After a good night’s sleep at the Phetsokxai hotel just beside the Mekong River, we woke up for a western style breakfast of scrambled eggs, soft bread and delicious fresh fruit at 7:30am. Afterwards we promptly packed our bags in preparation for another lengthy boat trip down the river; after the action packed week we’ve had we were all looking forward to the the second leg of our Long Boat trip down the Mekong River. We loaded our luggage into a truck and walked down the steep road with our boat in mind and our snacks in hand.
As soon as we got on the boat we once again truly realised the extent of nature’s beauty. Luscious trees were ubiquitous throughout the gigantic hills, and the small scattered beaches were undisturbed by footprints or any signs of human residence. After a short few minutes of admiration, the cards were out and a rowdy but somewhat suspenseful aura suddenly surrounded the boat. Cheers and cries could be heard while others chose to sleep or complete their journey.doc with the future in mind. After about 2 short hours of travel our boat stopped at a dark cave decorated with hundreds of statues devoted to Buddha. It was a fascinating and somewhat exhausting sight if you dared to escalate the 140 steps to the uppermost cave entrance. At the end of 30 minutes of exploration we hopped back into the boat, all of us eager to reach our destination.
Eventually, following a total of 10+ hours travelling down the Mekong River, we reached Luang Prabang. We quickly hopped off the boat and heaved our bags up a steep hill, then loaded them into yet another truck before loading ourselves into 4 vans for the short drive to the hotel. The hotel appeared fancier than our previous one and also had a luxurious pool. After being given our roommates we settled ourselves in and prepared for dinner.
When dinner time came we all hopped downstairs with our money and our laundry – the clothes are finally being washed – and we walked a decent distance to our restaurant where we were served a delicious myriad of dishes. Shortly following dinner, excitement came as we prepared our wallets for the third bustling night market. We exchanged our currency for the Laotian ‘kip’ and started surveying and scanning the stalls with pace and precision. After 1 hour and 20 minutes out wallets were lighter and our backpacks were heavier.
With a satisfied and fulfilled strut we walked back to our hotel and arrived to our rooms at roughly 10 o’clock, quickly preparing ourselves to embrace our beds – eager for more of the big experience.
Jaiden Pant and Nick Beaumont
