A river and its people, the Mekong river (Wat Phou) (Documentary, Discovery, History)

[Music] some rivers are great not only because they're vital arteries of communication for agriculture and the economy of a country or a region but also because down through history they've played a significant role in the development of ideas and civilizations mythic sacred like the ganges the indus and the yangtze the mekong is one of the longest rivers of asia with its source high in the himalayas the mekong flows several thousand kilometers across central asia before reaching laos where it has always played a central role in the country's history [Music] a number of different civilizations have succeeded one another on the shores of the mekong the very first was the so-called standing stone civilization a culture of great megaliths which appeared down river in the ancient times of the neolithic age much later the khmer civilization which was essentially hindu spread throughout the mekong valley followed then by buddhism which took root in a permanent way since it continues right down to the present day the great stupa the that luang is not only the symbol of the country's age old link with buddhism but also the symbol of laotian sovereignty a sovereignty challenged for centuries by its burmese and siamese neighbors and by colonial france which established a protectorate over the country at the turn of the 20th century laos became independent in 1955 and was then swept up in the conflict of the indochinese peninsula in 1975 the monarchy was abolished and the people's republic was proclaimed now after many dormant years of isolation the land of a million elephants a name given by the first sovereign in the 13th century has once again opened up to curious travelers a peaceful country bathed by the eternal mekong as in ancient times if you go back to the very beginning of la ocean history the mekong was seen first and foremost as a source of life this is how the many different ethnic groups came from almost all parts of the country to live along the mekong even those living on the other bank of the mekong in thailand consider this river as an artery of their own bodies [Music] foreign the first stop on our expedition of discovery on the mekong southern laos and pak se capital of champasak province accepting the nearby bolaven plateau famous for its coffee the agricultural activity of the entire region surrounding pak say is completely dependent on the mekong here's the pak market situated on the river's edge it's the crossroads of the region an unending valley of farmers fishermen and sightseers of all sorts disembark from a fleet of small craft [Music] [Music] the produce displayed on the market stands reflects the cottage industry aspect of the agricultural production but the real surprise comes from the incredible variety of fish a veritable treasure hauled up from the muddy waters of the mekong okay [Music] [Applause] karaoke and cds of local music have started showing up in the market for runners of a certain asian modernism made in thailand [Music] in the center of the market you'll find the little working-class restaurants they serve among other dishes a vietnamese soup of vegetables chopped chicken and rice noodles it's true that a large proportion of the inhabitants of pak se a city founded by the french in 1905 are of chinese or vietnamese origin we're leaving pak say and heading south on board the vatpu the only boat equipped with cabins this former barge which was used for shipping freight has been very tastefully transformed into a luxurious and elegant floating observation deck [Music] when i started navigating i had a certain person with me an old timer who knew the river and had a lot of experience he's the one who taught me all the rudiments of navigation he told me all the time how to navigate according to the direction and the speed of the current and the depth of the water he's the one who taught me everything it's thanks to him that i was able to exercise this profession the problem is when the current is very strong then there has to be two of us to make a decision to decide the route to take to get through and he takes advantage of my strength [Music] we are headed for the region of champa where we'll find one of the major archaeological sites of laos the vatpu the mountain temple from which our boat gets its name between march and june the beginning of the monsoons the water level of the mekong is at its lowest and navigation becomes very tricky the boats have to weave along the river seeking out the channels between the sandbanks the channel markers placed by the french are then a great help [Music] [Applause] the sacred aspect of the river is omnipresent but on the hindu kumar site of vatpu it takes on a special character a spring at the foot of one of the cliffs had undoubtedly prompted the ancient kings of the region back in the 5th century bc to erect a sanctuary a few centuries later when vatpu had been assimilated into a vast khmer territory the site was linked to the famous temples of angkor a few hundred kilometers to the southwest the religious complex visible today dates back to the 11th century two rectangular buildings with their intricately carved pediments face each other on a vast esplanade at the very end of the terrace a once-covered path leads to the first stairway where are we uh here we're coming into the second part of the vatpu temple of champa now we're going to climb the stairs they were sculpted in two different types of stone two types that we find in the construction of the temple one of these types of stone was found in the mekong whereas the other comes from the quarries in the champa region how long is this stairway around 10 meters and where are we now we're now in the second section this second part of the vatpu temple is protected by the guardian of the doorway you can recognize him from his distinguishing features first of all a club symbolizing force then his left hand placed over his heart a token of respect for all the pilgrims who come here according to local lore this statue is a representation of kamata the legendary king who is said to have built vatpu it guards the second stairway which leads up to the shrine and the sacred spring the sacred water has its source at the summit it then passes through the lunga parabata and flows down to the bottom the spring has always been considered sacred from the beginning of time right down to the present day people have always been coming to the vat poo of champa they take a few drops of this holy water in their hand and pour it on their head with this act they express the wish for a long and healthy life this stream which comes from the mountain will flow into the mekong so the inhabitants of the region can receive all the blessings of the union of the holy spring of vatpu and the mekong the sacred spring used to flow from within the sandstone hypostal chamber itself easily accessible by its three doors the sanctuary which used to be dedicated to the hindu khmer deities has since been transformed into a buddhist temple [Music] in the soft light of the setting sun we get back underway on the mekong [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] so what's up [Music] the water level of the mekong is too low for the vat poo to go any further so the next morning we continue our voyage towards sipandun the archipelago of four thousand islands in a smaller boat the river's channel markers stick up a bit further and once the banks enriched with the silt deposited by the mekong during the high water season dry out they turn into miraculous vegetable [Music] gardens [Music] the drop in the water level is not only a godsend for the farmers it's also good news for the herds of zebus which make themselves at home the newly emerged mudbanks [Music] after pak say there are no more bridges over the mekong only a few unlikely craft ferry vehicles across particularly the trucks coming from vietnam [Music] [Music] we're penetrating deeper into the sipandon archipelago [Music] nearing the cambodian border 13 kilometers of rapids blocked the river making it unnavigable this is where the mekong offers us one of the most beautiful panoramas of laos the kong paping falls [Music] for centuries the waterfalls of kompa peng this supposedly impassable natural dam has marked the end of the line for boats sailing both up and down the mekong oh since this obstacle blocked freight transportation between saigon and the south and vientiane in the north the french colonial powers undertook a project to get around it in the little village of ban nakazong we embark on a new motorized perogue even smaller than the one before as we advance in the midst of a labyrinth of islands covered with lush vegetation we approach the island of don khan where the french undertook their amazing project [Music] in order to bypass the falls the french in 1920 constructed a 14 kilometer long railroad connecting the islands of don khan and undead by this bridge the boats coming up from the south from cambodia and vietnam would unload their freight at the southern tip of doncon island it was then shipped by rail to the northern end of donde island where it was loaded back onto other boats headed up the mekong to vencian almost nothing remains of that railroad the only one in laos a few pieces of scrap metal and the memories of an old man who is the last living witness of that amazing undertaking at the beginning i came here to do laundry the french people's laundry i was learning 12 shows a month when i realized that my salary wasn't enough to live on because i found work on a boat i worked in the engine room down in the hole i stayed on that boat for a long time for more than 10 years after those 10 years they promoted me i was in charge of engine maintenance and one day before the french left the country i was transferred to the railroad how about you lord wait i worked there for a few years the last four years that the railroad was in service locomotive i don't really know where it comes from maybe from france maybe from some other country i have no idea it came from saigon we shipped it up here from saigon on a big boat yamaha it took two or three nights for it to get here then they unloaded it it wasn't easy it was heavy oh yes it was very heavy the iron plates are thick [Music] i had never seen a train before we brought it here piece by piece we assembled it by boat just before the french left before they gave the country back to the oceans for them to run it themselves we were lined up that up in the north of laos 800 kilometers from the cambodian border we discover another mekong shrouded in the morning mist the setting invokes the landscape of a chinese engraving the boats slide delicately along the surface of the water for fear of frightening their own reflections and the fisherman throwing his net attains the perfection of a gesture carried out since the dawn of time okay [Applause] we're on the mekong near wang prabang the capital of ancient laos it's the moment when the monks leave their monastery to undertake their ritual quest through the streets of the town there are no thanks to be expected from those begging for their food just the opposite it's the believer who's grateful to the monk for accepting the alms for he can thus accumulate merit that will ease his suffering and bring him a little closer to nirvana [Music] sometime before becoming an adult every man leaves his family shaves his head dons the saffron robe and renouncing earthly goods dedicates himself to the monastery for from three weeks to six months whereas the young monks go out begging the elders receive the gift of their subsistence directly at the monastery oh [Music] after 12 noon the monks devote themselves entirely to meditation and prayer [Music] in the afternoon they take no solid foods this explains why the morning meal the only one of the day is always so copious [Music] even though it lost its status as royal capital to vencian in 1540 luang prabang remains the cultural and religious heart of the country situated on a peninsula bordered by the mekong and its tributary the nam khan luang prabang as we see it here from mount pusi is one of the most fascinating cities of southeast asia [Music] [Laughter] in spite of its unimpressive size luang prabang is home to more than 700 monuments mostly of religious inspiration temples pagodas as well as a good number of monasteries the most famous of which is no doubt the vatsimtong the seam the main building with its superposition of wooden roofs and its many changes of inclines is symbolic of the harmony and elegance of the laotian style [Music] the building's rear facade is decorated with a remarkable mosaic composed of bits of colored glass representing a flamboyant tree of life symbol of the founding of the town by two hermits among other buildings the complex contains a chapel whose facade is decorated with scenes from the ramayana [Music] it contains a superb funeral chariot 12 meters high sculpted in wood covered in gold leaf it has the shape of a seven-headed naga the symbol of royal power over the past few years tourism has begun to make its way to luang prabang souvenir shops have taken over old market stands and the hmong community has its own permanent market where they offer their traditional embroidery uh in spite of this opening towards the outside world luang prabang and the mekong seem blessed with an eternal aura [Music] in the gardens of this ancient royal lodge where the perfection of the forms blends gently with the harmonious music life seems untroubled and time at a [Music] standstill [Music] [Applause] [Music] do [Music] [Music] so [Music] now in the final rays of the setting sun the inhabitants of luang prabang gather on the banks of the mekong and the nam khan these are moments that confirm their innate gift of enjoying life in the most simple way [Music] wow [Music] okay the next morning we embark on a long boat the luang sea [Music] we leave luang prabang and continue our voyage on the mekong towards the north [Music] while we're making our way through the morning mist 25 kilometers upriver in the village of bam paku there are women at the water's edge with some strange equipment they tell the story that once a young woman was searching for her husband he's going back to his native village on the other side of the river i want to find my husband who's gone back to his native village no i won't help you the woman snapped back therapon the young woman faced with such wickedness decided to put a curse on them i condemn you to look for gold until the end of time and according to the legend that is why even today laotian women continue to pan for gold in the mekong [Applause] is a tradition that has been handed down to us by our ancestors if we have some spare time after the day's work in the village we come down to the river and pan for gold it's a way of making a little money homeland [Applause] panning for gold fishing farming it's as if nothing has changed in the customs and rhythms of the life of this village which like all laotian villages is organized around the buddhist temple they even continued to produce the lau lau the traditional rice wine in the old-fashioned way keep weaving and the sale of their crafts these few clues point to the existence of a tourist industry that is budding in bambaku thanks to nearby luang prabang and even more so the famous grottos on the opposite shore of the mekong [Applause] in the course of time these grottos hollowed out of the cliff face have become holy sites in homage to king sitativat who according to legend discovered them while out hunting over the centuries the believers as proof of their reverence have filled the grottos with an impressive number of statues representing muda [Music] so even though the most ancient statues have been stolen by invaders or river pirates there are still so many that you have to let your eyes get used to the dim light in order to be able to see them all [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] in recent years the tranquility of the river has been shattered by the awful noise of speed boats making the run between luang prabang and the thai border at more than 70 kilometers an hour these craft tear through the landscape at such a speed that they may be seen like mirages to the groups living on the banks of the mekong for centuries with the same placid rhythm for several years now with the encouragement of the government the hmong community that traditionally lived in the highlands have been coming down to settle on the shores of the mekong little by little they've given up their traditional dwellings made of wood and cob for laotian houses on stilts because of the flooding of the river aside from this practical adaptation the hmong have preserved their ancestral customs and beliefs our ancestors taught us a very long time ago that we must be very careful about just how and where we build our houses if you don't choose the plot of landwell you run the risk of being cursed so you find a spot that suits you you dig a hole in the middle of the plot and you place a few grains of rice in the hole if there are 10 members of the family you put in 10 grains of rice and then you cover the hole with a bowl according to the tradition that our parents and ancestors handed down to us we lived in the mountains but in the mountains we were ignorant and we didn't know how to read or write we had no clinics we can get around much more easily we're not as isolated [Music] [Music] come on yes [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] we spend the night in this traditional style lodge recently built on a hillside overlooking the river early the next day the long say plunges into the morning mist to cover the last leg of our voyage [Music] [Music] whatever the weather the captain has to stay alert in addition to the natural obstacles he has to avoid the speed boats running up and down the river and the prorogues crossing back and [Music] forth [Music] the river is rather narrow in this region and there are many rapids in the low water season huge menacing boulders emerge from the water this is when the navigation gets tricky and sometimes even dangerous [Music] foreign last port of call on our voyage the village of ban kon-tun populated by the tai lu tribe the traditional occupations of the tai lui are weaving and farming their characteristic wooden houses raised up on enormous stilts differentiate the tai lui from the other tribes living along the mekong [Music] wow like all the different ethnic groups living in laos the tai lui have adopted buddhism they do however continue to practice their animistic rights spirit worship in particular and the shaman holds the secrets which have been handed down from generation to generation all my power comes from the book this is the one that my grandfather and my father after him handed down to me everything i know i learned from this book it couldn't be anywhere else but here in the house of my a long time ancestors when i was young we didn't have any hospitals here so i would take care of people very simply with the help of my books as a result everyone came to see me and that's how they named me shaman if a sick person goes to the hospital and then afterwards sees that he hasn't gotten any better he'll come to see me i try to take care of him and even cure him it's my duty that's how it is [Applause] now i pronounce the magic words that i learned from my books and i drive out the evil spirits by blowing on the sick person's body once the spirits have been driven out i call back the souls of the sick person and i bind them with a piece of cotton string tied around the wrist the sick person's wrist as we do in the traditional ceremony of the bassinet that's all there is to it it's very simple natural you

Channel: Stop Over - Documentary, Discovery, History

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Keywords: travel, adventure, boat, sail, trip, ocean, sea, river, sailboat, cruise, stopover, stop, over, Queen Elizabeth 2, Royal Clipper, Le France, Le Norway, Sun Boat II, Classica, Vat Phou, Bolero, Wind Song, Grigoriy Mikheev icebreaker, Silver Cloud, destination, voyage, Stopovertv, Discover, Travel, travels, explore, Stop Over, History

Id: biZ0_FVYIQ8

Length: 53min 45sec (3225 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 03 2014