Chiang Klong
OK, I thought, here I am, what next? Taking a look about me and looking back at the guesthouse we just passed, I figured it looked as good as any and as it was closer, maybe even better! Throwing my rucksack over my shoulder, I hiked back the few hundred yards and entered the well kept yard of the establishment.
I went through the guesthouse and could find no one. I kept yelling ‘hello’ to anyone who could hear me but no one was answering so I went back to the street and the shop in front where eventually a man poked his head out from the back of a shop and we communicated that he was the guesthouse owner and I wanted a room.
He told me he had a room with a fan for a 100 Baht with a fan and ordered his son who had now appeared as well to show me the room. I got the immediate sense that this man was all business and his son was somehow intimated by him although he was most probably 17 or so.
Anyway. The son showed me the room and after making comments like it is so hot (not exactly salesman material), I said it looked fine and would do for what I needed, a cold shower and a night’s sleep.
After grabbing my shower, I went back out front to pay where the elder man and I started a conversation about visas and ferries to Luang Prabang in Laos. Seemed to the point and straightforward telling me his prices were the lowest in town so being in a good mood after a day’s traveling through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and having survived it, I gave him the 2,500 Baht that was needed for the Laos visa and the 2 day boat trip down the Mekong into Laos.
It was then after giving him my passport that he turned around and called me ‘Captain’. I looked at him with stunned surprise and asked him why he called me that? He said it says it on your visa and that I worked as a pilot.
I thought to myself, it really says that as I had gotten a visa some years ago in Cambodia when I was working as a first officer for a defunct airline in Thailand and they sent me there to get a visa to work. I guess what had happened is they did put the visa in and in Thai indicated where I worked and what I did. OK, I thought, yes I was but I was thinking to myself why did he want to know this? That information came shortly as he soon started to tell me his son was going to be an air traffic controller and could I help him?
I explained to him that more important then anything at first was could the boy speak English and if so, what were his scores on the TOEIC? As the boy was standing there and was unable or unwilling to speak, I tried to tell the man that maybe a good way to get into that profession was through the Thai Air Force. It seemed however he had other plans for this lad and it eventually came out he was sending him to Chiang Mai for English classes and somehow, that was the ticket into this profession that I suspect he had chosen for his son, for whatever reason.
Being as helpful as I could, I gave him my email and phone numbers which were on the name card I always carry around Asia as well as a good friend who was also working as a Captain down in Bangkok. It seems however the slight issue about the need for a very high English score to enter the profession was somehow to be sidestepped by the Thai style thinking of it isn’t what you know, but who you know that gets you the job. In Asia, anything is possible I guess…..
May 11, 2007 - The Crossing
This part was not easy and the Laos side people made it a pain in the ass, as it turns out there are a lot of people getting a slice of the 900 Baht I paid for the 2 day ticket on the ‘slow boat’ to Luang Prabang.
Getting stamped out of Thailand started with a bit of a start as the immigration guy was saying my Thai visa expired in 2000! Now wait a minute I thought, what in the hell is this guy talking about as I just got it in Amsterdam a few weeks ago and on top of that my passport was issued in 2001! I looked at the passport and saw the problem; he was reading the Dutch written ‘8’ as a ‘0’. Problem solved, and with a smile I handed him back the passport and after the necessary exit stamp, off I went down the dirt ramp to my…boat?
Hmmmmm…..where is the boat? All I could see were numerous river ferry longtails and the girl who was touting rides across the river wanted me to pay 10 Baht each for each bag. This is rather odd I though but eventually figured out we needed to cross the Mekong and clear Laos immigration where we would board the river ferry downstream.
That part was easy and after getting stamped into Laos there were a couple of folks on the Laos side who told us to put our bags together and eventully we were escorted to our first of what became 3 more stops before getting on the boat.
Once again, it seemed, my paperwork was missing or lacking and they asked me for my ticket. What ticket I asked as I had a receipt but no one said anything about a ticket. The girl was very firm, no ticket, no boat. With a grin and my typical sarcasm, I said no problem, I’ll walk. She said you can’t do that. I said yes I can and we went back and forth with this fencing match. Obviously, someone, somehow thought they had a way figured out to make me pay again……but wait!!!
Me……I have a phone!
Her……You have a phone?
Me…….Yes I do and it is Thai!
Her…….You have a Thai phone?
Me……..Yes, and I bet you know the number of the guesthouse I stayed in.
Her……..Why yes I do and it is here on my Laos phone but it is too expensive for me to call, we have to use your phone.
Me……..Sure, I said, no problem, please call them.
After the call, by writing my name, guesthouse and room number on a piece of paper, somehow magically I no longer needed a ticket.
Busted!!! One more scam that got pulled apart.
OK. Back to getting on this ferry. As we waited in yet another place another young lad said he wanted our passports for yet another police check. Another one I asked? Don’t you think having been stamped into the country only an hour ago and having had 3 people check my passport since then was enough? Another? I said no.
Once again, I stated I am not giving my passport to some stranger I have never seen to go somewhere to do something that made no sense. If he wanted my passport, he could take me along with him. Eventually, he reluctantly agreed and we made our way down the hill, past a gate crossing the road, up another hill that overlooked the ferries where there was some type of ‘official’ looking office that in English indicated it was a station for health checks…for AIDS, HIV, bird flu, SARS,…..god only knows what I guess.
I bought some cookies and some water from a girl who said there was nothing on the boat to buy which as it turned out was an outright lie, but at least I was covering my bases.
Eventually, our cattle are herded down to a boat which has obviously seen better days, even in comparison to the other similar ferries we were rafted up against.
I settled down towards the rear of the passenger section after throwing my rucksack on an ever increasing stack of bags behind the engine towards the stern. I figured the plastic chair was as good as it was going to get as the wooden benches looked as comfortable as a school detention room bench and after a quick glance around, noticed that none were attached to the deck. Guess this vessel could carry pigs and chickens as well as humans, depending on the moments needs.
The engine itself was quite interesting but what made me smile when I first saw it was the offerings to the engine god that were placed on top of it during the entire boat trip. No sense any pissing anyone off and covering all your bases is a good thing. God how I love Asia!
The boat is full but we don’t leave. More people come and the boat is fuller, and we still don’t leave. We wait some more, more come. This continues for another hour and the boat is not just full, we are now jammed in like sardines. Oh joy I thought, 2 days going down a river jammed to the gills with humans. This was not part of the plan…
I also did forget to mention that at the ‘health inspection station’ there was a sign in the local language that indicated tickets for this journey were 95,000 kip and yes, you guessed it, significantly cheaper than the 900 Baht ticket I paid for but didn’t get. The exchange rate is a loose affair in these parts and depending on whom you change money with and with what currency, it is a very fluid thing as they seem to really like US dollar for reasons I will never understand as well as Baht but Euro exchange rates are HORRIFIC!!!! Buyer beware.
A rough rule I used in these exchanged was 5000 Laotian Kip for 20 Baht and 10,000 Kip to the USD. The official rates in Luang Prabang were:
273 kip to 1 Baht
9,550 kip to 1 USD
11,900 kip to the Euro but travel agencies will only exchange Euro to $$$ at 1.16 instead of the market exchange of 1.37. Ouch!
As I listen to the conversations around me, I hear journey times to our evening destination of Pakbeng as ranging from 5-8 hours. Seems no one really knows for sure and maybe that is because each trip is different depening on the number of stops for those getting off and on and the river conditions itself.
At 11:30 the boat from Dantes departs and a sign off to port (left side) indicates 332.0 km Houei Sai. As it turned out, this was the only sign indicating any position, anywhere on this river I saw and I looked everywhere.
By the way, did I mention there were no life jackets, rafts, chains or anchors? What the hell I guess, when running down a river for days with no markers or bouys or charts, why the hell would you need a life jacket if we hit a rock in the rapids and the boat sinks? Silly me.
Ok. We made it down the Mekong though some interesting waters the 1st day and managed to squeeze between boats moored on the steep banks of a village called ‘Pakbeng’. I was tired and just didn’t want to deal with the touts that flooded the boat trying to sell this or that guesthouse, and as usual, from the moment you enter Laos, everyone, everywhere is trying to sell you dope of one form or another, whether it is pot or opium, or something in between.
Anyway. I looked at the faces of those selling their wares and picked a girl that looked calm and happy and asked her if she had a guesthouse. She said she did and it was very clean and only a minute away up the hill. Taking her up on her offer, I made the climb and as promised was delighted to find a 7 room, newly built place with 2 floors that was beautiful! Wow! And only 200 Baht with a fan…..but as I was getting the key the owner said the electric went out at 10:30 and handed me a flashlight.
As I started to climb the stairs and about half way up to the 2nd floor I stopped and thought, wait a minute, no electric? Does that mean no fan? Of course it does you idiot I thought…and shrugged my shoulders and went on up to my room for a shower from heaven as I was soaked in sweat from the days trip.
The evening was pleasant enough having hooked up with other travelers for a dinner and beers at an Indian restaurant. Afterwards, and Irish couple wanted to have another beer before ‘lights out’ so we strolled down the street to a café where just after opening a cold ‘Beer Lao’ we watched and listened to a fight from a couple who owned the restaurant across the street.
It seemed the wife got pissed when the husband, obviously drunk, pick up their toddler and throw him across the room. That started a screaming and crying and beating event that lasted for awhile until other villagers eventually intervened and pulled the two apart as all this noise was bad for business! After the show, I had had enough of Laos for one day and went off back to my room.
After I turned out the light I laid there for a bit listening to the fan and at 10:30 I noticed that the electric was still on……but off it went at 10:45 and the village went black and silent…..with only the musical of the geckos and crickets to be heard………
May 12, 2007 – Pakbeng to Luang Prabang
………..to be continued……….a hint……the boat gets smaller and passengers increase…
