Slowboat: Ban Houayxay - Pakbeng - Luang Prabang

After a peaceful night, we went to the dock the next morning by taxi to take the slow boat. There was already a lot of activity here. Our luggage was stored in the front of the ship. Some planks were removed from the floor and then reinserted after the work was done. However, the storage space did not look particularly waterproof. We sat behind Maria and Christian, a couple from Germany, and settled in. The former bus seats were not bad at all. Definitely better than a plastic seat that sticks to your legs all the time.

The ship left almost on time. There were several locals and many tourists on board. The journey on the slow boat on the Mekong River has become a tourist attraction in recent years. The journey was overall very relaxed. However, it became extremely hot in the early afternoon. The wind blowing in our faces reminded us of a hairdryer on the highest heat setting. Along the way, we stopped several times to drop off or pick up locals. Some villages are located in the middle of nowhere. The people who live here are extremely poor. Even the children often had a very serious and gloomy expression on their faces. Growing up here means having much fewer opportunities in life than a city child. Nevertheless, many played happily in the water and enjoyed cooling off in the Mekong River.

We arrived in Pakbeng in the evening. The village mainly consists of guesthouses, hostels, hotels, and bars. Everything is geared towards tourism. We chose a quiet room and then met Maria and Christian at the Happy Bar for dinner. The food was surprisingly fresh and delicious.

The next morning, the boat left at nine o'clock. The journey continued to Luang Prabang on a much more spacious boat. The last section of the route was particularly beautiful in terms of landscape. The riverbanks on both sides were covered with numerous trees - the jungle was still intact here. Unfortunately, there are few such sections along the entire route. The landscape has been greatly altered by humans. The original jungle has been largely deforested or burned down, and rubber or banana plantations have been cultivated. At least the overall landscape is still lush and green.

Just before Luang Prabang, the ship docked. From here, all passengers had to take a taxi to the city. The prices for the taxi ride were exorbitant, but we couldn't do anything about it. After all, we didn't want to walk over 10km on foot. A Swiss person we had met on the boat told us that the boat used to go all the way to the city about six years ago. This change can only be attributed to the taxi lobby, which also wants to benefit from tourism.

After a short search, we found a suitable hotel. We plan to stay at the Apple Guesthouse (yes, even the Apple logo was copied) for 3-4 nights.