By 8 a.m. on Mondays, the banks of the Mekong River in the Thai town of Nakhon Phanom are thrumming with shoppers stocking up on vegetables, river fish and bottles of crickets to add to their evening meals. Some arrive by motorcycle from further afield in the northeastern Thai province. But others make the journey by boat, crossing a short stretch of murky brown river from Laos.
The market is a bustling and colorful example of how the Mekong, which marks the border between Thailand and Laos, is also a vital bridge, facilitating a shared culture and a single riverside community. Vendors and buyers from both countries shout easily across the stands and trade their wares as people would in any community. Their languages are mutually intelligible, though not identical. Locals talk of Laos not as another country but as a place as familiar as the nearest Thai town.
