We started on our way with Campbell and Kelly in one kayak and Dean and I in the other. We quickly discovered that one did not really have to paddle very hard as the current is really strong.
But as the noon sun approached and the heat rose, Kelly decided getting in and swimming was the best way to go. Swimming in the Mekong is not something I strongly encourage, but I could sure understand how she needed a break from the heat.
Somehow along the way, Kelly ended up in our kayak and Campbell enjoyed some solo time.
After lunch, the kids seemed to want to spend time playing in the mud before getting back in the kayaks.
Finally we pushed off for an afternoon of paddling.
Dean decided to go in the van for the rest of the day so Campbell stayed on his own and Kelly and I shared a kayak. It worked out well all around.When you book a tour ahead of time that includes a guesthouse, you just never know what to expect. You can imagine our surprise when we docked at this amazing guesthouse with balconies out over the water, hammocks and a fabulous restaurant that was also over the river.
Kelly took little time to find her place in the hammock.
Even Campbell swung in the hammock with a book for awhile before dinner.
I just marveled at our room and the view.
We had a great afternoon shower that was wonderful to watch from our dry balcony.
Day 2 of kayaking started out a little on the dry side! As there were waterfalls just down river from our guesthouse, we had to take the kayaks in a tuk-tuk to a put in point below the falls.
Guess what? Our tuk-tuk broke down and we ended up hiring a driver and his elephant truck to get us down river. What a wild ride that was. I felt sorry for our driver when we managed to put several bamboo branches through his roof.
We made a quick stop to see the falls we were missing. A good thing we didn't have to kayak over these.
The elephant truck did get us to the beach and we got ready for our second day of kayaking. It was a little more exciting than yesterday. We started the morning kayaking through islands and water-soaked trees in a very fast current. Kelly and I didn't seem to have the steering down pat and we took out a few trees. We almost capsized once, but managed to barely stay upright and only lost one paddle in the process. Once we cleared the trees, we had to paddle all the way across the river to Cambodia, where we were suppose to see dolphins. It was a long way across the river. As Dean had decided to go in the van again today, one of the guides decided to go with Campbell in his kayak. Needless to say, he had substantially more experience than Kelly and I and we struggled to stay anywhere close to where we we suppose to go on the bank. We managed to get about two thirds of the way across the river, but it was obvious that we weren't going to get around a rock outcropping in the river, so we had to let the current take us back out towards the centre of the river to get around the rocks. Then we had to use some major muscle power to get ourselves to shore. Apparently, if one stays within the first 20 feet of land, you are not required to enter Cambodia. So we sat on the bank of the river looking for dolphins.
This was our view out on the river, with Laos on the other side. Thankfully, we did see a few dolphins so our paddle across the river was worth the struggle. However, I'm not sure Kelly and I were happy enough seeing dolphins to warrant the paddle right back across the river to Laos and our stopping point. It seemed like a long way, fighting the current the whole time. I think it seemed that much worse because Campbell and the guide and the guide on his own didn't seem to have any problems at all. Kelly and I were exhausted by the time we got to shore and were happy to be out of the current. It was a tiring day, but the experience of paddling down the Mekong and seeing life along the river was well worth it.
