Riverboat to Luang Prabang, Laos

From Chiang Mai, we took a 7 hour bus ride east to the border town of Chaing Khong, Thailand.  The next morning, we crossed the Mekong river into Laos and boarded the ‘slow boat’ for our two day trip south to Luang Prabang, Laos.  (We would spend about 7 hours the first day on the boat, let out in Pak Beng, Laos to spend the evening, and then board again for about another 9 hours before reaching our destination.)  We had heard some bad stories about conditions on the boat, but after travelling in India and Nepal, we thought it was relatively comfortable.  :)

We spent the time reading, playing cards, listening to music (yes, we did bring an iPod… and we’re glad we did!), and taking pictures of life along the river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The boat made several stops to pick up/ drop off people… often greeted by their friends and family

 

 

 

 

Fishing along the river

 

 

 

 

This seat would be it for a good part of the day.  You were able to get up and stretch, but much like an airplane, there was really nowhere to go but the small aisle. 

About 3/4 of the way through the 2nd day, we ran head on into a big storm.  The driver of the boat though took very swift precautions and docked immediately.  Unfortunately, due to the high winds, we ran right into someone else’s canoe along the shore and slightly damaged it. 

Below is a picture inside the boat after they let the tarps down over the windows…we would spend only about 15-20 minutes this way before heading out again on the river.