An adventurer takes on the Laotian waterfalls!
A 27-year-old Frenchman, Arthur Fourdraine, who took on the challenge of paddling up the Mekong by kayak unassisted from the delta in Vietnam to its Tibetan source, has just arrived in Laos!
A 27-year-old Frenchman, Arthur Fourdraine, who took on the challenge of paddling up the Mekong by kayak unassisted from the delta in Vietnam to its Tibetan source, has just arrived in Laos! Read a detailed portrait of the young man explaining this incredible adventure on the Voyage Cambodge website. After 40 days of expedition through Vietnam and Cambodia, the former alpine hunter has just completed one of the most treacherous challenges of his journey: crossing the Laotian border.
Before tackling the Tibetan Everest, or sneaking past the ambushes of the Golden Triangle at the borders of Thailand and Myanmar, Arthur Fourdraine first had to accomplish a remarkable feat if he wanted to continue the adventure. Scale the Cambodia-Laos border on the back of this legendary river. A masterclass executed. Not without obstacles. Far from it.
"Don't go east or I will die"
Laos and Cambodia, two neighboring countries, siamese twins bound by a vital common nerve: the Mekong. As if the border cut straight through by the river gathered all the energy of the two kindred nations. This place is called Si Phan Don. Here, the Mekong's volume multiplies by 20 during the rainy season. At this time, no other natural place on Earth shows water rushing down at such speed. The flow rate is, for example, twice as high as Niagara Falls, with 10 million liters of water carving its path every second. Suffice to say that no human being would be capable of defying this infernal pace.
During the dry season that we're experiencing now, conditions are entirely different. But beware, they are far from being easy to manage. It still represents the highest aquatic current speed in the world during monsoons. For comparison, at Vostok in Antarctica, scientists recorded during winter 1983 (July, Southern Hemisphere) the lowest temperature in history: -89.2°C. During summer the weather is milder and temperatures more gentle, but they never climb above -50°C. Yet Arthur Fourdraine still decided to tackle this Si Phan Don border between Cambodia and Laos. "A natural wall spewing millions of cubic meters challenges me from its heights. Whirlpools, vicious currents, extremely violent rapids, I was on the verge of giving up after a few risky attempts 2 days earlier where I nearly drowned, swept away by my kayak which was starting to sink, caught in the raging foam," he describes in retrospect on his mission's Facebook account Whatsyourlimit? Arthur had done his research beforehand and members of a nearby guesthouse had "given him a tip, first and foremost to NOT go east or I would die, and secondly to try the ascent via a small tributary running parallel to the Khone Pa Soy falls."
An inflatable kayak... made of concrete
Arthur decides to follow this sound advice and sets off the next day. Part of the journey will be on foot, but this "small tributary" parallel to the river must be crossed by kayak. "After battling like a lion for 3 hours, I reach the old bridge, which marks the location of an impassable waterfall, the last one before leaving Cambodia."
He then has to climb and ascend 200 meters before he can immerse his vessel again. In Laos, this time. "I'm impressed by its resilience, my grandmother's kayak holds up better than I do," he continues. The adventurer admits he lost a few feathers along the way, and his lucky hat, but so what. This perilous stage is now behind him. Memories aplenty, photographs galore. And that beautiful face he encountered that day, as if to tell him "this is a hassle, right?"
Frequently asked questions
Arthur Fourdraine is a 27-year-old Frenchman and former alpine hunter who took on the challenge of paddling up the Mekong by kayak unassisted from the delta in Vietnam to the Tibetan source of the river. After 40 days of expedition through Vietnam and Cambodia, he successfully crossed the perilous Laotian border at Si Phan Don as part of his 'Whatsyourlimit' mission.
The border zone between Cambodia and Laos, called Si Phan Don, is one of the most dangerous places in the world for navigation. During the rainy season, the Mekong's volume multiplies by 20, with a flow rate twice as high as Niagara Falls, or 10 million liters of water per second. Even in the dry season, whirlpools, violent currents, and extreme rapids make crossing extremely perilous.
The Khone Pa Soy falls are located in the Si Phan Don region in southern Laos on the Mekong. They are part of a series of rapids and cascades that form the natural border between Cambodia and Laos. During the rainy season, they generate the most powerful water flow among natural falls in the world. Arthur Fourdraine had to navigate alongside them via a small parallel tributary to cross the border by kayak.
After several perilous attempts where he nearly drowned, Arthur Fourdraine followed the advice of local residents: avoid going east (fatal) and take a small tributary of the river running parallel to the Khone Pa Soy falls. Part of the journey was on foot, involving 200 meters of climbing to bypass an impassable waterfall, before relaunching his kayak on the Laotian side.
After crossing the Laotian border, Arthur Fourdraine was set to continue his adventure paddling up the Mekong through Laos, then face the Golden Triangle at the borders of Thailand and Myanmar, before reaching Tibet to reach the river's source. The complete expedition, called 'Whatsyourlimit', is documented on his dedicated Facebook page.
