Going down the River...Mekong Style

We boarded the River boat and headed down the Mekong...a seriously beautiful river which meanders hundreds and hundreds of miles from China to Vietnam's Mekong Delta.   At once it is a slow moving body of water with not a ripple anywhere...cruise around a bend and it's like you're rafting the Skykomish with less severe rapids but more power, whirlpools 2 feet deep, berms that rise above the surrounding water by 6-8 inches, and eddies, little bays, and back water near the shore that catches quite a bit of plastic bottles, greenery, and wood.  I am a good swimmer...but I sure wouldn't want to go overboard in the Mekong...I'd never be found.

I was surprised to notice at certain points the river narrows to about 30-40 yards wide with big rocks protruding out of the water, then will widen more than a mile or two.  It would be impossible to run this river at night...and it's not something that's done.  There are numerous points along the river where navigation aids have been erected.  They look like three steps about 8 ft. high and 6 feet wide, made of concrete, and painted white. I bet they weigh 2000-3000 lbs.  They're attached, in some fashion, to the highest rock structure in that particular part of the river and are basically telling the river pilots..."Watch out...there is a big freakin' rock right here."  Some of them are 20 or more feet off the water....but keep in mind that the river can rise 30-40 feet .... the river's power has pushed some of these over, but there are others where a chunk has been taken out of the top...I bet your thinking what I'm thinking...how did the River Boat Captain patch that hole?

Our Boat was about 100 feet long and 12 feet wide.  Seats were comfortable.  Food was great.  A great way to see the world along the riverbank.  Almost the entire two day cruise down the river, there were gardens on the riverbank...along with water buffalo, cows....something that looked like a cow but wasn't, goats, and people.  Oh...and fisherman tending their gill nets or fish traps...which they do twice per day. What will happen to all of this when the dam is built in the upper part of the Mekong is anybody's guess.  I hope it works out for all, but I bet somebody is going to get the short end of the chopstick.

We met some great people on the boat.  No Americans but British, Dutch, German, and French.  We hung around with a British couple and ended up having dinner with them in Luang Prabang...our departure city.   I can't speak German, French, or Dutch and wishing I would have been more studious in my education when it came to foreign languages...at the time I avoided it like it would make my face break out.....We made it all the way to Luang Prabang.  All for now.  Ed out.