One of the popular excursions from Luang Prabang is a boat trip to visit the Pak Ou caves, on the banks of the Mekong where the Nam Ou river joins it.
Most boats leave from the steps down to the river, in front of Wat Xieng Thong, in the heart of old town. However, we missed the scheduled 1PM departure, so we boarded further up the river at a muddy landing:
We were the only passengers. Our captain was the only crew. He pushed off as soon as we were on board:
The boat is long and skinny, with very shallow draft. Here’s the wheelhouse from our seats:
Here’s the wheelhouse of a similar boat that we passed:
Somewhere along the way, we heard singing. We thought it was a radio at first. After a while we saw the head movements and realized that our captain was singing, in Laotian. His sonorous tenor somehow blended well with the drone of the engine. It was all very atmospheric!
The Mekong in this part of Laos is quite scenic, with small rocks in the river echoing the lines of mountains in the distance:
However, in a sobering reflection of modern times, you will also see plenty of plastic garbage in the water. The plastic sacks get hung up on plants growing in the shallows:
The caves themselves are somewhat underwhelming, in spite of the location:
But the good thing about a late start is that we were treated to a stunning sunset on the way back:
Here we are, back in Luang Prabang, near the Wat Xieng Thong steps, just before 6PM. It felt like a full day.
