Low water stops slow boats on northern Mekong
Vientiane Times, By Ian Tait
(Latest Update February 23, 2010)
Low water levels in the Mekong River above Pakbeng district in Oudomxay province have stopped the popular tourist slow boat' trip north of Luang Prabang.
A boat travelling south last Friday was stranded some distance upriver of the midway stopover at Pakbeng due to low water and navigation difficulties.
Passengers, who were mostly tourists, spent the night on the beach before walking around the barrier and were picked up by another boat the next morning.
Other passengers chose to take small speedboats that were quickly on the scene.
We were on our way to the Elephant Festival and did not want to miss it, so we took the speed boat, said one Canadian tourist who did not want to be named. But they charged us a very high fee.
Visitors to the festival will have to return to Luang Prabang or Vientiane by road. An official from ElefantAsia said they were very disappointed the slow boats had stopped running at this crucial time.
While some of the younger passengers said they enjoyed the experience, other visitors who were forced to take speed boats complained that they were noisy and cramped with up to eight passengers. |
