Leg 7: making life easier in the big pond

A late bus from Kratie gave EL and I the opportunity to complete some chores, one of which was replacing a dodgy phone charger. This was cheap ($4.00) and easy (there were plenty of phone vendors), which was surprising in such a small town. I can think of one phone company that could learn a lesson or two from this part of the world.

On arrival in Stung Treng, we checked into a hotel that, conveniently, also doubled as a furniture shop. Upon inspecting our room, we discovered a long list of "house rules". One of the more logical rules was that guests were forbidden from creating anarchy. Luckily there won't be any rock bands passing through Stung Treng in the next eight or nine decades.

Leg 7: Kratie-Stung Treng (in purple).

Stung Treng gave us an opportunity to take a boat ride up the Mekong to the Laos border. Despite the remoteness of the tiny river hamlets, my mobile phone still indicated full reception. I can think of one phone company that could learn some more lessons from this part of the world.

As we neared the Laos border, and neared the possibility of becoming moored/lost/property of Laos, our driver decided to hire a navigator from the banks of the Mekong. It turns out that in this part of the world, 5,000 riel can buy the best 10-year-old navigator known to mankind. For a reason unbeknown to me, our navigator was brandishing a knife that was almost bigger than he was. I didn't ask why.

Above: a carving knife is the essential tool of a 10-year-old navigator.

Our destination was a waterfall on the Laos border, and a very pleasant lunch venue. Having missed the Irrawaddy Dolphins in Kratie, we went back down-river and were lucky enough to see half a dozen of these rare dolphins. The photos from this adventure are so pathetic that readers will just have to take my word for it that we did, in fact, see the river dolphins.

Next Stop: Banlung