On the Mekong River

After leaving late from Chiang Khong the slow boat could not make it to PakBeng (the village halfway between Chiang Khong and Luang Prabang) because it was to dark and the river too dangerous.  So we stopped on the side of the river to sleep for the night. 

A group of us decided to build a fire on the beach to keep warm since it was going to be a cold night.  About an hour after starting the fire we were approached by some villagers and their kids.  They offered soup and fire wood for the night, for a more than reasonable price (60 Baht or 2 Dollars)

We ate and sat by the fire but the conversation with the villagers was nothing more than hand signals.  I thought it would be the perfect place to perform some magic.  Pulled out the cards and coins for about 30 min but the memory will last a lifetime.  The expressions were out of this world!  The children laughed and smiled while the adults look at me almost like a wizard.  It was a blast!

The villagers left for the night and the group all went to sleep.  I on the other hand was on fire duty since no one else knew how to tend much less start a fire! I did get to see the misty morning sunrise over the mountains surrounding the Mekong, and that was a beautiful site.   Well on to the boat (the boat on the right in the pic) for some much needed sleep!

Richard Glenn