Following the Mighty Mekong

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9 October 2010


Swollen by monsoon rains the Mekong looks like a great flowing lake. Standing on the promenade in Nong Khai, Thailand I estimate it's near half a mile across the churning, muddy brown surface to the green slopes of Laos.


We arrived in Bangkok two days. Having been in a string of cities lately we were anxious to get into the country side. We were unusually efficient in our endeavor. Touched down at four in the afternoon. Went through immigration without any trouble. Walked out of the terminal and immediately caught a nice, air-conditioned bus departing for the central train station. Bought tickets for the 8:45 night train to Nong Khai and by seven in the evening we had nothing left to do but grab dinner of veg and noodles at a street side cafe and get some snacks for the trip at the 7-11. I am still somewhat amazed by the proliferation of the convenience store chain in this country.


Armed with snacks and water we boarded our train and 12 hours later we were in the sleepy little town of Nong Khai on the Thai/Lao border. Nong Khai is like a breath of fresh air. The streets are neat, well-sign posted and have sidewalks. Traffic is light and orderly. It's also very quiet, incredibly quiet. Horn use doesn't seem to have caught on here.


Nong Khai very much reminds me of some small town in Texas like La Grange for example. That feeling is amplified by the vast number of pick up trucks cruising around. After the motorcycle, the truck appears to be the Thai vehicle of choice. Not old beater trucks either. We've seen lots of late model Nissans, Toyotas, Mitsubishis, and a few Fords around town. Of course the unfamiliar Thai script and the brightly colored wats (Buddhist Temples) scattered throughout town are striking reminders that we're not in Texas. 


There's not a whole lot going on Nong Khai activity-wise. Jean and I are staying at homey little wood-framed guest house near the waterfront. The last two days we've found ourselves strolling along the promenade in the evenings. Locals are friendly but subdued and seem quite nonplussed by foreigners. On the boardwalk there's a nightly pickup football game, young adults circled around with guitars and kids popping fire crackers.

We'll rent bikes tomorrow and tour around town. In a couple of days we move out. Our current plan is to follow the Mekong river around the corner of northeast Thailand, cross over Laos and follow it all the way into Cambodia.

Friendship Bridge between Thailand and Laos

Comments

Unknown said…
noodles and veg makes a change from dahl and rice!
20 November 2010 at 05:28
sly said…
Sounds like my kind of town! Did you join in on the football (I assume that was a soccer game)?
20 November 2010 at 07:41
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