© all rights reserved Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black The Mekong is one of the world’s major rivers. It is the 11th-longest river in the world. Its estimated length is 4,909 km and it drains an area of 795,000 km2. From the Tibetan Plateau it runs through China's Yunnan province, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The biodiversity of the Mekong mountains is one of the richest in the world. More than 1200 species of fish have been identified and there could be possibly as many as 1700. Fishing is a very important part of the economic activities in the area and a vital source of protein in the local diet. Even the rare species of freshwater dolphin, the Irrawaddy dolphin can be seen at the Lower Mekong. Irrawaddy dolphins have been documented participating in cooperative fishing with humans using cast nets by driving the fish towards these fisherman in response to acoustic signals from them. We are planning to see these special dolphines but they seems to be located futher South near the border of Cambodia... Laos wet season runs from around May to October, and as with many Southeast Asian countries, the wet season is characterised by a downpour for a few hours each day rather than all-day torrential downpours. While the rainy season tends to strike Laos pretty much, in such forestry area the higher you are, the more rain you get. August is the wettest month. All in all, land transport during Laos wet season can be slow and soggy. Laos pretty mountainous lends itself to landslides, some minor, some not-so-minor. Also, with all this rainfall, the rivers can become beastly and delays due to bridges being down are not uncommon. Don't be surprised if your trip takes longer than expected. There are some advantages of this season which are lower temperatures, cleaner air and it's very quiet. On this rainy morning there is not much to do in Champasak - South of Laos. The relaxed atmosphere was perfect for unwinding, resting in my hammock on my balcony and reading my Laos travel book, a break from the fast pace of the outside world. But I did have to go back inside to get my camera. I just had to take this photo of the mighty Mekong stream along with the heavy rainfall. The rain doesn't seems to border the fisherman at all. De Mekong is een rivier in Zuidoost-Azië. De rivier is 4909 kilometer lang en wordt beschouwd als één van de belangrijke rivieren in Azië. De rivier loopt achtereenvolgens door de landen China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodja en Vietnam. De Mekong ontspringt in het Tanglhagebergte in China en mondt met een delta (Mekong-delta) uit in de Zuid-Chinese Zee. In de rivier leeft de grootste soort meerval ter wereld. De biodiversiteit van de Mekong bergen is één van rijkst aan de wereld. Meer dan 1200 soorten vis zijn geïdentificeerde en misschien nog wel meer. De visserij is economisch zeer belangrijk en een essentiële bron van proteïne in het lokale dieet. In het lage gedeelte bij de Mekong-delta komen zelfs nog de bezondere irrawaddydolfijnen voor. In sommige gebieden werken de twee samen: de dolfijnen drijven vissen de netten van de vissers in, en de vissers belonen de dolfijnen met een klein deel van de vangst. In deze gebieden worden deze dieren vereerd. We zijn van plan om deze bijzondere dolfijnen te gaan bekijken maar het schijnt dat ze zich nog wat zuidelijker begeven vlakbij de grens met Cambodja...