80 Amused Passengers and One Baby Monkey. Mekong Slow Boat Day 2

Pakbeng, Laos

Remember when I almost didn't get a seat yesterday?  That wasn't happening today.  Bleach blond girl was still in bed when I cinched and clicked my pack tight and headed out for an early morning at the dock.  I stopped by a bakery on the one main road through Pakbeng and made it down to the boats at
7:30am.  We were scheduled to leave at 9:30am.  You can't be too prepared for these things... today was going to be a potentially grueling 8 1/2 more hours of slow boat on the way to Luang Prabang.  So for about 30 minutes, it was me and ten other overly prepared locals, hangin' out on the boat.  The rest of the passengers slowly started rolling down the hill to claim their seats.  As some of the travelers were settling around me, someone mentioned "yeah...she's bringing it on the boat!"

I look up and a girl about my age is stepping into the boat and what is riding tightly on the back of her neck?  A baby monkey.  The girl-half of me was melting in sheer cuteness and the other logical-half was thinking... I've seen "Outbreak," I know how these things end...


Her story is that she works in animal welfare and saw the little guy caged up in a shop in Pakbeng.  She asked if she could buy it and at first, they agreed.  The next day she came down and the owners had changed their minds.  She waited around for five hours next to the cage and even tried to pull a panic attack in front of customers but they wouldn't budge.  Finally, she offered up her $500 camera in a trade for the monkey.  They agreed.
She contacted a wildlife sanctuary in Laos and they agreed to take him in.  He's balding on his head from stress and malnutrition.

A lot of the 8 1/2 hour journey to Luang Prabang was filled with monkey entertainment, watching him crawl on people's arms and legs, take naps and eat bananas.  Did I hold the thing?  At first I said no way, who knows what he's carrying, but as my shoulder was close to someone else's, I didn't stop him when he momentarily climbed on.
I mean come on, it's a baby monkey.

When we weren't monkey ogling, the scenery provided some of the best panoramas I've ever see in my life.  Goats were teetering on steep rocks jutting out of the water and little Laotian kids were jumping off docks.  There was a great comradery  in the 14 people sitting around me.  At one point, having been bored with reading, napping, or monkey playing, everyone dove into childhood games.  The four behind us were playing go-fish and I challenged the guy across from me in two matches of "squares," - that game where you make lines between dots to try and collect as many squares as possible.  We taught the four adjacent to our table and they went at it for a few rounds as well.  I didn't love the slow boat itself but I'm glad I did it.  As my friend had said, it is a great way to see countryside villages and life on the Mekong.

Getting into Luang Prabang, my initial reaction to the city was ... wow.  I know my friends had said that Laos was chill, but this was beyond that.  Even here, where tourism is pretty rampant, it doesn't seem to affect the locals too much.  It's not that I've encountered anyone who was nice or mean, it seems that they just simply aren't bothered, by you or me or anything else that's going on.  I'd walk into a store and my presence wouldn't be addressed unless I had a question or needed something.

 

Densely covered hills, pulling into Luang Prabang

I told myself that I was going to splurge on one or two nights in a fancy hotel but the more I think about it, the more I question - why?  Even a soft bed will only comfort you in your sleep.  I would much rather spend the extra Kip on a conscious activity, like eating!  So after I checked into a budget friendly guesthouse room, I wandered on down to a highly rated and recommended restaurant - Blue Lagoon for a splurge dinner.   Like its city, it did not disappoint.

And if the photos weren't enough cute for you, here's a top off.