Slow Boat to Luang Prabang including a Night in Pak Beng

A popular rite of passage for travelers in Laos is taking a two-day slow boat trip down the Mekong River between Huay Xai, a border town with Thailand, to Luang Prabang. Since the trip takes so long it is broken up into two days, which includes an obligatory night in Pak Beng, a town halfway between the 2 places that I think has been entirely set up to accommodate slow boat riders. As usual, we were given very few details about the trip, the boat, the length of the journey, etc. Everything here is on a very need to know basis.

The ride was quite relaxing and the scenery throughout the trip was beautiful. However, the seating arrangements are quite trying as we were given a plastic chair the first day (which everyone discarded and just sat on the hard floor....the lesser of two evils) and a hard wooden bench the second day. No matter how many cushions you you get talked into buying to sit on for the trip, your ass is going to kill you. Nevertheless, it was definitely worth the trip and the boat is a pretty social scene. This is where we met the first Americans we have met on the entire trip. We even met a guy in Pak Beng that lives in Snowmass, CO and went to Boston College, once again confirming what a small world it is. Another person we met in Pak Beng referred to himself as "Mr. Money" and introduced himself by asking if you wanted to buy opium. I guess this is a part of life in the Golden Triangle.

Oh, and an addendum to the "beautiful scenery" line above: on the second day we saw a dead man floating in the river.  We passed it about 10 feet away from the boat.  It was super bloated.  Quite eerie.  And although Kate has seen a dead body or two in her social work days, this was the first dead body I've seen not in a coffin.  Good ole' Mekong river - probably a while before the catfish finish that one off...

Below are some pictures from the 2-day trip:

This was a fellow slow boat on the river.   Everyone hanging on the boat - hard to stay comfortable:

Kids trying to sell us all sorts of snacks and beer and shit.

Good opportunity to make some headway in "War and Peace."

Sun going down on the Mekong.

Our view from our one night layover in Pakbeng.

And sunset as we finally arrived in Luang Prabang: