Nam Ou River Cruise - The adventure starts

The view from my window shows a cloudless deep blue sky. A perfect omen for that special day.

For this is the first stage of the Nam Ou, River cruise to Luang Prabang. Hopefully this will be the exact crazy trip I'm hoping for. So wild whirlpools and rapids and waves and shoals. And in between heart palpitations and adrenaline. Exactly the right thing for me.

The prospect of this day got me out of bed early. No breakfast, the grouchy lady at the reception gives me a disparaging look, which probably means the Laotian version of fuck off. The somewhat younger lady serving me breakfast in a restaurant above the river seems to belong to the same species. Again, just a grim face, as if I had deeply offended her by my mere presence. But the coffee is great.

At least that.

 

The adventure starts

Slowly, the potential members of the planned trip gather on the shore. I have made an appointment with Reto, a Swiss I met yesterday. We will make the trip together at least until Muang Ngoi. After the waiting tourists have made themselves comfortable, the fully loaded boat pushes off on time at 9.30.

 

 

In case of danger, humans always react as they did thousands of years ago: the Fight-or-flight response enter the game. It describes the rapid physical and mental adaptation of living beings in dangerous situations as a stress reaction. In dangerous rivers, however, neither fight nor flight seems to be a sensible response. Cortisol and adrenaline releases are mainly increased blood pressure and palpitations .

However, it will still take some time before the expected effects are felt. For now, the river seems like a benevolent monster. We won't realize until a little later what a sneaky fellow this river is. But one thing is for sure: the Nam Ou river cruise to Luang Prabang might be the highlight of this journey.

 

 

Rapids and a shaky Boat

There is room for just 10 persons sitting one behind the other on both sides. The captain sits majestically at the bow, steering wheel in his hand, cigarette in the other. He is aware of his importance; when an occasional fearful outcry can be heard, a mocking grin glides over his round face. But he knows his trade. With stoic calm, he steers his boat over the ever wilder waves, accelerates at times, sailing around shallows that remain hidden to us.

 

 

A wild dance

More rapids, always a little more scary, a wild dance on the waves, the bow raises and lowers to the beat of the water whipping the boat. Sometimes you get wet and feel wonderful. We're wild guys ...

 

 

The bank, lined with trees, bushes and barren meadows, glides past faster and faster, much faster than imagined.

The outboard motor rattles and roars, bringing the narrow wooden boat to glide at lightning speed on the turbulent river. The boat, which appears wobbly at first glance, turns out to be a raging torpedo, gliding across the choppy waters at the speed of light. Or floats. Water sprays on both sides, covering the passengers with a cold shower.

With the exception of a few locals, who tend to accept the whole thing as a necessary evil, the enthusiasm is great. Of course, sometimes we feel like we're completely at the mercy of the river's whims (which we probably are). But after all, that's exactly why we're here. To feel some adrenaline. A bit of fear and heart palpitations, only to be able to breathe easier after the adventure is over.

 

 

It doesn't take long for the river to show its true nature. But what we already find to be pretty wild is nothing compared to the kilometers ahead. But then it calms down again, as if it needs to catch his breath.

We breathe a sigh of relief, admire the construction of a new bridge spanning the river. We are not entirely comfortable with it. We know very well that these are the harbingers of the future, whether they prove to be postitive remains to be seen.

 

 

A Dutch gentleman

Somewhere in no man's land we change the boat, nobody knows the reason, but in the end it doesn't matter. However, the boat is bigger, and above all it can carry more luggage. From an apparently nearby village, men and graceful women carry enormous bags, all of which are loaded into the boat. I hope that this works out well.

 

 

A Dutchman, in a gentleman-like manner, offers to help with the transport and, although a head taller and much broader-shouldered than the weak-chested Laotians, reaches his physical limits in no time. His gasping can be heard from far away. We all feel sorry for him, but only just a bit ...

 

Primeval forest and huge trees

A dense jungle runs along the shore to the horizon, up to the hilly mountain ranges, hardly recognizable in the morning mist. Huge trees, completely unknown to me, push up to the sky, others lean over the bank with sweeping crowns, spreading shadows.

The water is fast, foaming past the washed-out banks, the boat jerks and jolts, and it doesn't take long for the first rapid to shake us. The laughter, just courageous and heroic, becomes more nervous. You can see for the first time that we are in a situation that is a little less harmless than imagined. We are excited, believing in the great adventure, unaware that this is just the beginning. The really scary rapids are downstream, but we don't know that at this point

And then the wild water calms down again, the boat glides calmly and gently over the river, the eye now has time to explore the surroundings

 

     

   

 

Harbingers of the future

It is rumoured that a dam is to be built somewhere in the lower section of the river. Could it be that this river trip will not be possible in the foreseeable future? That our friends from the north will once again show their muscles and put their economic intentions into practice regardless of losses?

It just can't be true. (But it is: barely two years after this legendary river trip, the dam was completed and thus the previous transport on the Nam Ou was made difficult or impossible; I cannot say how much I grieve about that.)

 

Children at the Shore

And on we go. Always nicely along the river, the gushing water, which increases in wildness and power from kilometer to kilometer, on both sides the shore as a changing green-yellow-brown backdrop. In between, children, again and again children, tall ones, short ones, always loud and noisy and friendly.

 

   

   

 

Muang Ngoi

After hours of calm and then again wild hustle and bustle on the river, we reach Muang Ngoi.

It is one of those places that every traveler knows and is guaranteed to be teeming with small stores and restaurants where you can get everything your heart desires. It is only accessible by river, which makes it special and thankfully a bit out of the way. If the predictions of the dams turn out to be true (which I fear they will), this wonderful place will change in short time. There may be no more Travellers coming, no money, no more income for the many restaurants and stores and hotels. Life will retreat, it will become quiet and lonely again.

You don't want to imagine it.

 

 

Room with bad reputation

I take a room in a hotel above the river. I am told that this of all rooms is usually vacant. Apparently, a young couple was found dead here some time ago. I am not superstitious, but this sad story touches my heart.

 

 

Strange souvenirs

We eat a bite on the terrace, chat about God and the world, take a tour through the really cute village.

There is smoke and the smell of all kinds of delicacies on every corner, and sometimes there is the remnant of an aerial bomb from the Vietnam War. Strange souvenirs! A large number of backpackers roam the alleys and dirt roads. It's just like everywhere in the world, where backpackers meet, have their peace for a while, until the mass tourism announces itself and the caravan moves on, towards a new backpacker hotspot.

 

 

 

 

 

I really like the village, so I decide to stay here for a while and take a trip to the next village the next day. The evening is cool, the electricity is turned off at ten, and I'm standing in the dark with my toothbrush ...

 

P.S. Matching Song:  The Killers - This River is wild

And here the journey continues ...