Laos Expedition - Day 4 & 5 Downriver

We went downriver to our extraction point for 3 days, travelling around 120km. I didn't thought that it will be very enjoyable, but it didn't bore me at all. Sun was hot but the water was cold, and winds were blowing every which way. For the record, the temperature went down to 10 degrees in the evening, and the stars filled the dark night sky with their unflinching brilliance. Every morning I wake up early but cannot drag my body out of the sleeping bag in the cold.

Huey in his beloved Fullmoon. He's quite a passive leader, and almost kind of disappears out of attention whenever we are on the river. Think he's surprised to have been caught in a picture here.

David looking rather bored here. Maybe that's why he got music blaring out from speakers all day long throughout the whole trip.

Mel is out there in front, most of the time leading the pack. He called all of us babies (he's 61 years old), paddled at a slower cadence than any of us but yet sped on ahead like he's on steroids everyday.

And yes, I managed to sail! For some moments at least. The wind blows unpredictably on the river, and I can only use it for a short while each time. I didn't adjust it properly and the masts get blown around quite a bit, needing me to adjust it by pushing my paddle off on it. But I reckoned I did 3km with the wind helping, and attained 14km/h once!
We have a huge audience turning out to see us paddle every hour of the trip, because we are basically paddling in their backyard. Life is pretty much centered around the life-sustaining water, and there are small plots of farming done all along the river banks. Curious villagers turn out in droves when they spot the first kayaks, and it seems that the entire village will turn out in force to gawk at us. Even at the campsite, they watch us go through every single set in setting up camp, changing out of wet clothes, cooking and having dinner. Not surprisingly, they reappeared again the next morning too to watch us set out. If only I can converse with them and not feel like aliens.

At one point, we heard a rapid ahead of us, but I can't see it as yet. The group had already stopped at the bank, intending to do a portage. Huey said the K1 can run it and I decided to take a look, but I ended up going down anyway. It was great fun! Some exciting waves which my bow punches through easily with speed, no moves necessary, just perfect for a foldable kayak to go. I went back up and persuaded the rest to run it instead of missing the fun, and here I caught Sue in action.

Limestone crags are all around at each bend of the river, and I imagine China's Guilin will look something like this too. A few following photos of it below...


We reached our pickup point at around 3pm on the 5th day, when we spotted our guide at the side of the river. We moved our gear up the banks and found our resting place just atop the slope, and dismantled our boats with a crowd around us.

Dinner was sumptuous but a little on the spicy side. We ate 4.5 eggs per person in omelettes, and watched the chaos on the streets of Bangkok on the local TV.