Many Rivers to Cross – Mekong

The Mekong is Cambodia’s largest river, but in neither originates in the country, nor ends there. It rises in mainland China and flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand before entering Cambodia. At Phnom Penh, with it develops two arms and continues to its lower delta in Vietnam and before debouching into the South China Sea. The Mekong is a river of risk, loss and danger, shrouded in grey jungle that clings to the very edge of the land. Locals say a ghost lives in every tree – and there’s a reason for that. Before the Vietnam War, the America's CIA was in the Lao hills training Hmong tribesmen to ‘fight for their homeland’. By 1964 the Unite States military had air operations centres in five regions of Laos. When writer Paul Theroux came here, while writing The Great Railway Bazaar, he called Laos, ‘one of America's expensive practical jokes’. United States bombers regularly crossed Laos on raids to North Vietnam from bases in Thailand during the war, and on return runs the B-52s would often empty their payload over eastern Laos which means the United States ended up dropping more bombs on Laos than on Germany and Japan during World War II (does this sound familiar?) Many remain unexploded, giving to ongoing problem in this poverty stricken country.

However, it’s not all bad. The local people, Falangs and Laotians are very friendly and yet dignified and this river trip is full of opportunity – you can take a motorised cruise boat to explore natural creeks and quiet villages along the Mekong, finding orchards, bee-keeping centres, see round one of the many local distilleries with a tasting tour and explore the local coconut candy production process. Cai Be Floating Market is famous, approximately 400 -500 boats daily, all filled with fruits, vegetables and other products anchor along the banks of the river, waiting for traders and customers. The merchandise sold in each boat is hung on a high pole in front of the boat as a sample to attract customers. Take a camera, and a video camera, a sketch book and pencils or an easel and paints – you will never again see anything as picturesque as the Floating Market!

Mekong photograph by EverJean, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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