Nong Khai Hotels
|
  | |  |
You-wrong mekong
Entry 2 of 20 | show all | print this entry |
The Mekong river is the place to be, at least it seems that way with the number of falongs we've seen lately. Oh life as a falong isn't all it's cracked up to be. Understanding a total of 4 thai phrases it's incredible how many conversations you over hear that have the word "falong" or fralong which obviously means "white person." Little children inparticular can't wait to try there English on the falongs as we answer in incoherent thai "sawadikrap."
Let's see what have we done in the past few days? Hoped a bus to the turn off of the Phu Rua national park where we tried to hike straight up a 7km monster of a road in scorching heat. After aprox. 5 minutes of walking already drenching in sweat we came up to a one room house with three people doing numerous chores outside. Inside however there were 6 family member sitting in a circle watching thai karaoke and drinking at 11am. After they insisted that we come out of the heat and join them in there escaping the heat of the day.
After 4 hours of trying to communicate and drink with uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins, friends, moms, and random people stopping by, we had consumed several new thai potables, spicy noodle gourds, lemon/orange fruit, crazy orange melons, sticky rice dipped in spicy pepper sauce, limes, and several bottles of rice whiskey (5), were given presence of ornaments for safe travel (made of dried gourds), bought some ntl park beanies made by the mother of the house, and traded photos. We then were ready to head to the national park, via the sober driver that offered us a ride for a small fee.
The national parks in thailand are pretty funny, though not what we expected they do remind me of certain points in yellowstone, with restaurants, mass tourists taking photos of the signs, and views. But not what we were looking for per-say. Anyway I decided it was a good idea to head to the overlook summit at dusk to get far away from the Asian camping crowd, (little did I know that they would be driving up the adjacent road to wake me an hour before sunrise). The view from the top was spectacular at night, clearest stars, fire flies, views of distant Laotian mountain villages, and crisp cool night air. After watching the sunrise with 30 Asian photographers, I found Jonah and Katy again and after a power breakfast at the ntl park restaurant started down the road.
Soon after we realized that are soles were soon to melt to our feet, and that walking down a road that in any other country would have had a large number of switch backs making all vehicles coming down billow with white smoke from there breaks, a thai family picked us up in a SUV with A/C and two little kids in the back who happened to love falongs and tried there few words of English on us.
Well a few bus rides later we made it to chiang Khan where we started our three days on the Mekong. We soon found out that our transportation to the next town was going to be by boat less we back track to leoi for the third time. Although pricey renting our own boat and driver 48 km down a not so navigable river during the driest part of the year (haven't seen rain since we've been in Thailand) it was well worth in. Three people in a 35 ft boat that was less than 5 feet across was a very plush was to travel.
The next stop was one of the smallest villages we'd been to yet, being the only falongs in the town we made for a spectacle at the soccer field playing Frisbee which no one had ever seen. Having had a long day we had our dinner at the bungalow which was great, while a little thai girl tried to force us to eat flowers and dirt. Waking up to sunrise on the Mekong is very pleasant, cool mist rising from the river. You can only see about halfway across until the mist dissipates to another scorching thai afternoon.
Catching another bus we took a 4 hour stint to our current Mekong city of Nong Khai, now we see plenty of felongs and the hussle and bussle of city life returns. Tomorrow will most likely be spent on rented bikes along the river, until the 22nd when we will cross the Friendship bridge over the mekong into Laos. Anybody up for tubing on Christmas Day?
Well hope you all are enjoying the american holidays, I'm actually glad not to be around for the craziness that is America during the holidays. Well 'till next time... check out our photos over on ole' Jonah's blog I suppose.
|
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries from Thailand or try a new search. |
| |
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
4 votes 
