Slow boating the Mekong

After spending a wonderful 3 1/2 weeks in Thailand, Colin and I crossed the border to Laos. The Mekong River, giving this area its name, winds down though the entire country, often acting as the border between Laos and Thailand. 

We crossed into a small town called Huay Xai. There we bought tickets for the popular journey down the Mekong. This is known as "the slow boat." This long, skinny boat transports tourists and locals through an area that is otherwise slow and uncomfortable by bus or car. The journey to Luang Prabang (the top tourist destination in Laos) is two days with a stop in the tiny village of Pak Beng for the night.

The first day we were given tickets with seat numbers, so there was no need to be early to find a good spot. In fact, as we are learning more and more in Laos, there is no need to be early at all....or even on time. Life is set at a pace that we are still adjusting too. Schedules are merely suggestions. Our first day we sat for nearly two hours in the boat waiting for the captain to decide when to leave. That first breath of fresh air when we finally started moving was much needed!

We were packed pretty tight and the chairs we used were repurposed van benchs, which ranged from comfortable to painful, depending on your luck! We were pretty lucky and had relatively decent seats both days. It is also better than bus travel...you can get up and walk around the boat, stretching your legs and even purchasing food and beer (although a bit overpriced) from a small stand near the back.

The further we got into Laos, the more beautiful the scenery became. We saw green, lush mountains speckled with the occasional small village of bamboo huts. There were many other people on the river as well: other water transportation taking locals with their goods from one town to the next, fisherman gathering and throwing their nets from boats and rocks, children and families playing. Even the occasional water buffalo.

The picture above is the notorious fast boat. It gets you to your destination in half the time, but is much more uncomfortable, and very dangerous. Notice how the driver wears a helmet...

This was our first sunset over the Mekong. It would be the first of many, as much of the traveling in Laos keeps you close to this mighty waterway

On the second day, after 8 hours on the river, we were dropped off at a small mud patch used to offload passengers. We were about 10 kilometers from Luang Prabang, but had read of this happening so we were prepared. In the past, the boats took their passengers straight to their destination, but alas, no more. Instead, now people are forced to pay an additional fee to get a tuk tuk ride into town. There are a huge number of rather pushy drivers waiting for the passengers, each of them loudly telling you to get into their tuk tuk. Some people refer to them as the "tuk tuk mafia."

Colin and I had decided to start the walk into town. Many of the drivers (looking frustrated and upset with us) continued to warn us about the length of the walk - that we needed to get in their vehicle, but we would just smile and thank them, telling them a walk sounded just perfect.

It only took about 10 minutes for us to come upon a different driver, one that was not from the "tuk tuk Maria" that kindly offered us a ride into town at less than half the price that the others wanted. Sweet. We jumped in with the handful of other people that decided to walk, getting away from the crazy scene at the shore, and headed to Luang Prabang.

The slow boat is a interesting journey that many travelers find an essential part of the Laos travel experience. While at times it was uncomfortable and we had the occasional frustration (the mafia and late starts), we found it a great way to get to know other travelers, trade travel tips, and be introduced to the beauty that is Laos.

We can breathe underwater!

After spending about 5 days in Phuket, Colin and I decided to head to Koh Tao. Koh Tao is on many "Thailand Must-Do" lists. It is a small island to the east of the mainland.  To get there we needed to take a boat...so we got a ticket for a night boat. We left at 10:30pm and arrived the next morning around 6:00.

Instead of seats, the night boat is filled with mattresses. Each mattress is about 2 feet across. We felt a bit like sardines lined up side to side. There were plenty of other tourists, but the majority of the passengers were locals transporting goods to and from the island. We wondered how easy it would be to sleep with all of us crammed into such a tight space, but the sound of the waves and the subtle rocking of the boat felt like a lullaby.

Even with the lullaby, however, it was still a tired morning. :)

Koh Tao is truly a beautiful island. Filled with beaches, proud, tall rock formations, and stunning views, we were quickly able to understand why is it such a destination.

Our hostel was connected to the diving school that we had signed up with .We were located on a great beach far from the main tourist section of the island. There were still plenty of bars and restaurants, but without the craziness that often accompanies them. 

While the beaches and views are a definite draw to Koh Tao, we were there for the reason that many of its tourists visit: the open water diving certification. 

Koh Tao has the perfect combination of reasons to learn to scuba dive there: it is one of the most inexpensive places to learn, there are dozens of companies to train with, and the coral and dive sites are gorgeous and filled with life.

We feel that we lucked out with our experience. Thanks to a friend we made in Phuket, we were recommended Ihasia Diving. This is a Spanish diving school. 90% of the clientele are from Spain or Latin America, but they have instructed that are quite competent in English and French, so they take on students from many countries. We were the only native English speakers at that time, so we were lucky enough to be in a class just by ourselves! 

It was also great being surrounded by the Spanish language again. Practicing our Spanish was one of the extra bonuses we got through Ihasia. Although our Spanish is terrible, everyone was very encouraging. :)

This is our instructor. Ra. Ra is originally from Spain and has traveled, lived, and dived all over the world. We were super lucky to have him as our teacher and guide and our experience was made better because of him. He was a patient and very clear teacher. 

The course was 3 1/2 days. We spent the mornings doing theory and the afternoons in the water. 

Each afternoon we would board a big boat that would then take us to that day's dive site. Ra would give us information about the site and let us know what skills we would have to perform in order to get the open water dive certification. These skills included removing and replacing out masks under water, assisting a buddy who has run out of air, emergency swimming ascents, and other things that every diver needs to be able to do with competence.

During our last diving day, Ra took a GoPro and was kind enough to take some pictures of us.

Scuba diving has opened up a new world to us. We have already looked into what is would take to get to the instructing level! :) Our experience on Koh Tao and with Ihasia is bound to be one the biggest highlight of our southeast Asia travel.