Aladdin's adventure on Mekong River - Day 1

PROGRAM UP RIVER : Luang Prabang -> Huai Xai also Houei Say (I don't know how many different spellings I have seen):

Day 1: LUANG PRABANG - PAK OU - PAKBENG
Luang Say boat leaves Auberge Calao pier at 07h00am (please be at pier not later than 6.45 am) for a cruise up the Mekong to Pakbeng and the Luang Say Lodge. A continental breakfast is served while the boat is cruising to Pak Ou Village, at the mouth of the Nam Ou River, where you will visit the Tam Thing Caves of a Thousand Buddhas. Enjoy a buffet lunch on board then stop at a hilltribe village where you can watch the traditional process of Lao whiskey production. Arrive at Pak Beng around sunset and check in at Luang Say Lodge. Dinner on the terrace, overlooking the Mekong River.

Day 2: PAKBENG - Huai Xai
Full breakfast at the Luang Say Lodge. At 7.00am board the boat for the second leg of the cruise. En route one stop is made to observe rural life along the Mekong and observe minorities at the Ban Houy Pha Lam Village.

Buffet lunch on board and then continue to Houei Sai where you will arrive around 5.00pm. Spending the night at Nakaraj princess Hotel in Huai Xai

PROGRAM DOWN RIVER : Houei Say -> Luang Prabang:

Day 3: Huai Xai - Pakbeng (Lunch, Dinner)
Luang Say boat leaves slow boat pier at 9.30a.m. for cruising down the Mekong River to Luang Say Lodge in Pakbeng. One stop is made en route to Pakbeng to observe a rural life along the Mekong River at Ban Houy Phalam; a Kamu village. A buffet lunch is served on board. The boat arrives at Luang Say Lodge before sunset for an overnight stay and a dinner is served at terrace overlooking the Mekong River.

Day 4: Pakbeng - Kamu Lodge (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
A continental breakfast is served at terrace from 7a.m. The boat leaves Luang Say Lodge at 8a.m. for the second day trip and the first stop is at Ban Baw to observe the processing of the traditional rice alcohol. A buffet lunch is served on board. Then, the boat arrives at Kamu Lodge around 2p.m. so you will be able to check in and participate in different activities; visiting Kamu village, archery contest, rice planting and harvesting, traditional fishing and gold panning (January to June). A set menu dinner is served at the opened air restaurant and you stay an overnight at Kamu Lodge.

Day 5: Kamu Lodge – Pak Ou – Luang Prabang (Breakfast, Lunch)
A continental breakfast is served at the restaurant from 7a.m. Kamu boat leaves at 8a.m. and stops opposite the mouth of the Nam Ou River to visit Pak Ou caves where there are two caves ‘Tham Ting’ and ‘Tham Phoum’ and thousands of Buddha images are found. The boat arrives in Luang Prabang (a UNESCO world heritage city) before lunch. A set menu lunch is served at a local restaurant.

Aladdin's adventure with The Luang Say Mekong Cruises - VISA run to Laos

Tuesday 23 ^rd of December 2014 and it felt strange when I woke up. Daylight and I looked at my watch, quarter to 8! What the foock happened to my wake-up call?

I was not in a good mood drinking my last diet Drink from yesterday. I had bought one extra for the 6 o’clock wake up call. And the shower, no soap and hardly any water pressure so I was not happywhen I burst in to an empty reception. No one around and I took the phone to call Mekong Cruises office.

The boat was going to be in Pak Ou in 20 minutes and they asked me to come there. What the foock is Pak Ou? And where the foock is Pak Ou? No one of the hotel staff to be seen so I just went off like a siren and there was a guy coming after a few minutes.

I asked why the foock they haven't called me at 6 o'clock.
- There wasn't anything in the reception about any wake-up call. I was off yesterday so I didn't knew

I had him to speak with the Mekong Cruises and then he called a van. I went to get my bags and I had to wait for a few minutes for the van. Luang Prabang Oasis - Villa Namnuea the worst place ever. It was a nasty place and I saw they had some bottles with ketchup. Maggie and stuff on afew tables. No foocking chance I would even think about eating anything at this place. Just thinking about the shower in my first room made me want to throw up.

I crossed the street but no baguette or any sign of any kind of bread and I went back. The van came and we took off for Pak Ou where the boat would be waiting. Leaving the hotel was not easy, there were heavy traffic on the road and to get out from the hotel to the road was and adventure for the Driver. The driver was complaining about the traffic jam. And as Lao and Thai are almost the same he said: รถติด rót dtìt and this sounded hilarious to me.

I have only heard the word รถติด in Bangkok where the traffic are at full stop. So to hear the driver complain about it here with 3 motorbikes and a car on the road was just hilarious.

We kept our eyes open for places where they sold baguette but we didn't see any places. My driver told me that the Lao people mostly ate sticky rice for breakfast. We were soon leaving the tar roadand we were on a dust road taking us through the jungle and I was soon seeing Mekong River through the trees.

We passed through a village and it looked like a big market with clothing hanging from each hose. But who is having a market here? And we met a huge truck so I guess they made clothes in the village. We were soon arriving to yet another village and a guy in a uniform came to pick up 25000 Kip or whatever the Dollars are called around here.

This was the ticket for the boat as I had to cross the river to the Pak Ou caves where Mekong River Cruises boat as waiting for me. I was going to cross Mekong in amotorised canoe. There were some canoes next to us and suddenly one of them took off in full speed. The people were pissing themselves laughing and I looked around.

The guy in the canoe had obviously done something wrong and the canoe took off while he was in the front of the canoe letting go the lines.

There was quite a few of the service boats but I was the only passenger crossing and that is why I had to pay 25000, otherwise it was only 13000 Scooby Doo Dollars to cross Mekong River. Well, anyway, I don't think there was much space left in the boat when we left for Mekong Cruises boat on the other side

We go down to the river bank and the boat jetty

We have to walk along the river to the boat jetty

Leaving the village behind us

we reach the boat jetty - A floating platform made of empty plastic drums

And yes, I made it over the plank

Boats waiting to get across Mekong River

Boats waiting to get across Mekong River

We are ready to leave the jetty

We are on the way across Mekong River

Gloom and grey for as long as I can see down the Mekong River

The boat waiting at the Pak Ou caves

The boat waiting at the Pak Ou caves

The boat waiting at the Pak Ou caves

We arrive to the Pak Ou caves

We arrive to the Pak Ou caves

We can see the village on the other side

A speed boat is passing us

The have speed and slow boats on the Mekong River. Working like buses and if you want them to stop you just wave them down.
We are on a slow boat and in this case it is the equivalent of a TOUR BUS on the River Mekong

The boat was almost empty

We arrived to the Pak Ou caves and I got on board my boat and I was surprised. They had been waiting for me for 30 minutes. I thought they passengers were up looking at the caves as therewere only 2 passengers on board. But this was all of them. I was told that we would stop at the Kamu Lodge to pick up 2 more passengers.

I got tea and 2 croissants and we left Pak Ou behind us on our way North on the Mekong River. It was a wee bit cold, but it was beautiful. A strange haze over the place and all pictures looks a wee bit grey. And the scary part, no wild life at all. I saw 2 birds. Cows and some goats, but no wild life at all.

I asked the guide and he told me that they had seen a wolf last time, but that’s the only wild life he had seen. There are tigers, deer’s and bears according to our Guide, but they are very far away from us, and scared.

Loading timber

Steaming north on Mekong

Steaming north on Mekong

Our new friends, a French couple waiting for us at the Kamu Lodge

Our new friend from France enjoying to cruise

As no surprise, it is always the same guy making a tit out of himself

We experienced a very strange haze for the full day

We experienced a very strange haze for the full day

We experienced a very strange haze for the full day

During the dry season they grow peanuts where the river is dry

Deforesting in progress

Deforesting in progress

Deforesting in progress

Deforesting in progress

Scar in the nature

Scar in the nature

Deforesting in progress

Deforesting in progress

Deforesting in progress

A fantastic trip, highly recommended for everyone

Ugh, the village idiot again!

We passed several villages on the way

Some villages only had one house

Villagers carrying stuff from the river

Villagers carrying stuff from the river

No wild life, but cattle

No wild life, but cattle

And goats

And of course, plenty garbage in the Mekong River

The grow vegetables on the dry flood bottom

Approaching Pakbeng and our hotel for the night

Pakbeng

Pakbeng

Pakbeng

Another boat arrives to Pakbeng from the North

Our hotel for the night

Our hotel for the night

Arrived to the beach at our hotel

Arrived to the beach at our hotel

Our boat from the hotel

Our boat from the hotel

We have had a fantastic cruise going North on the Mekong River, but I was happy when I saw the first houses in Pakbeng around 5 o'clock. Now we were soon at the hotel. It was getting cold, verycold and I was starting to freeze like a dog.

And yes, they told me to bring warm clothing, but between that and the pin code and charger for the e-cigarette the clothing was the least important.

So I was looking forward to our hotel, and that was even though I was most certain that they would not have any heating on the room. I was soon seeing a car so I knew we were closing in on the civilization. And I was told that they had internet in the restaurant area. So I might be able to read the online news and to upload some pictures for my web page.

We were greeted by the staff from Luang Say Lodge when we stepped ashore and from there it was a bit of a climb to get up to the hotel. By the time we stepped on to the terrace/ restaurantarea I felt like I was going to suffer from a cardiac arrest.

It was a beautiful place with a great view over the Mekong River. I got my key, cabin #12 and it turned out to be quite a constitutionalto reach my cabin. Walking over a wooden cat walk for 200 meter or so before I reached cabin #12.

It was a nice cabin, but no desk for my computer and I had to rearrange the furniture before I could start updating my web page and to have a look at today’s picture. I had taken plenty pictures, well, so no need totake so many pictures tomorrow. We will have our dinner at 7 o'clock and that will give me a wee bit more than an hour to check out my pictures.

I was quite happy with my cabin, no heating as I had suspected and it was a wee bit chilli. But it was OK and the air was fresh and I felt like a million after our fantastic day on the Mekong River. I was writing on my web page when my door opened and a Maid came in. This was like in Africa, the prepared to room for the night and she arranged the mosquito net around the bed. But what happened with the “knocking on the door before stepping in”. I asked her why she didn't knock on the door. She didn't understood English and I was too shocked to speak Thai with her. And how do you say “knock on the door” in Thai.

My room

My room

I went for dinner at 7 and it was Lao food, Lao food is pretty much the same as Thai food. But much much better. The lunch on the boat was one of my Thai favourites. Chicken in coconut milk, Ilove this but it is impossible to eat in Thailand as the food is burning. But here in Lao the food had all the good tast with out the burning sensation and I waspleasantly surprised.

Same at the hotel, I had some of the best spring rolls I have ever had, right up there with the spring rolls from Österns Pärla in Helsingborg, Sweden. Well, they didn't quite make it all the way up, but just a notch below.

It was a very nice dinner, we also got larb or what they call it. Chicken curry and some other stuff I don't remember. The only disappointment was the bread. 2 days in Laos and no baguette. But the food was excellent and I wish the Thai food could have been like this. I'm already looking forward to my next meal, and that is even though I'm on diet.

I uploaded some tuff on my web page, but the e-mail didn't work. I had some time to read Bangkok Post before the internet stopped to work. And Bangkok Post never disappoints.

A fantastic day have come to an end and I have really enjoyed myself. This trip is highly recommended. And you should go alone, unless you have been married for a very long time so there is no need to talk with each others non-stop. Alone and no need to feel any pressure to talk, no awkward silence. I'm just enjoying the scenery. And if I'm not getting bored the chances are high that you won't feel boring.

I'm usually bored after a few minutes of nothing to do. Time passed very quickly, and when I wanted to speak I went to speak with the couple from UK or the French couple. It was nice people and we had a good time on the boat. And the best thing, the adventure continues tomorrow and you just have to click HERE to be in the middle of it!

Tweet

OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.

Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.

So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas

Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!

Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!

Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra

Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!

คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!

E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.

Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.

You are visitor no.

To www.aladdin.st since December 2005

Visitors from different countries since 26th of September 2011

Mobilize your Site

View Site in Mobile | Classic