Two days on a slow boat

Our travel blog posts took a pause but I am back with so much to share with all of you! In case you hadn't followed our previous post, I took a trip to South-East Asia with my husband (Angel) to take some time off, explore different volunteering opportunities and see what the other side of the world has to offer.

After living in Thailand for the first three months of our journey we decided to move along; we had also exhausted our visa time which meant we had to get going. Angel and I purchased slow boat tickets that would take us from Chiang Rai down the Mekong River and to Laos. A mini-bus picked us up early in the morning with about 10 other people in it. The border crossing process happened prior to getting to the river, so there was some logistics involved and switching buses to leave Thai territory and get into Laos. Somehow, we ended up on someone's private vehicle but we crossed the border safely and successfully. Once we were in Laotian territory, we were taken to a port where we would get on a slow boat for two days to reach our final destination, Luang Prabang. The boat was pretty full but not packed. There were locals as well as foreigners as passengers. There were very little directions and instructions and we kind of just followed the crowd.

The journey began. We had our backpacks, a couple of books, my journal, and the clothes for the day. We bought some snacks to be able to eat during the day. It was slow, as the name described it, very slow. There was some kind of magic in the slowness of the boat. The scenery was unlike anything we had seen to date. A big river, strong currents, and just mountains and natural beauty all around us. The boat wasn't fully enclosed; we could feel the gentle touch of the breeze and the warmth of the sun when its rays were on our skin. It was a bit cool in the morning but temperatures rose throughout the day. There were a number of stops the boat made and picked up local villagers. We kept observing their houses and neighborhood. Wondering where the schools were since there were a lot of children, if they had a hospital, or if they even had power. These places looked so remote but it was so fascinating to even wonder and imagine how they lived. The children were often the first ones to come by the river, play in the water and excitedly wave at everyone in the boat. Some older family members would be sad to leave and bring on lots of belongings into the boat. We never knew what the boat capacity was, but it kept getting fuller of people and heavier with their luggage.

The entire day passed by. I kept trying to capture these moments through my phone's camera but it was an impossible task. Not a single one of my pictures can describe how calm, beautiful and peaceful these long two days were. It was a bit odd at first, since we are not used to prolonged period of time of being surrounded by others, yet just being quiet and enjoying what is around you. At times we read, then slept, talked about whatever came to our minds, and just kept observing the rhythm of nature.

The sun began to set and we stopped at Pak Beng for the night, where we had reserved a room for the night. We played cards, ate our first Laotian meal and tried communicating with our family to let them know everything was O.K. We got off the boat with no clear idea of what the next day would be like. There were no signs we could understand, no specific time of departure and the tickets looked more like a raffle ticket. Lucky for us, due to my hoarding tendencies, I did not trash anything related to the boat trip. We got up early the next morning from what we thought was just a simple boring guesthouse and were greeted by this amazing mountain view:

It was time for breakfast and the place we stayed offered to pack it for us. Everyone was very nice and respectful. We never felt unsafe, only a little lost. We made sure to walk down to the pier early and get on the boat to Luang Prabang. It was taking a little longer than the previous day and the boat was not the same exact one, however, the destination was the same. It turned out they packed everyone from the previous day into a single boat this time (two boats' capacity into a single one). There wasn't really an option to say no due to safety reasons. Once we realized what was going on, we were comfortable in our seats and nobody really spoke much English or cared about non-existing regulations. Off we went for our second day.

The day went similar to the previous one, except we met some people on the boat. People on different journeys, doctors, students, taking time off to get to know these places. We may have had an idea of what it would be like but we soon realized these places had so much more to offer. There were so many questions in my mind about our future in the long-run, our future in this country, what our lives would be like, etc. until the beauty around me took over my thoughts and just quieted my mind. Nothing really mattered, other than enjoying that moment of peace and calmness.

Our time in Laos was difficult due to personal family matters going on back home, but this two-day slow boat journey was a perfect introduction to this beautiful country. It was December 3, 2016 and this was the first time we would celebrate Christmas without family, friends, and in a country where Christmas isn't celebrated.

We made it to Luang Prabang safely and in one piece. It was time to live here for a few days. We had mixed emotions of excitement, anticipation and some worries that never leave our minds. Overall, we knew it would only add to our stories and life memories. I will share more about Luang Prabang in my next post. For now, I hope you enjoy these pictures and they can help you feel a little bit of that peace these days on the slow boat down the Mekong river gifted us.

Finding some quiet moments have helped me so much in making decisions and feeling at peace with my days; whether they are busy or slow. Take time to reflect, appreciate silence, calm, natures beauty, slowing things down and above all, remember that happiness looks gorgeous on you!

#nomads #happiness #live #travel #fun #vacations #southeastasia #explore #Lifestyle #photo #wanderlust #sabbatical