Links to other Laos pages  Luang Prabang  Vang Vieng  Vientiane  Savannakhet

My Visa arrived on time and the travel agent gave us a lift to the crossing. He then went back for the passports. Then with all the paperwork together he de-registered us from Thailand and we got on the narrow boat across the river.

On the other side we got some Laos Kip and then caught a tuk tuk to where the slow cargo boat departed from. There was plenty of time before departure, so I was able to organise some sandwiches and fruit for later.

Villagers checking on the falangs

That's a water buffalo

The Cargo boat consisted of a hold, plus a passenger area which must have been around 10m long, a gap to get on and off the boat and then an area at the front which was raised about a metre off the ground, and which could also be used for sitting on. The passenger area had a wooden shelf around the edge, about 30cm or so off the ground. Our boat was full, so that almost all the shelf plus the front area had someone on it. Once we were underway, the captain covered the roof at the entrance so that no-one would climb on the roof. This also meant that no-one could stand up. I'd heard beforehand that this trip was uncomfortable, but I didn't appreciate just how uncomfortable. Pretty soon my bum was numb and my legs were aching. We passed some beautiful scenery, and some interesting villages but the appeal of these soon waned and I just wanted to get off the boat as soon as I could.

Mother and daughter at Pakbeng

Eventually we made it to Pakbeng where we would spend the night. As we were clambering up the bank from the river to the village several small children appeared and tried to sell us grass. For about 10 Swiss francs they were offering a bag about the size of two cigarette packets.

The market in Pakbeng

We went for a walk through the village, waving at the kids, getting stared at by the adults, and, somewhat bizarrely, getting asked for pens.

Small Children in Pakbeng

The village had a generator that only operated from 7pm to 11pm. In spite of this we still managed to get some cold beer.

Roger the cabin boy checks the bags

The first leg of the boat trip had been about 6 hours and was bad. The second day was nearer 9 hours and was hell. There was a short break half way as they unloaded cement at a village, but otherwise we stayed on the boat. Fortunately this time the roof of the entrance was kept open so we were able to take it in turns to stand up for a little while. There was much relief when we saw the outskirts of Luang Prabang, and even more an hour later when we finally docked.

I'm really glad I did the slow cargo boat trip, it was an experience and I made lots of friends, but I never want to do it again!

Links to other Laos pages  Luang Prabang  Vang Vieng  Vientiane  Savannakhet

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Last modified on 22nd December 2007 3:31 PM EST

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