Day 2: Don Khong Island / Oum Muong Temple / Ban Huei Thamo
Breakfast is on board the Vat Phou boat as we set sail to Ban Dua Tae. You will walk through this small Village, seeing centuries old traditions still being used. The Vat Phou boat then continues to cruise north, past the island of Don Xai, and many other small islets in the river archipelego.
Late afternoon, you visit the village of Ban Huei Thamo and the mysterious Oum Muong forest temple, just a few minutes walk way. Dinner aboard Vat Phou then you have the rest of the evening to relax and enjoy the silence.
Wednesday 7 th of January 2015 and they knocked on my door quarter past 6. I got up for a hot shower and a diet drink before going on aft deck for breakfast at 7 o'clock. It was a gorgeous
morning and I was soon having a pot of tea in front of me.Fresh baguette and I asked for an omelette. No excess as it would be embarrassing having the other guests looking at me wondering:
- What the
We would make our first stop at the village Ban Dua Tae around 08:45. So I had time to relax and watching the sight son the Mekong River after breakfast. I enjoyed a diet drink on deck watching the people fishing from small canoes. But we had enough of pictures of people fishing
yesterday and I didn't take any pictures.Well, we passed yet another motorcycle taxi and I just had to take a picture. And I don't know if it was because of the motorcycle ferry or because of the hat the Captain had. I'm still fascinated by these cone hats.
The called me and they had the gangway ashore on the river bank. We had to climb the river bank for a few meters before we came up to the village level. We turned right and we walked along the main road, the only road going through the village.
Time to come ashore
We leave the boat behind
We leave the boat behind
We leave the boat behind
The boat are leaving and I suspect they are going to pick us up at the other end of the village
Main road through the village
Peanuts
Visit to the local school
One of the Teachers walking around with a cane
Kindergarten
WASH YOUR HANDS!
Kindergarten Teacher
A little older students
A little older students
The kindergarten house
The whole school takes a 10 minutes break for some gymnastics
Well, the kindergarten do their own gymnastics
The whole school takes a 10 minutes break for some gymnastics
2 Teachers behind the kindergarten
We continue down the road
This is where they make their own local alcohol
We're at the boat on the other side of the village
Time to leave the village behind
We walked along the main road through the village. It was a dust road going through the village and when we reached the school we went in to have a look. We could hear children singing from a bit
away from the school. No one sleeping at this school.The school consisted of 2 houses, one with a room for the kindergarten. The second building had 5 or so class rooms for the a little older children. We
visited a few class rooms and suddenly the children had a break and the school yard was full of pupils and they did exercise for 10 minutes before they returned to the class room.I saw that some of the students had red scarfs and I asked what that means. At first I
suspected it to be some political commissar. But the red scarfs meant that it was the top students. There were also students with blue scarfs and that meant that they were middle good.We left the school and we continued down the village road. We passed a place where the village made their own local liquor. Poison if you ask me. We came to the end of the village and we went down to the river where the Vat Phou boat were waiting for us.
I was starting to get hungry and it was another 2 hours before it was lunch time. They had prepared the lunch tables on the aft deck. The crew were eating lunch and I brought my lap top to the aft deck and I updated my web page while enjoying the passing scenery while going towards the North on the Mekong River. Next stop at an old temple ruin and a cheese forest.
We got our lunch and it was delicious. I ate steamed and sticky rice. Some vegetables and the larb, there were more stuff but I have forgot what it was. Now we only have 3 hours to kill before the arrival to the village of Ban Huei Thamo and the mysterious Oum Muong forest temple.
Crew having lunch
Crew having lunch
Aft deck is prepared for lunch
People enjoy themselves on the aft deck
Time for lunch
Sand storm
Sand storm
Sand storm behind us
Strong winds with waves and rain and the canoes were soon full of water
Taking cover on the aft deck
It is raining
It is raining
I was sitting in the bar on the aft deck drinking a diet drink when I saw a cloud of dust on the Port side. It was a sand storm. The dry flood plains are mostly sand and now when it is dry they
are not covered by the River Mekong. I saw black clouds, an approaching rain and there is always strong winds ahead of a rain. And the rain was for sure coming our way.So the wind blew up the sand and the horizon was covered in sand dust. And with the wind we get waves and the boat started to shake. And we have 3 canoes tied to us on the star board side, as life boats? The waves and rain started to fill the canoes with water. All crew in to the canoes.
We made it through the rain and waves without losing any of the canoes and we continued towards the village of Ban Huei Thamo and the mysterious Oum Muong forest temple. The boat cannot come alongside and we will
have to walk for a few meters in water to reach the beach.One of the crew members got ashore with a box of towels and a wooden bench for us to use for taking on our shoes again. He put a canvas under the bench leading out in the river so we didn't need to walk in the sand. Pretty good.
And the handrail on the gangway, 2 crew members holding a bamboo stick. I was first ashore and they are telling me to hold on to the bamboo stick
- Why? What will happen with 40 kilo Lao when 82 Kilo Swede is falling?
Preparing the beach for us
Coming ashore
Coming ashore
The crew see us off
We had to cross a rickety bridge - I was not to happy and I waited until every one
was across before I walked across the bridge. Embarrassing if I was first
and the bridge would have collapsed so we would have to return to the boat
was across before I walked across the bridge. Embarrassing if I was first
and the bridge would have collapsed so we would have to return to the boat
We had to cross a rickety bridge - I was not to happy and I waited until every one
was across before I walked across the bridge. Embarrassing if I was first
and the bridge would have collapsed so we would have to return to the boat
was across before I walked across the bridge. Embarrassing if I was first
and the bridge would have collapsed so we would have to return to the boat
I made it across the bridge
I made it across the bridge
We're in the village
Children having a good time
We had to pay to get in to the forest
32 US Dollars for the VISA. TAX to our government that send AID to Laos and then
foreigners have to pay to get in to the forest and temple. Way to go cheap bastards!
foreigners have to pay to get in to the forest and temple. Way to go cheap bastards!
The “mysterious” Oum Muong ruins
The “mysterious” Oum Muong ruins
We walk back leaving the temple behind
We walk back leaving the temple behind
Back on the beach
Last passengers coming back on board
We are ready to take off
We walked through a small village and we were entering the forest just outside the village. Suddenly, from nowhere I guy showed up on a moped. Our Guide had to buy ticket for us to enter the forest to see the “mysterious” Oum Muong ruins. 32 US Dollars for the VISA. TAX to our
government that send AID to Laos and then foreigners have to pay to get in to the forest and temple. Way to go cheap bastards!We spent a few minutes at the temple, there was not that much to see and we walked back to the boat where we had an evening
drink (diet drink) on the aft deck.We had to leave the beach to search for a place with a tree that we could tie the rope around so we can stay the night safely without having to worry
about floating around on the Mekong River.I finished my diet drink and I was just leaving for my cabin so I could have a shower before dinner. But as I saw that we were approaching the other side of Mekong I stayed. I went forward
and I saw them approaching the river side and there was a tree that looked good.
They found a tree to use for our ropes
Going ashore with the rope
Going ashore with the rope
Going ashore with the rope
He is ready forward and he run aft to take care of the stern rope
As soon as we were secured to the tree I was in my office for a shower. Dinner at 7 thirty today
again and I was getting hungry again.But it was still about one and a half hour to go before dinner so I had time to update my web page for a while. I had brought three cans of diet drinks to my cabin so I enjoyed myself until they came to knock on the door.
Time for dinner, but it was only quarter past 7 so I stayed in the cabin. They were soon back and I opened the door. They told me it was dinner and I told them that it was not 7 thirty. But I followed them to the dinner saloon.
Lao food again and it was excellent, we started with a soup and this was as good as the soup
yesterday. We had yellow curry and chicken and there were some other good stuff. Excellent food as always. The dessert, banana that they flambée at the table, was something that I skipped. Not because of the diet, but I have never liked cooked bananas.But I had 2 pots of tea and I was very happy when I left for my cabin. Tomorrow will be our last day and I asked them to call me at 6 o'clock. We will depart at 7 and we will reach Champassak at 9. They will take a bus to Vat Phou and as I have seen the ruin already I will stay behind.
Well, that is for today, DAY 2 of my cruise on Southern Mekong have come to an end. And you just have to click HERE to find yourself in the middle of tomorrow’s adventure. So hang on!
OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizen 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.
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คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next”
ข้างบนนี้
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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.
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