JOURNEY DOWN THE MEKONG
PART 1 THE DREAM AND THE PLAN
My name is Wang Kun. Ever since middle school, my sister Wang Wei and I have dreamed
about taking a great bike trip. Two years ago she bought an expensive mountain bike and
then she persuaded me to buy one. Last year, she visited our cousins, Dao Wei and Yu Hang
at their college in Kunming. They are Dai and grew up in western Yunnan Province near
the Lancang River, the Chinese part of the river that is called the Mekong River in other
countries. Wang Wei soon got them interested in cycling too. After graduating from college.
we finally got the chance to take a bike trip. I asked my sister, "Where are we going?"
It was my sister who first had the idea to cycle along the entire Mekong River from where
it begins to where it ends. Now she is planning our schedule for the trip.
I am fond of my sister but she has one serious shortcoming. She can be really stubborn.
Although she didn't know the best way of getting to places, she insisted that she organize
the trip properly. Now, I know that the proper way is always her way. I kept asking her,
"When are we leaving and when are we coming back?" I asked her whether she had looked at
a map yet. Of course, she hadn't. my sister doesn't care about details. So I told her that
the source of the Mekong is in Qinghai Province. She gave me a determined look—the kind that
said she would not change her mind. When I told her that our journey would begin at an
altitude of more than 5,000 metres, she seemed to be excited about it. When I told her the
air would be hard to breathe and it would be very cold, she said it would be an interesting
experience. I know my sister well. Once she has made up her mind, nothing can change it.
Finally, I had to give in.
Several months before our trip,Wang Wei and I went to the library. We found a large atlas
with good maps that showed details of world geography. From the atlas we could see that
the Mekong River begins in a glacier on a Tibetan mountain. At first the river is small
and the water is clear and cold. Then it begins to move quickly. It becomes rapids as
it passes through deep valleys, travelling across western Yunnan Province. Sometimes the river becom
es a waterfall and enters wide valleys. We were both surprised to learn that half of the river is in
China. After it leaves China and the high altitude,the Mekong becomes wide，brown and warm. As it en
ters Southeast Asia, its pace slows. It makes wide bends or meanders through low valleys to the plai
ns where rice grows. At last, the river delta enters the South China Sea.
PART 2 A Night in the Mountains
Although it was autumn, the snow was already beginning to fall in Tibet.
Our legs were so heavy and cold that they felt like blocks of ice. Have you ever seen
snowmen ride bicycles? That's what we looked like! Along the way children dressed in
long wool coats stopped to look at us. In the late afternoon we found it was so cold
that our water bottles froze. However, the lakes shone like glass i
n the setting sun and looked wonderful.
Wang Wei rode in front of me as usual. She is very reliable and I knew I didn't need
to encourage her. To climb the mountains was hard work but as we looked around us,
we were surprised by the view. We seemed to be able to see for miles.
At one point we were so high that we found ourselves cycling through clouds.
Then we began going down the hills. It was great fun especially as it gradually
became much warmer. In the valleys colorful butterflies flew around us and we saw
many yaks and sheep eating green grass. At this point we had to change our caps, coats,
gloves and trousers for T-shirts and shorts.
In the early evening we always stop to make camp. We put up our tent and then we eat.
After supper Wang Wei put her head down on her pillow and went to sleep but I stayed awake.
At midnight the sky became clearer and the stars grew brighter. It was so quiet.
There was almost no wind - only the flames of our fire for company.
As I lay beneath the stars I thought about how far we had already travelled.
We will reach Dali in Yunnan Province soon, where our cousins Dao Wei
and Yu Hang will join us. We can hardly wait to see them!
Part 3 chatting with a girl
The Mekong is the most important river in Laos. It even appears on the national
flag of the country. Laotian people use the river for washing, fishing,
and transporting goods and people around the country. They call the Mekong
"the sea of Laos", but in Tibet people call it"the water of the rocks".
If you follow the river in Laos, you can visit temples, caves, and a waterfall.
At night, you can sleep in small villages by the river.
Part 4 Our Journey through Laos
The next day, we cross the border into Laos. We were interested to learn that most of the western bo
rder of Laos is formed by the Mekong River. The country also has the smallest number of people in So
utheast Asia. So there is plenty of space for villages and fields. As we cycled across the plains, w
e could see many low mountains covered in trees. Autumn is the best time to travel here. The weather
was so cool and dry that it was very pleasant to ride alongside the river.
On our third night, we slept in a small village on little pieces of wood.
The village had no lights. In a few houses, however, we could see candles.
It was very quiet. On the small road near the village, we heard only one
truck all night. However, the river sounded like a man singing in a low voice.
The next morning, we made an early start and travelled quite far before lunch.
Along the way, strange buses called tuk-tuks passed us. For lunch,
we ate a special noodle soup. After lunch, we were tired, so we put our bikes
on a bus going to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. A cage of chickens sang to
us all the way!
Part 5 BY THE RIVER IN LOAOS
After leaving noisy and crowded vientiane,we cycled on to the south. On our
way we saw an old man fishing on the Mekong. We stopped to talk to him.
Weput our hands together to greet him in the way of his poeple. H
e smiled and moved his head down a bit. Then he spoke to us.
M=Man WK=Wang Kun WW=Wang Wei
M: Good morning. Where are you going?
WK: We're travelling along the Mekong. Can you tell us about life by the river?
M: Well,it's changed a lot. In the past there were many snall villages along the river.
The fisherman caught many different kinds of fish and sold them.
WW: Has life changed much?
M: Er,the new dams made a difference to many people's lives. Some villages disappeared
and now many people live and work in the towns. They live a better life there,
but Iprefer the old way of life along the river and I don't like the noise of the city
because I am a good fisherman.
WK: Do you catch many fish?
M: I catch enough for my family and I sell what's left over to other people.
WW: That sounds good. What else can you by the river?
M: There are many different kinds of animals and plants as well as temples,
caves and a waterfall. It's a protected area so you can tell that it's very special.
PART 6 THE END OF OUR JOURNEY
Cambodia was in many ways similar to Laos, although it has twice the population.
At another inn, we talked with a teacher who told us that half of the people
in her country couldn't read or write. Her village couldn't even afford to build a school,
so she had to teach outside under a large tent. When we said goodbye,
we all felt very lucky to have studied in college. Back on the road,
we passed between many hills and forests. Then we came to the plains
and entered Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. In many ways it looked like
Vientiane and Ho Chi Minh City; it also had wide streets with trees in rows
and old French houses. Unlike Vientiane, ships could travel the Mekong River here.
In the centre of the city we visited the palace and saw a beautiful white elephant.
It can only be seen outside the palace on special days. We ate an early supper
and went to see a great temple with floors made of silver.
The next morning our group slept late. We were very tired from the long bike ride
the day before. Cycling in the hills had been difficult. Now our cousins had the
chance to make jokes about Wang Wei and me. Perhaps, they said, they were the
strong ones! We had lunch at a nice outdoor cafe. then rode out of the city.
Two days later we crossed the border into Vietnam. We began to see many more people,
but I wasn't surprised. I read in an atlas before our trip that Vietnam has almost
seven times the population of Cambodia. We met a farmer who gave us directions
and told us that he grows a new rice crop four times every year so he can feed more people.
He also told us that the northern part of his country has many mountains and it is much
cooler than here in the south, where it is flat. Although the flat delta made it easier
for us to cycle, we got warm very quickly. So we drank lots of water and ate lots of bananas.
Soon the delta separated into nine smaller rivers.
Two days later, after we had passed thousands of rice fields, we came to the sea.
We were tired but also in high spirits: our dream to cycle along the Mekong River had
finally come true.