Cruising On The Mekong – Slow Boat To Luang Prabang

Cruising along the mysterious Mekong River on a slow boat from the Laos border town of Huay-Xai down to Luang Prabang has been one of the highlights of our travels through Laos. From the Tibetan Plateau, the Mekong River crosses the borders of SE Asian countries such as China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, flowing towards the China Sea. Our floating vessel was a traditional, long and narrow, wooden boat that quietly glided right on the surface of the water, making us feel like we could just stretch our arms over and touch the water.

The Mekong river has shaped Laos and its people who use it as a source of food, and a highway for transporting goods up and down its 1,240 miles long course through the heart of the country. The river is worshipped by the Lao people as it is believed to have the power to dispense prosperity or even to be the cause of cruel calamities.

We are just a few days into our 10 weeks backpacking trip in SE Asia, the previous night was spent at a very comfortable and friendly guest house at the border town of Chiang Khong in Northern Thailand, making our crossing into Laos a very easy affair. Our guest house owner kindly gave us a lift to the Thai-Lao border control point in the early morning. From the guesthouse, it was just a 15 minutes drive through a shortcut that she regularly uses.

Border Crossing Formalities

At the Thai checkpoint entrance, we got hold of the necessary forms for our entry into Laos.

There was a desk there and someone to answer any questions and help us with filling in the forms, although the forms were very straightforward to understand. You are asked to provide the usual information such as passport number, country of issue, expiry date, nationality, etc (remember to take a pen with you). We had to fill in two forms, one of the forms was on both sides. Our passport size photos were then stapled to the form.

After we filled in the forms, we joined a small queue to be stamped out of Thailand (since this is the Thai border), and here you also hand over the little ticket/piece of paper you got when you first entered Thailand.

We then all boarded a bus that drove us over the bridge and into the Laos immigration side. Our tour guide from “Shompoo Cruises” was waiting for us at this Lao- border crossing point. He got hold of our luggage and pointed us towards window number 1.

At window 1, we handed over our passport + the filled-in forms with photo.

At window 2, we collected our passports with the visa.

Finally, at window 3 we paid for our visa to enter Laos (visa prices vary depending on what country you come from), with a UK passport we paid U$ 35 each (January 2020). Welcome to Laos!!

Our Slow Boat Trip To Luang Prabang – Day one

Once the whole group had finished with the immigration formalities, our cruise guide took us all by mini-van to a small port by the Mekong River, where our cruise boat had been waiting for us.

Our cruising boat was beautiful, spacious, very comfortable, and spotlessly clean. We were asked to remove our shoes at the door, flipflops were allowed.

There were 26 of us on board, but the boat had room for over 40 people, so we all got very comfortable with window seats and a table. The longboat had areas for relaxing, a few seats at the front of the boat, and a few at the back. There was a small kitchen at the back and bar area in the middle of the boat, with as much as you want tea, coffee, and water on offer (you had to pay extra to drink beer, but it was very cheap). There were also two spotlessly clean toilets. At this stage, we both felt really happy with our choice of cruising company.

Soon after our departure the tour guide, Sommay, introduced himself and explained all about the day ahead. He spoke very good English, albeit with a strong accent. He told us about the different Laos tribes and about his own tribe the Khmu. There are 49 recognized ethnicities consisting of over 160 ethnic groups in Laos. The official language is Lao, although there are many other tribal languages. The French language once commonly used by government and business has significantly declined, whilst the knowledge of English has increased. He was keen to teach us some words in Lao…it did not take long for us to grasp how to say thank you… “Khop jai” or “Khop jai lai lai”  or  “Khop jai deu”- for thank you very much. We were good students and learned fast.

Our cruising guide,  Sommay, accompanied us for the entire 2 days journey.

Map of our route along the Mekong River displayed on the boat (see pale blue line), from Houey Xay to Luang Prabang, with an overnight stay in Pakbeng.

The views along the river were gorgeous, we floated past sparsely populated areas, small villages, white sandy beaches, giant granite rocks formations, lush green vegetation including many palm and banana trees, giving it a tropical feel. There were also mountains in the distance and people panning for gold along the shores of the Mekong River. From a distance we observed life going on, as it has done every day for centuries, fisherman hooking up their lines or spreading out their fishing nets. Water-buffalos were another common sighting, even though, as our guide explained these animals are expensive to buy and worth a thousand dollars each, we could spot many along the river.

Every now and again we were reminded of why ours was described as the slow boat as a tiny longtail speedboat would scream past – on the same route as us but doing in a few hours what we would do in two days. Judging by the miserable faces of the dozen or so passengers huddled on the screaming missile as it hammered by, it was cold and uncomfortable and a million miles from the comfort we were experiencing.

I sat for a while alongside our boat Capitan, who in spite of his young looks, had an incredible knowledge of these, at times, treacherous waters. I noticed how he surrounded himself with Buddha images and offerings, I guess all here to offer him and the boat crew some kind of protection. But what reassured me the most, was his amazing skills at steering this longboat along the river, without any sophisticated navigation gadgets, he held onto the steering wheel with such confidence. I noticed the fast pace of change from calm to fast river waters, through narrow passages, many hazardous rock formations, and plenty of other large vessels navigating in the opposite direction. He knows this river like the back of his hand, it was mesmerizing to watch him.

Sitting with the boat Captain…I am so envious of those cheekbones.

We passed alongside many other strange-looking boats and large vessels.

We were served an absolutely delicious meal, which was particularly impressive, considering the size of the kitchen and the lack of cooking appliances. All freshly cooked and served by the crew. The food was laid out like a buffet, with a long-serving table at both sides of the boat, and there was plenty for everyone, including vegetarian options. By the time lunch was served we were all very hungry and it did not take long for the buffet to be totally devoured.

Delicious Lao food, the little banana leaves parcels are steamed fish in a coconut sauce.

After lunch, we got plenty of time to relax and even have a nap, before we got to our first destination. Our journey down the river was broken at a little Khmu village, perched up above the Mekong River.

We arrive bearing gifts for the small village.

We disembarked bearing gifts and the children of the village came over to give us a warm welcome. We walked along the shores, towards some steps and a path leading up to a steep sandy hill. At the top, there were just a few bamboo houses, with no electricity, no running water, no wifi connection, no phone lines, no mobile signal. A place stuck in a time warp, people living a very simple life, a hand to mouth existence, and very much dependent on what the land and river can give them, relying on their hard work and each other.

A simple bamboo house, little home comforts, but with amazing views over the Mekong River.

We noticed that some of the children were not at school, they were busy working and helping the adults with daily tasks.

The steep path up to the village school.

Village school.

We unveiled the gifts and the kids gathered curiously around us.

We made our way up passing by the few little bamboo houses, chickens, and pigs roaming freely, and the children looking at us like we were from another planet. Later on, our guide explains that they don’t actually receive many visitors.

At the very top of the hill, we arrived at their little bamboo school. The Shompoo Cruises company uses some of their profits to make donations to the village, this time they are giving a much-needed water fountain and filtering system so the children can drink clean water. Our group also donates pencils and copy books. This little classroom is open to the elements, with just a tin roof and no windows. The kids differ in age, but there is only one teacher who tries hard to cater to all the different abilities. They learn to speak the official Lao language (since at home they speak a Khmu dialect), writing and reading. Our guide Sommay explains that some of the kids only attend school for a few hours a day since they have to help out with chores.

One of the ladies in our group had few packets of cookies, but sadly not enough for all the children. Only half of the children were able to enjoy the cookies, something that we all felt very uncomfortable about. We also donated some much-needed money to the village. We thought this visit would feel a little voyeuristic and pointless, but we were wrong. The kids enjoyed the visit and benefited from the donations. Although if we were to visit again we would make sure to take enough gifts such as plenty of schooling materials, sweets, biscuits, etc for all the kids.

Our guide, Sommay, explains that this village had not had a chance of receiving visitors in the past since most cruise companies stop at other villages instead, such as the Hmong communities, but since he has joined the Shompoo Cruises company just two months ago he has ensured that this tribe can also benefit from these visits. They are very poor and need all the help they can get, the adults work beating and then sun drying some sort of plant stems that are later made into sweeping brushes. It is a very rural and remote existence, and the little school that caters for all ages is all they have as far as education is concerned.

Our guide later told us he is also a Khmu and comes from a similar village. His brothers all ended up leaving home and going to live in a monastery. By becoming a novice Monk, they had a better chance of getting a good education. It was at a Monastery in Luang Prabang that he learned to speak English and later found jobs in the tourism industry. Now aged 34 he is ready to get married. He explained to us that his future bride has to be from the same tribe (Khmu) to be accepted by the family. They can’t marry people from a different tribe. His bride to be is just 18 years old and he has only met her once. The marriage has been arranged between his family and the bride’s family. He hopes that they will be married by the end of the year.

After such an eventful day, we arrived at Pakbeng, a small town that caters to cruise companies. There were hotels, guest houses, and a few restaurants there, but not much else. We stayed overnight in a little guest house just up the hill from where our boat docked. Across the road from us, there was a good Indian restaurant, where we had our dinner before retiring early and exhausted to our comfortable bed. We asked the Indian owner how he ended up in such a remote place and he told us that Laos was very business-friendly, much easier to set up and get operating permits than in neighbouring Thailand.

Our slow boat to Luang Prabang – day two

We woke up early at around 6:45 am to eat a simple, but satisfying hotel breakfast, before getting back on the boat at around 7:30 am. It was a very fresh morning, temperatures had plummeted significantly through the night and there was even some fog surrounding the river. We were so glad to be wearing warm clothes, including a fleece jacket and long trousers and although the boat did provide a blanket, it was not enough to keep us warm.

It was another day of impressive scenery along the Mekong river, and as we got closer to our destination of Luang Prabang the mountains in the distance were getting more impressive. We relaxed into the slow rhythms of the Mekong, chatting to fellow passengers and watched the river panorama unfold before our eyes.

Lunch was again delicious. After lunch we arrived at our first stop for the day:

Pak Ou Caves

There are many caves around these cliffs, but two caves that stand out the most are clearly carved into the limestone cliff, we could see them as we approached the small boat docking area. Pak Ou means the mouth of the river Ou, the Tham Ting is the lower cave and the Tham Theung is the upper cave.

The first cave is seen here, the second cave is up to the left and up along the white-washed steps.

The caves are filled with hundreds of Buddha statues of all sizes, standing or lying down in various different positions, including meditation, teaching and, reclining (nirvana). Some of the little statues have missing hands or a chipped face, the imperfections making them even more interesting to see.

Access to the upper cave is via a whitewashed stone zigzagging staircase

Before their discovery by outsiders, the contents at Pak Ou’s caves were worshiped on an annual basis during the Laotian New Year. Buddhists would come to bathe and tend to the Buddha statues in the caves in hopes of receiving good luck in the coming year. Now it is a busy tourist destination, where locals sell all kinds of crafts, food and even some tiny little birds kept in very small vine weaved cages. The idea is for tourists to buy the little caged birds and release them afterward. Not something that we were keen to partake with. Nice to set one free, not so nice to reward the original capture and ensure the cycle repeats.

Rice whisky destilery

Our second stop of the day was at a Lao whiskey distillery called Lao-Lao. The strange brew was poured from a bottle containing a dead snake. Brian was brave enough to try… being Scottish he was keen to find out if it was from a good vintage. But his face said it all, the eye-watering concoction was more like a stinging nettle than smooth malted barley. I decided to pass.

Lao-Lao Whiskey

The Lao whiskey was not to my taste, but the next door textile exhibits were beautiful. Stunning colors combining cotton and silk creations. My only problem was the lack of space in my luggage and Brian hurrying me along from the tempting stalls.

Luang Prabang finally appeared in the late afternoon of day two. Our wooden boat moored at a little harbor by the banks of the river, and we climbed out and up some stone steps. At the top, there was some commotion of people coming and going. Our guide hails us a vehicle, a type of songtaew and we are soon on our way to the hotel. There is an aroma of fresh flowers in the air, and we see orange-robed monks walking along the pavement happily chatting to each other, there are French Colonial houses giving a sense of European nostalgia. As the golden hour approaches the town is coming to life.

We can’t wait to explore, but that is a story for another blog post.

Tips for your slow boat trip.

Visa – you get the visa into Laos on arrival, just make sure to have enough (cash) dollars to pay for the visa, and bring a passport photo.

Cash– You can get Laos Kip at the border control point, In the entrance, before Thai immigration, there is both an ATM and a currency exchange desk. There is also an ATM and currency exchange desk on the Laos side, after going through immigration.

Cruise Company–  There are many different options, including official public boats, but remember you get what you paid for. We booked our cruise online with Shompoo Cruises and were more than happy with our choice, but note that they don’t sail every day. There are cheaper options, but they often don’t include food and drinks (ours included a delicious hot meal on both cruising days and as much water, tea and coffee as you wanted). Some of the cheaper boat options in high season can get crowded and they might also stop along the way to pick up locals. Therefore, do your research.

Accommodation at Pakbeng – We booked ours online, in advance, but it is possible to book on arrival (apparently cheaper than booking ahead, online).

Food and Drinks – Our cruise had food, water, tea, and coffee included. But many of the cheaper cruising boats don’t have it, so stock up before boarding the boat (apparently buying the food and drinks on the boat cost about double the price you pay inland).

Bring warm clothes – It can get very cold in the evening and early morning. Warm fleece and long trousers should be fine.

The Effect of Coronavirus On Our Travels in SE Asia

At this stage in our travels, little did we know that our 10 weeks backpacking in SE Asia, visiting Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam would eventually become affected by a coronavirus outbreak started in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China.

As we arrive in Luang Prabang, after a two day Slow Boat down the Mekong river, on January 21st, 2020, we were not at all worried about needing to change travel plans just yet, although friends and family were urging us to keep an eye on the news. On January 20th, there were 282 confirmed cases of COVID-19 that had been reported from four countries including China (278 cases), Thailand (2 cases), Japan (1 case), and the Republic of Korea (1 case).

My next travel blog will be on our stay in Luang Prabang.