Sailing Down The Mekong In Laos 2/2023 (Stop 7)

25-26 Feb 2023 I have by now traveled the entire length of Thailand from south to north. From the northern tip, I want to see Laos by boat up the Mekong. At Huay Xai, the Laos border town, I took the long slow boat that would keep going for 2 days, to carry us to Luang Prabang, a well-known historical city.

Day 1 was a boat of more than 100 mostly Europeans. It was really like a long bus, fully loaded with youths ready to party. We wore no life jackets or were any provided. So we swim or sink if it ever comes to that. As soon as the boat started, they also started drinking. Soon some were sitting on the upper edge of the boat, and then some sitting with one leg in the boat and the other out. One girl held on to the vertical support bar to lower both her body and both legs into the water as the boat was powering ahead. It was a long day, they had to find ways to amuse themselves. We came ashore at Pak Beng in the late afternoon and spent a night in the small hotels of our own choice.

On day 2, we split into 2 boats, giving us more room, and much better behaved.

Longboat harbor by the Mekong, at Huay Xai

Traveling down the Mekong in a long boat in Laos

Navigating the Mekong in a long boat in Laos

Stayed overnight at Pak Beng after a long day on the river

The Mekong here was amazing. It snaked between the mountains, sometimes wide but often narrow, frequently made much narrower by boulders that jutted out in the river. Water would flow one way, also often seen swirling around the boulders. The boat chugged along nonchalantly, and unhurried. Now and then we saw cows were seen lazing on the river bank, children waving to passing boats, and houses were seen on hill slopes. However, on the hillsides coated with pale green bushes and skinny trees, long stretches remain pristine.

It was a great way to see the pristine interior of Laos. It was a memorable way to experience the Mekong. The slow boat let me savor every minute of it.