A Journey Along The Mekong River
ByWith the severe wintery weather in Europe and the UK, snow everywhere and bitterly cold, I’m glad I’m here in Southeast Asia on an extended Asia vacation and enjoying the tropical heat.
Recently, I travelled to Laos with my partner Michael and my friend Julia. And this gave me the idea to look more into the whole Mekong region.
The Mekong river is one of the major rivers in the world. It’s the 10th largest and the 12th longest river — it’s 4200 km long — and is one of the last great rivers that retain an almost unspoiled character.
It springs from the high Tibetan Plateau full of snow-fed water and runs through awe-inspiring gorges into the Chinese province of Yunnan, an area of mountains, fertile valleys and tribal communities.
From there, the Mekong river then flows along the borders of Myanmar (Burma) and Lao PDR (Laos People’s Democratic Republic, one of the few remaining communist countries in the world), and briefly visits the famous Golden Triangle before it continues along the length of Lao PDR, passing both the old royal capital of Luang Prabang and the present capital, Vientiane.
For a short distance, it forms the border between northeastern Thailand and Lao PDR before it spectacularly crashes over the Khone Falls and passes into Cambodia. In a broad floodplain it flows by Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh, where it divides into two broad arms, the Mekong proper and the Bassac.
Not having visited enough countries by now, the Mekong river then enters Vietnam and forms a classic delta of nine streams that finally flow out into the South China Sea.
The Mekong river never ceases to inspires a certain sense of wonder when you look at its awesome topography and it’s varied cultures and peoples. When you travel along the Mekong through the Mekong region, it’s almost as if you travel through time. This majestic and somehow mysterious river has not only defined the different histories and cultures of the region it flows through, it has also influenced and sustained the lives of a variety of populations along its way.
Travel the Mekong countries and you will experience nature’s awesomeness.
