Mekong Kingdoms

Cruising Laos in style.

Mist wreathed the mountain tops like candy fl oss beards as we pulled away from the riverbank below the Royal Palace in Luang Prabang one late-year morning. The Monsoon, one of an elegant couple of boats from Mekong Kingdoms’ fl otilla, nosed out into the Mekong fl ow as we headed on our downstream journey.

We settled into the ample day beds, all taupe bases with lime green dividers and cushions colored in pops of tangerine, rose pink, and sunfl ower yellow. At TEXT BY CLAIRE BOOBBYER PHOTOGRAPHS BY MEKONG KINGDOMS MORE INFO For more info or bookings visit mekongkingdoms.com GETTING THERE Lao Airlines has daily fl ights to Luang Prabang from Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Hanoi, Vientiane, and Siem Reap.

35 meters long, she’s a lean beauty, and fi tted with huge, deep rectangular window frames for panoramic views and watching life on the river.

Looking back to the ancient former royal capital we spied the crowded glossy greenery which provides cover for temples and monks and shophouses and dreamy hotels but caught glimpses of raised roofs and stupas as our distance from the city grew. The golden glint of the stupa on Mount Phousi fl ashed in the morning sunlight like a lighthouse emitting signals to the faithful.

As the Luang Prabang peninsula disappeared from sight, and evidence of the taming of land and jungle for human life vanished, the river grew wider and its banks grew wilder. Towering chiseled limestone

karst, fl anked by rampant forest, created a funnel. The air chilled. We zipped from side to side, in the wide chocolatey fl ow, and reached for pretty patterned blankets. Coffee and banana chips were served to keep us warm.

Deeper into our journey the shaggy trees of emerald, lime, and celadon green fl ecked with a mustard hue took on a more disheveled look and tangled vines appeared like a huge spider’s web. Then tiny slopes of riverbank and banana plant fronds appeared, evidence of locals managing to manicure slithers of ancient forest. It was a sign we were close to our landing point where a bulbous buffalo was sunk deep at the water’s edge, checking out his refl ection in the water.

We were met by a tuk-tuk driver who drove us through villages festooned with poinsettia and past plots of paddy fi elds nourishing rice. We’d arrived at Laos’ famous Kouang Si Waterfalls before many of the crowds. Wandering past the informative exhibits at the Bear Rescue Sanctuary from Free the Bears we, like so many others before us, were completely startled by the bright blue water which lies at the base of the area’s many pools. Get there at the right time of day, and it still feels like discovering a secret Lost World. Snow white water falls over tiered rocks dressed in lush foliage. It’s all supremely picturesque and draws swimmers, photographers, hikers, and families on picnics who

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left: The Nomad boat glides on the Mekong 1. Canapes and champagne make for a perfect cruise in the cozy Nomad boat 2. Guests relaxing on the Monsoon boat 3. The Monsoon boat heading out to catch the sunset

can’t get enough of the blue hue of the cascading pools – said to be due to a magical combination of sunlight refl ecting off water in the terraces layered with calcium carbonate.

After a hike to the top of the main falls and down the other side we were hungry for lunch. It was prepared for us on board the Monsoon: a salad of quail eggs on a baguette was followed by piles of bright mango, pink dragonfruit, and melon. After our fi ll, we returned to the day beds, which held greater appeal on the return journey. We found ourselves lulled into a snooze by the movement of the boat, the warmth of the sun, the memory of the falls, and the small pirogues puttering about midstream.

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1. The swanky Play boat is perfect for working and playing 2. Champagne from Play's full bar 3. A bar with a view on the Play boat 4. The rear lounge on Play is glassed in and air-conditioned 5. The relaxing colorful feel of the Monsoon boat

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湄公河王国

流行的老挝游轮 翻译 : 航 图片： 湄公河王国

季风号是来自湄公河王国船队的几对优雅船只之一，我们团队乘游轮从琅 勃拉邦出发，沿湄公河向下游游览。我们在船上五颜六色的躺椅上放松休 息。该船长35米，可欣赏到河上的广阔全景。 回首古老的前首都，我们看到了郁郁葱葱的绿色，以及其覆盖下的寺 庙，僧侣，商店和酒店。船只渐行渐远，只能瞥见高架的屋顶和佛塔。清晨，阳 光笼罩下的普西山佛塔闪着金光，像一座灯塔正在向他的忠实信徒发出信 号。 随着琅勃拉邦半岛在视野里消失，人类生命的迹象仿佛也随之蒸发了， 然而夹在高耸的凿岩山之间的河流和河岸都仿佛变得越来越宽。空气变凉 了。我们盖上漂亮毯子，喝着咖啡，吃着炸香蕉片，暖和多了。 随着旅程的深入，我们看到河岸上有许多树木，而缠结的藤蔓就像是 巨大的蜘蛛网。河岸边出现斜坡和香蕉树园。水牛泡在水里观察者自己的倒 影。这表明我们接近着陆点了。 一辆嘟嘟车司机接上我们驶过村庄和稻田。我们到达了老挝著名的光 西瀑布。像我们前面的许多人一样，我们穿过 以“给小熊以自由”为主题的小 熊避难所，参观了信息丰富的关于解救当地小熊的展览。随后，展现在我们 面前的蓝湖把我们惊呆了。到达那里，感觉就像是发现了一个秘密的迷失世 界。湛蓝的水流洒落在茂密的树叶覆盖的分层岩石上。风景如画，吸引了游 泳者，摄影师，远足者和野餐的家庭。 徒步爬过主瀑布的顶部到达另一侧之后，我们有些饿了。季凤号游览船 上已经为我们准备好了午餐：法式长棍面包，鹌鹑蛋沙拉，新鲜芒果，粉红色 的火龙果和甜瓜。吃饱之后，我们回到了躺椅上，返程时感觉更加舒适。小船 轻轻在水流中晃动，阳光暖暖的洒在身上，秋天的记忆时而被穿梭在河中的 渔船“闯入”，我们甜甜的睡着了。

有关更多信息或预订，请访问：mekongkingdoms.com 到达：老挝航空每天都有从清迈，曼谷，河内，万象和暹粒市到琅勃拉邦的航班。