies back up the riverbank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samuijimmy Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Nice shots Rob... .... . not been to Laos so cannot contribute! ..... too many regulations at the hotels too..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Mind you, not everyone looked happy to be getting off the boat and going home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Some aspects of life along the Mekong looked idyllic.... ....getting the craic... ....skinny-dipping with the gang... ...and just getting down to the nitty-gritty on the beach (it was hard to get to grips with the size of these sandbanks, they really were river beaches) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 But behind that picture of idyllic childhood, life for these people - (mostly "hilltribes"... Lahu, Lisu, Karen...) - was extremely hard, isolated with little transport except for the river, and often with no electricity, clean water or proper sanitation. Here the Laos Government is putting in a new road complete with a bridge over the Mekong. ...but typically villages are relatively cut off from the rest of the world. and house construction probably hasn't changed in many many years... In this area, it is still not unusual for young teenage girls to fall pregnant and then disappear into the forest alone to give birth. How frightening is that for them? The mortality rates must be horrendous if studied at the village level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 The scene from the hotel in Pak Beng, after the first day. Those aren't misty mountains, they are obscured by smoke. Right, that's it for now. Stay tuned for the next gripping (or is it griping) installment.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Next morning, I nearly put my hand on this wee fellow: It glistened like gold in the early morning (smoke-filtered) sun. I really do NOT like spiders, and Laos seemed full of them... Here's one we saw in Huay Xai, wrapping up his packed lunch.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Reminders of extreme poverty were never far away.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 I think the shop owners were worried about the weight of leaves on the roof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Back on the boat for day 2 of the journey. Like most large rivers, the Mekong is silt-laden and polluted, but nevertheless, the washing still has to be done.. and while we're at it, let's get the kids cleaned up.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 (edited) The further we went downstream, the clearer the air got (up to a point!). More evidence of how people support themselves appeared.... I haven't PP'd any of these shots. The day was naturally hazy with smoke, so I didn't want to destroy that atmosphere ( bad pun not intended) Edited June 2, 2014 by Rob8891 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 I wonder how much of this is legal?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 There was something to see all the way down the river. There was a huge temptation to bound round the boat, snapping away, but it was quite crowded. I was amazed at how some people just ignored the chance to view something new, sleeping, reading, or just generally ignoring the opportunity... It must've been a good book! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 The slowboat is not just a touristy thing; it is the local bus for the people of the area, so it called in at whichever villages where people wanted to board or jump ship. She marched up and down the boat brandishing a big kitchen knife, preparing food for herself and her family. There was quite a turn-out for her and her hubby when they reached their destination! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 (edited) The one big frustration of this trip, at least for me, was to get brief glimpses of the riverbank villages. I wanted to get out and explore, but couldn't. I'd like to go back and find out more about the lives of these people, but that would be treating them like animals in a zoo....come in, take photos, walk round and leave. Some villages do rely on tourism (some boats stop in the high season so that tourists can buy 'genuine' trinkets and food). Some even had a reception committee.... Edited June 2, 2014 by Rob8891 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Mekong Mysteries...... Where does this go? Who lives there? What do they do? Damn, I am just TOO nosy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Witing for his boat to come in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Wait for me!... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Trash is burned along the banks of the river, then the remainder is washed downstream... Eddies wash it into small bays along the river, where large amounts of plastics in particular gather. ...but it doesn't seem to deter the kids! ...or some adults... (out of focus shot) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Day 2, 16:30. We arrived at Luang Prabang - almost. Because it was Songkran, we could not dock at the usual spot in town, as it was being used as part of the processions, so we endured a half hour tuktuk ride into town. Some of those on board the boat would not pay the tuktuk fee - about 80baht/head - and set off to walk. Eejits! We found out it was atleast 10kms into town.... Now we move onto Rob's second epic blunder. One of the the main ideas of the trip was to escape the sheer hell of Songkran in Chiang Mai.....so we went to Luang Prabang (taken on my pjone) In addition to hurling water at you, these wee darlings used carbon from vehicle exhausts to black people up.... but on the plus side, Songkran in LP is an afternoon experience. In the morning, they sleep off their hangovers, in the afternoon they start again, and in the evening they seem to party hard and drive around the old city, showing off their vehicles and their crew.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 First task...meet the locals. These angelic rugrats were packing water guns.... ..meanwhile next door, we were being entertained by some really lovely people. What a great welcome to LP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 There is a strong French colonial influence here.....not to mention excellent coffee and croisants! A great spot for breakfast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 (edited) I got into a spot of bother with she-who-must be-obeyed when I made a boob and called these 'nipple hats' Edited June 2, 2014 by Rob8891 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draggons Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 Thanks for resurrecting the thread Rob Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draggons Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 Better start posting some of mine from LP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draggons Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 Tad Kuang Si 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draggons Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 On the river. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draggons Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 Brollys. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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