Photos of Thai-Lao fishermen at dawn on the Mekong River

Continuing my trip in Northeastern Thailand, I woke up this morning before 5 AM (something I'm not a big fan of but it is great for photography). I was with two Thai photographers and we headed down to the bank of the Mekong River for sunrise. The different types of sandstone in this area make some really incredible structures as the rising and falling river erodes the rock in strange ways. I'll have another post soon with those photos, but today I want to share some shots I got of the local fishermen.

I was in Ubon Ratchathani Province in Thailand. The opposite bank of the river is Laos. Culturally and linguistically, the majority of people in Northeastern Thailand are the same as the Lao people, so the only difference between the two sides is citizenship, and economic system. Locals can come and go fairly easily, but others need to use an actual border crossing to go.

Dawn on the river

Using a net between two bamboo poles to scoop fish up from the river.

These guys are out checking their gill nets

You can faintly see some people in the far background of this picture. They are on the Laos side of the river. Opposite them are the people using the bamboo and net scoops pictured above. The place where they are is the narrowest part of the entire Mekong River.

And now it's time for bed. I've been going all day on two hours' sleep. I almost convinced myself not to post, but I'm committed to daily steeming, and I've only gone a week so far. Thanks for checking out my post.