What a great afternoon we had. Cruising along in the motor boat spotting veggie plots, water buffalo and birds as we ventured further and further from the town.
About an hour and a half later we stopped for a kayaking experience. We confessed to being inexperienced novices but from the starting point there were a lot of obstacles in the water: rocks, tree roots, massive trees and hidden unknowns below us. We did a complete circle at one point, bump steered using the paddles to push off from trees, roots and other obstructions and eventually entangled ourselves smack up against a huge tree with branches trapping us in place. Luckily we had been given a waterproof bag for phones etc and the guide was more than able to extricate himself from his single kayak to set us free. Finally we fell into a rhythm and reached open water with no further obstacles or entanglements, though we had laughed our way through this entirely absurd incident anyway.
Once we were cruising, we passed by solitary fishermen in boats and with rods clinging precariously to lone trees growing in the river. At one point there was a large group of partying young people with loud music, barbecues and picnicking families. This apparently is the brief season for such activities and currently being the end of Ramadan and a Sunday, it was very popular with Muslim youth, of whom there seem to be large numbers in this region. We luckily avoided ensnaring them with our rather random efforts at steering successfully.
We stopped at a sandy secluded beach after about half an hour and were able to alight and play about in the water. The flow was incredibly strong and swimming against it proved impossible but the water quite clear and unpolluted, unlike in the busy town sector. We cooled off and also had a bit of a wander about the scrub land enjoying bird spotting.
The guide then suggested that we motor on to another island as we declined another attempt at kayaking fearing we would test his patience to the limit. There we again beached and wandered about watching the antics of the boatman’s offsider and grandson we presume.
We had been spotting birds all along the river but it was here we saw eight grey headed fish eagles. They are huge majestic birds with massive wing spans and grey, white colourings, white legs and black, fingered wing tips. We were able to identify them from descriptions later using a website as the guide wasn’t sure but thought that’s what they were. At first we saw two then three and finally counted eight. One we saw soaring above the water to the safety of a tree clutching a large fish it had just plucked from the water: a magical sighting. Over the course of the afternoon we also saw herons, egrets, ibis, cormorants, bee eaters, and many other birds we were unable to unidentify.
There were lots of lovely, old and run down but not shabby, occupied, wooden dwellings with veggie plots and clusters of chickens roaming free in their dusty yards and fishing boats moored to the banks. A couple of more secluded, more opulently, newly built, homes and resorts with attached bungalows as accommodation also line the banks, with selfie-taking, young folk testimony to their appeal.
It was a restorative and heartening ecological experience. Our guide explained the changing water levels caused both by seasonal variations and the ever-increasing number of Chinese-built dams on the Mekong upstream. These dams negatively affect the water supply and ecosystems of many of the countries and communities farther downstream and we first heard the issue discussed over a decade ago visiting the nearby region of one thousand islands in Laos.
Despite these environmental concerns, seeing such a large numbers of eagles, which we later discovered are listed as vulnerable, and hearing the guide passionately expound upon the local concerns and conservation and restoration efforts, is promising for recovery and future protection and prevention we thought.
Just the birthday celebration I was hoping for.
