Mekong River Expedition February 8, 2014

Today our river cruise on the Mekong ended so the crew members hoisted our luggage on their backs and shoulders to climb the dirt trail with hand dug steps up a steep embankment.  Even though Kathy and I started up the trail, several crew members rushed to assist me and I learned how to say 1 – 2 – 3 (mui – pui – bye).  My entourage grew to 6 including the cook with his tall hat helping to lift and move me forward.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 The good news was that our bus was air conditioned,  Sights along the way:  wooden houses on stilts with either people or animals seeking shade underneath; no window panes – only rattan blinds hanging down(well to do homes in the cities had brick walls); numerous TV dishes; fields of dry rice with Brahma cattle; one town’s main industry was carving Buddha statues from sandstone while another village specialized in selling dried fish and dried crocodile.