Iphenyane elinomsila omde lisika ngokunqamlezayo emanzini e-emerald woMlambo iMekong. Iinqwelo-mafutha zayo ezithandekayo njengoko ziqhubela phambili ubugcisa phakathi kweziqithi ezigqunywe ngamahlathi e-Si Phan Don archipelago. Amancinci amancinci, izindlu ze-ramshackle zigudle elunxwemeni, nganye ineseti yayo epheleleyo yokuhlamba iimpahla kubetha impepho. Abalobi babekuloo ndawo behleli kuyo kumanqanawa okuloba bephosa iminatha yabo. Abantwana ngaphandle kwemvakwemini babhukuda benentloni kwaye batshangatshangise kwiindawo ezinzulu. Ukujikeleza enye ikona yokugqibela, ilali iyavela, kwaye ngaphaya kwayo, ibhulorho ejongeka njengenguqu yehlathi lasePont Neuf yaseParis.
Kwenzeka njani ukuba oku kungaqheleki komlando kubekho kwenye yezona ndawo zikwimimandla ekumazantsi mpuma Asia? Ibali liqala ngo-1866. Abakholoniyali baseFrance bafika kwikona esemaZantsi mpuma yento yanamhlanje eyiLaos kwaye baseka iKhomishini ye-Mekong Expedition ukuba ihlole lo mmandla kwaye ikhusele indlela yomlambo eya kwizinto ezingavuthiyo kunye neempahla zodidi eziveliswe ngaphakathi e-China.
Ucelomngeni? U-Si Phan Don uguqulela kwii-4,000 zeZiqithi ngenxa yokugqabhuka kolwandle oluninzi - oluncinci kunamatye - olwenziwe ziintaba-mlilo ezingxolayo kunye neengxangxasi ezinamandla ezikulo mgama weMekong. Kwaye ezi ngxangxasi amaFrentshi afumanisa ukuba, zazingahambeki ngenqanawa. Endaweni yoko, bagqiba kwelokuba bakhe umzila kaloliwe omxinwa oziimayile ezine ukuhambisa amaphenyane kunye nemithwalo yomhlaba ukusuka kwindawo ezolileyo yomlambo ukuya kwenye.
Imonki eKhone Pha Feng Falls Ityala: ngoncedo lukaEric Rosen
Baligqibile icandelo lokuqala kwi-1893 kwaye baqhubeka bephucula kuyo kwiminyaka engamashumi alandelayo, benza uloliwe wokuqala waseLaos. Inxalenye yebhulorho, ehamba phakathi kweziqithi zeDon Khon kunye neDon Det, yakhiwa malunga nowe-1910. Lo mgaqo kaloliwe wawuhlala usebenza de kwasemva kweMfazwe yesibini (II) yeHlabathi, xa wahluthwa intsimbi. Ibhulorho, nangona kunjalo, inyamezelekile, kwaye iindwendwe zinokuhamba ngebhayisikile ngayo namhlanje.
KuDon Khon, kusekho isiqwenga somkhondo esiphethe inqwelwana encinci, erusiweyo ebizwa ngokuba yi Eloise kunye neeplacards ezichaza uloliwe kunye nexesha lesiFrentshi. Eminye imizila yangaphambili ngoku yindlela yokuhamba ngebhayisikile enokuthi iindwendwe ziyilandele sijikeleze isiqithi.
Ukuhamba kwindlela ephambili kaDon Khon, abahambi baya kufumana izakhiwo zexesha lobukoloniyali kubandakanya iklinikhi yezempilo, isikolo kunye Kwenziwe igumbi laseKhone Ihotele, inxalenye yayo ihlala kwi-villa yaseFrance eyi-1896. Kwelinye icala likaDon Khon ukusuka kwibhulorho ngamathambo esinye isakhiwo saseFrance, udonga lomlambo olusetyenziselwa ukukhupha imithwalo ukusuka emlanjeni ukuya ekuqaleni komgaqo kaloliwe.
Kwenziwe igumbi laseKhone, eLaos Ityala: ngoncedo lukaEric Rosen
IDolphins yoMlambo kunye nokukhawuleza okukhawulezayo
Ngaphandle kweempawu zembali ezifafazwe ziqithi, kukho izizathu ezininzi zokutyelela iSi Phan Don. Ngokungafaniyo neetafile ezipakishwe yindawo yokutya yaseLuang Prabang kunye nesixeko esikhulu saseVientiane esikhawulezayo, lo mmandla awukachukunyiswa. Oku kuhlala enye yezahlulo zokugqibela ezingekho kumashishini eMekong, ngenxa yoko awuyi kufumana iinqanawa ezinkulu okanye iinqanawa zokuhamba ngeenqanawa ezihamba ngapha nangapha, kwaye amanzi ahlambuluke ngokwaneleyo kwaye athambileyo okwangoku ngokwaneleyo ukudada ukususela ngoJanuwari-Meyi.
Iindwendwe zingaqesha isikhephe okanye i-kayak kwicala elisemazantsi e-Don Khon kunye ne-paddle ukuya kwindawo ethe cwaka eyenza umda phakathi kweLaos neCambodia. Usapho lwabane Iidolin zomlambo iIrrawaddy - abadala ababini kunye elivisayo ezimbini - uhlala apha. Ukukhula ukuya kwiinyawo ezisixhenxe ubude, umbala omnyama kunye neempumlo ezi-stubby, ezi zidalwa zinqabile. Baneentloni. Nangona ungazukusondela kufutshane, kukho ithuba elihle lokuba ubabone bedada njengeqela kwaye benyukela umoya amaxesha ngamaxesha. Unokubona ezinye ze-plabuck catfish ezixhaphakileyo kuloo mmandla, ezinokuthi zikhule ziye kufikelela kwi-10 yeenyawo ubude kunye nangaphezulu kweepawundi ezingama-600, nto leyo eyenza ukuba ibe zezona ntlobo zinkulu zeentlanzi zamanzi emhlabeni.
Eyona nto inomtsalane kuDon Khon, ziingxangxasi ezinqabileyo zeLi Phi ecaleni kwentshona. Eli gama lithetha ukubanjiswa ngumoya, njengoko abantu bendawo babekade bekholelwa ukuba amanzi aqengqelekayo kunye namatye ayingozi angabambisa imimoya yabalobi abanelishwa abathe barhaxwa phezulu. Ngaphandle kobunzima, ukuwa kuyamangalisa ngokwenene, ngakumbi xa kutshona ilanga.
Iingxangxasi zeLi Phi eLaos Ityala: ngoncedo lukaEric Rosen
Kuya kufuneka ubhatale i-35,000 yeLao Kip ($ 4) ukungena kwipaki ejikeleze ukuwa, kodwa xa ungaphakathi, uyakufumana iindlela zokubuka ezimnandi, indawo yokutyela engasemlanjeni, ulwandle oluncinci, ikhefi evulekileyo evulekileyo kunye neetheyiphu ezenziwe ngomthi kunye neetafile ziyafumaneka kwindawo yokuqala yokuza kuqala kwaye zilungele ukuhambisa kude emva kwemini.
UDon Khon uhlala ethe cwaka kunoDon Det, kodwa usenokufumana iindawo ezininzi zokutyela kunye neeresityu ezijikeleze ilali ephambili yesiqithi iKhon Tai. Zama isoseji yenyathi eyenziwe ekhaya eKhitshini Lethu, okanye isaladi eluhlaza epepaya eluhlaza eChez Fred et Lea.
UDon Det, ngokuchaseneyo, ubonelela ngendawo yokuhlala engabizi kakhulu kwaye uyathandwa kwiseti yokupakisha efuna ngaphezulu komcimbi wepati. Yonke into isezantsi kakhulu-isitshixo kunoko ubuya kukufumana kwiidolophu ezixakekileyo ezinje ngeVang Vieng okanye i-Siem Reap, nangona kunjalo.