Slow Boat to Luang Prabang

After coming off a high from The Gibbon Experience, I decided to take it easy for a couple of days and take the slow boat down the Mekong River to Luang Prabang, Laos with an overnight stay in Pakbeng, Laos. The first day was great! The scenery was beautiful; the boat was going fast enough to provide a constant breeze; and the time passed quickly in between naps, reading, and chatting with other backpackers.

The second leg of the journey was sobering. While the scenery became more beautiful the further South we traveled, the day was long, hot, and crowded. The captain made stops about every hour to pick up and drop off local Lao people so the boat ride was much slower and the boat was more packed than the previous day. On one of the stops, a Lao man got on with his sick wife trying to take her to Luang Prabang to get medical attention. Whilst on the boat, she passed away from malaria. Her husband sat on the ground covering her face and crying the rest of the journey. I can’t seem to shake it off; I keep thinking about it. It was one of the most humbling things I have seen.

To be culturally aware, I believe it is best to see the good and bad of a culture. For me, being culturally aware makes me more aware of my surroundings, more understanding, more compassionate, and thankful for my own culture and background. If this woman had contracted malaria in a Western country, she would have been fine. 

Slow boats

Do you spy what I spy?
THE University of Texas
(creepy picture, I know)

Pak Ou Cave