I’ve forgotten what it was that prompted me to muse on this trip. It’s not going to be my first time seeing the Mekong and it’s not my first time in Thailand or Laos. In fact, for a number of years, Thailand had been my second home. But the Mekong is long as Thailand is bog. There are places left unexplored even though they speak the same language.

While researching for this trip, I discovered that the mighty Mekong as I knew it from my previous travels as well as pictures in books on the Mekong might soon be history. Beneath its surface, the river is dying; caused by devastating human factors. In China where the Mekong originates, 11 megadams have already been built, severely affecting water levels, mineral content and the migratory patterns of fish species. The purpose of the

I’ve also seen the Mekong in China where it’s known as Lancang Jiang while I was on my way to Deqin to discover the real Shangri-La. One of the villages where I stayed overnight was Yanmen. It was a Tibetan hamlet located near the riverbank. The Yanmen I once knew no longer exists. The construction of a dam nearby had already submerged this village. Villagers have been resettled up the valley or in nearby Cizhong where the French Catholic Church is. Either way, once self sufficient farmers would have lost their farmland after been compensated only with residential property. Many have been forced to labour cheaply in the cities.

Bohemians like me may find towns and villages along the Mekong extremely attractive, but thankfully, mass tourism is unlikely to pick up in these unhappening places. As such, the traditional livelihoods that depend on the river like fishing and farming may become threatened as the Mekong loses its might. All this gave me another purpose for going on this trip.

I began my musing from the riverside town of Nakhon Phanom. As you can see from the video below, this relatively unknown place has a colourful history behind the picturesque views. At this point, few would not be tempted to cross the international border.

Things just seemed a little more archaic in Laos. Disregarding that, Savannakhet is just another cousin of Mukdahan and Nakhon Phanom. It’s a similar culture and language. People are friendly but not as “eager” as Thais. It’s just a little more rustic and basic. There is a lot of scope for exploration, but with limited time and the theme of Mekong Musings, I kept myself within the town, capturing the stunning images of sunset every day. Everything is so soothing and peaceful that it’s difficult to imagine that this land was once ravaged by war. I said on Travellers’ Tales that I wanted to spend my last days here. Scatter my ashes in the Mekong.