Laos Flooding August 2008

[jimoi]

As most of you know, the Mekong is up and spilling into Vientiane. All the riverfront bars in town are under water with exception of Mekong Deck but bamboo places are under at least a meter of water and the Sunset Bar is not doing well unless you have rubber boots.

Highway 13 between Paksan and Pakading is closed in some parts due to high water on the road, 2nd hand reports put the level between a meter and in one area 1.5 meters.

I live on the Mekong and the water is up and ready to give me fish in my garden in a day or so. These photos are outside my house. The fish farms are usually about 8 meters lower. Now the gangway for the floating house on the fish farms is even with the road.

Digging the sand for the bags

VTE from the 14th floor of the Don Chan

Thaduea Road at KM 2 - 3. Main road into Vientiane from Thailand

The Thai side of the Mekong is Si Chiang Mai and Tha Bo, not doing so well

 

[Mot]

Nong Khai and the bridge

On the left Vientiane and Si Chiang Mai

 

[Mot]

Vientiane:

North of Vientiane,the Nam Ngum and in the middle on the right of the river Ban Keun and is old strip ( Lima site Number ?)

 

[Mot]

Same area on a larger scale: road N.10,Phou Kao Kouai on the right,Ban keun on the top, the Nam Ngum river sorry for the poor quality and the reflects.
Quite a lot of water...What about my (ex) rice fields :lol: !!!!

 

[DavidFL]

Some pix from Luang Prabang & the Mekong Floods

The Nam Khan River broke it's banks.

A tree came down at Wat Xieng Thong & crushed a tuk-tuk.

The Luangsay Cruise Pakbeng Lodge was under water.

 

[mactbkk]

Great photos, thanks.

FYI, Ban Keun is LS-44; Phou Khao Kwai, aka Ritaville, is LS-53.

1966 flood photos are here: http://www.asvalumni.org/coppermine/thu ... p?album=10

I also have the 100 photos done by USAID for the 1971 flood on my hard drive but haven't got them up to a www site as yet.

Mac

 

[Mot]

Very impressives pictures Mac!!!I am sure I am not the only one to wait for other ones.Old pictures of Laos are not so common.Neither forum about this country actually.

Was "Ritaville" the name of a village or some kind of nickname of the runway?

Here 2 pictures of LS-44,the first towards North and the second towards South.It is not really the right post to show them,sorry.

Mot

 

[mactbkk]

Mot

I expect that "Rittville" is/was the name of a wife or girlfriend about the time the airport was built or at least named by/for Air America. Perhaps back during the White Star days early 1960s.

The wife & I are off to Laos shortly on a 4-wheel trip upcountry, back on the 30th. I'll get the 1971 photos posted on a Picasa url when I get back, no time right now. BTW, "4-wheel" doesn't mean two bikes, sorry.

Mac

 

[Mot]

And what about the flood?How is the situation?

Mot

PS:what does it means :"the White Star days" ?

 

[mactbkk]

Mot

Arrived Vientiane about one hour ago, 1500 hrs here, from Nong Khai. No water at all in the streets! Fine with me.

Do a Google for: "white star" laos

Lots of historical information available on th ewww, before my time, I was still in university in those days.

Mac