Luang Namtha, Loas (April 2-April 6)

We arrived into Luang Namtha and booked a 3 day-2 night trekking trip in the jungle of Northern Laos.   The area is inhabited by 20 different ethnic tribes and there is a lot of focus on eco-tourism.  So the money we paid for our trip was broken down into what the travel company would receive, what the guides were paid, how much each village received, what went to the national preserve, and so forth.  

In the morning we met our group, which totaled 12 people, including our two guides. Thai and Sedeep were our two guides, who bravely lead us into the jungle. There was Jeff, Leah, and I plus one other American named TJ.  There were three Israelis, Ita, Maayan, and Noa. Two Italians, who really confused me because they spoke a German deltaic and are a minority in Italy, Peter and Celica .  And rounding out the group, was Pacome from southern France.   To get to the trail head, we took about a 45 minute tuk-tuk ride and then our guides had to ferry us across a small river by a bamboo raft.  The rafts could only accommodate two other people besides the guide, so it took a little time for all of us to reach the other side.  Then our march began.  It was a fairly nice trail that wove in and out of a bamboo jungle. At some spots along the trail, we would see locals digging up bamboo shoots to sell at market. Up and down hills we went in the muggy hot weather.  We stopped for lunch at a little hut after several hours.  While our guides, cut down banana leaves to use as tablecloths and bowls, people were wringing the sweat out of their clothes.  Lunch was eaten with our hands and consisted  a curry dish, a tomato dish, and sticky rice.  After several more hours of hiking, we reached another river with a village on the other side that would be our home for the night.  Once again, our group was ferried across the river via bamboo raft, but this time a boy of about ten was the skipper. 

Once reaching the other side, we were greeted by the little kids of the village.  Leah, who had taught English in China, sang the ‘head-shoulders-knees-n-toes’ song with them both fast and slow.  The kids giggled through most of it.  A couple of little boys really enjoyed playing and laughing as TJ teased them.  Jeff went down stream little bit where the men of the village were fishing and tried his luck with them.  He did not end up with a very exciting fish story… The only one he brought to shore was the dead one he plucked out of the net and it wasn’t a very big.  Everyone else sat and swam in the river and just relaxed.  The villlage was very peaceful and it was nice to just soak it in.  Evening seemed to be the time when the ladies and children came down to the river to bath and wash clothes as the men fished.

Thai and Sedeep showed us to where we would stay of the night.  It was a little house, more or less in the middle of the village.  It was built on a platform like the rest of the houses, had bamboo floors, a metal roof, and the walls were made of woven strips of bamboo.  It had one main room and a small kitchen off to the side and an outhouse in the back.  Although, it was a traditional house, no family lived here; it was built for trekkers , like us, to stay at for the night.  After a long day of hiking, everyone was craving a Beer Lao.  We weren’t sure if we were going to find any, but we lucked out at the little general ‘store’.   The village was on a road and recently in past couple of months had electricity supplied to it, so not only was there Beer Lao, but it was cold too!  The group sat around, enjoying our beers, exchanging smiles and greetings with the local people.  The little boys ended up getting into a hide ‘n seek chase with TJ and one of the little girls sat on the bench next to us, shyly holding her little baby brother. 

In the space next to the store, the villagers were in the process of moving a large pile of dirt to another area.  The women were shoveling dirt into the wheel-barrels and the older children would cart it away.  TJ, Jeff, Ita, Peter, Thai, and several others from our group got their hands dirty as well by helping shovel and cart the dirt away. 

Dinner was served on the floor of our little house and was delicious.  While the women had been out shoveling the dirt away, the a few men of the village had been in our little kitchen cooking us a wonderful meal.  After dinner, the rice wine was brought out.  The rice is fermented in a pottery jar and drank with bamboo straws, like LaoLoa it must be an acquired taste!  At bedtime, mats were laid out on the floor with mosquito nets and we slept peacefully. 

In the morning, we were woken up the roosters, chickens, and pigs rooting around under the house.  Thai look us on a tour of the village and showed us where the villagers were building a new house and where their grain store houses were.  The most beautiful experience was watching the villagers go about their everyday lives; feeding livestock, cooking meals, washing clothes, and visiting with each other.   After breakfast of eggs, spicy noodles, and sticky rice, we were off.  We walked along the road for about a kilometer and then it was off into the jungle again.  Just before lunch, we stopped a waterfall and saw a big eight hundred year old tree.  Lunch was severed in a little hut on banana leaves and we were able to try some bamboo shoots that we had seen being dug up the day before.  They taste a little bitter, and weren’t my favorite, but the rest of the food was wonderful.  Everyone ate their fill, which some of us regretted because right after lunch, we hiked up 400 meter hill.  It was hot, and even more uncomfortable with a side ache, but we made it!  After the climb up the hill, we had to go down and then cross an agricultural area.  Slash and burn farming is very popular in Laos, and this area was drying up, waiting to be burned.  There was no shade and the sun was shining brightly.  It was a relief to finally see the little homestead we would be staying at for the night.

Unlike the previous night, we would be staying with a family just outside the village.  The was river nearby that we swam in and we were surprised to see that this family had their own little hydro-power system rigged up.  Their home was a series of several buildings.  The kitchen, store houses, and sleeping areas all had their own buildings, and us trekkers had our own building to sleep in. There were dogs, pigs, and chickens running around the yard.  The family killed two chickens for our dinner and TJ, who had never seen a chicken be killed, helped out.  After dinner, the elder male of the family brought out the ever famous  LaoLao and Sedeep, Thai and him took turns singing traditional songs while the rest of us clapped along.  It was a great evening. 

In the morning, we had breakfast (scrambled eggs with grated ginger might be my new favorite breakfast food) and we headed out.  The elder male had to wish us all a safe journey by toasting each of us with a shot of LaoLoa before we left…. He was back in bed before we left the courtyard; 12 shots of LaoLao is just too much!  We walked about 20 minutes before coming to main village.  The tribe that lived in the this village was very different from the other village.  The women all wore black clothing, with silver decorations in their hair and ears, and they were strikingly beautiful.  Their facial features were so different compared to the other peoples we had seen in Laos; almost more Chinese.  This village was not only know for weaving and dying their own cloth, but for making bamboo paper as well.  I bought a huge piece for 10,000 kip (about $1.25) for a future art project when I get home. 

We hiked about three or four more hours, before we came to the last river of the trip.  The group had a great time swimming and cooling down before walking up to the road where the tuk-tuk was to take us back to Luang Namtha.  Thai and Sedeep were wonderful guides and were so informative of their culture and of the villages we visited.    They made this trip spectacular and we’ll never forget their hospitality as they shared their country with us.

That night after we checked into our hotel for the night and cleaned up, we meet most of our hiking group for dinner and Beer Laos.  We also met back up with Mondona and Denise, the French couple we crossed from Thailand into Cambodia with over a month earlier.  They had spent their time in Vietman and it was great to catch up with their travels and give them some advice for traveling in Laos.  We ended the night as the restaurant ran out of Beer Lao and we said goodbye to our friends.  We said goodbye to Leah as well, who traveled into China the next day as we went the other way into Thailand.    

Lunch the first day

Leaving the first village morning of the second day

Hiking in the blazing hot jungle

Group photo

Locals in the last village we visited

Luang Prabang, Laos (March 29-April 2)

We, Ms Leah included, booked the VIP bus out of Vieng Vang, but unlike the last VIP bus we took this was the local bus.  Thankfully, it wasn’t a very hot day so the fact the air-con or the fans didn’t work, wasn’t that big of a deal.  Northern Laos is mountainous and can be very rugged in some areas.  The bus would slowly chug up the hills, only to get to the top and go speeding down the narrow curving roads.  This was not a fun bus ride, but we made it to Luang Prabang. 

Luang Prabang is located along a peninsula formed by the Mekong River on one side and the Nam Khan river on the other side.  It is absolutely enchanting.  The buildings are either built in the Indochinse architecture style or are old French villas and Unesco has named this former French capital a World Heritage site.  We had arrived in the later afternoon and wandered around to a few guesthouses before finding a clean, cheap place with two rooms (one for Jeff & I and one for Leah).  We dropped our things and then went out to explore the town.  Every evening Luang Prabang has a wonderful night market that spans several blocks.  There are, if I remember correctly, over 40 different ethnic tribes living in northern Laos, one of the biggest tribes being the Hmong people.  The market has colorful textiles from these tribes, paper lanterns, wood carvings, jewelry, paintings, chopsticks, and hundreds of other items.  I think the best part about this market is that it is extremely low-key and low pressure.  You could actually look at things without being pressured.  That night we ate a really good little noodle stand at the end of the market.

The next day was cold and rainy.  Leah, Jeff, and I wandered around the streets for a bit and then decided to get a massage.  After we were relaxed, we sat down at a street side café to have a couple of beers.  We were sitting there chatting, when all of a sudden Jeff stands up and starts yelling ‘Jackie! Jackie!’  Jackie is a French lady we volunteered with in Kalcutta and who was also on our flight into Bangkok.  She sat down and we had a few more beers.  It was a wonderful evening of friendly chatter!

In the morning, Leah, Jackie and I had decided to meet to take the walking tour of Luang Prabang recommended by Lonely Planet.  We viewed the cultural center and up the 100 m hill to the temples of Phu Si. From here, we had amazing views of all Luang Prabang. The walk brought us down to several other wats (temples) in the town center and finally to Wat Xieng Thong.   Xieng Thong is a beautiful temple and monastery.  The buildings of the complex are covered with amazing mosaics of trees, people, boats, rice paddies, and pictures of everyday life.  One the eastern side of the Wat, is the royal funeral chapel, where several of the royal family urns are kept. 

On our last day in Luang Prabang, we booked a kayaking trip down the Nam Ou river with Leah.  Although, we didn’t come across any big rapids, there were a couple of splashes here and there.  From the river we could see some farms, people fishing, and surprisingly people panning for gold.  We pulled the kayaks on shore and had a lovely picnic lunch.  After lunch, we continued down the Nam Ou to where it meets with the Mekong.  Just before we reached the Mekong, we came to some huge limestone cliffs.  After crossing the Mekong river, we beached the boats again to view the Pak Ou Caves.  These caves have hundreds of images of Buddha in them.  We rafted a few more kilometers down the Mekong, before exiting the river and loading the kayaks on the tuk-tuk. The tuk-tuk then took us a village called Ban Xang Hai or more commonly called the whiskey village. Although, it was an authentic village, it felt a lot like a tourist trap.  Lots of textiles and goods being sold out of doorways.  It’s called the whiskey village because the villagers make a lot of LaoLao here to be sold at the night market.  We were given a few samples of different types, and it doesn’t matter what kind of rice is used, its still disgusting!   

The next day, we took a bus north to Luang Namtha, just 17 kilometers from the China border.  We booked this bus with a private tour company for about 20,000 more kip (about $2.50) then the local bus.  It was well worth the extra cost!  Leah, Jeff, and I had the bus to ourselves and we had a driver and a ‘guide’ as well.  The guide would explain some of villages as we passed and answered our questions in the local market we stopped at as well.   

View of Luang Prabang & the Mekong from Phu Si

Me outside one of the wats in the center of town

Main temple at Wat Xieng Thong with the tree-of-life mosaic on the end

Locals panning of gold along the Nam Ou river

Leah, Jeff, and I on the Nam Ou

Jeff inside one of the Pak Ou caves

Lady with a bamboo rat at the local market the bus stopped at

Close-up of the ROUS, aka the bamboo rat

Vientaine & Vieng Vang, Laos (March 25-29)

We left Tha Khaek on the morning VIP bus.  Unlike the previous VIP buses we had been on, this bus was deluxe!  Two stories, air-con that worked, seats that reclined back when you wanted them too, and TV/DVD that ranged in entertainment from karaoke to Fast and the Furious in Laotian.  It was a very pleasant ride and after about 5 hours we arrived in Laos capital city, Vientiane.  Although Vientiane was a very nice, clean city, I felt that it lacked character and was much more expensive than the rest of the country.  J agreed and we caught one of the first mini buses the next day to Vieng Vang.

On the ride we met a very nice American, Leah, who despite being a Vandal was really interesting to talk too.  (For those of you who know about college loyalties, the Vandals are from the University of Idaho & is 8 miles from where I went to college at Washington State University GO COUGERS!)  Leah had spent the past year and half teaching English at private schools in China.  We chatted for bit and picked her brain for the ‘cool’ places to visit in China.  Several hours later we arrived into Vieng Vang, found a guesthouse, and acquired Leah as a neighbor.  

At dinner that night, the three of us met another American and an Australian at the table across from us.  The Australian, Kallie, worked for Lonely Planet doing some editing and freelance photography.   We had a festive evening of drinking beers and laughing.  The thing to do in Vieng Vang is to rent an inter-tube and float down the Nam Song river.  We all agreed on a meeting place and time for the next day and said goodnight.  The next morning we meet up with Leah and walked to the appointed meeting spot.  The walk turned out to be much longer than we had thought.  It turned out to be a couple of kilometers and we arrived late. Kallie and Emily (the American) were no where to be seen.  So we ate lunch and crossed the river to rent the inter tubes. 

This river float was very different from our peaceful float down the Mekong River in Don Deit.  Bars line the river, each having its own drink specials, loud music, and rope swings or zip lines.  We crossed the bamboo bridge to the first bar and talked to the bartender about renting inter tubes.  He informed us that the inter tubes were rented back in town and then everyone takes a tuk-tuk out.  Leah, Jeff, and I came into a little group huddle about what we were going do, when the bartender changed his mind and rented us three inter tubes.  Before we set off, Jeff had a bucket drink of Lao Lao (Laos whiskey, trust me its gross!) and Red Bull and launched himself off the rope swing at the bar several times.  Then we were off down the river.  It wasn’t long before we got to the next bar, maybe 20 meters, and we had ever intent of moving on, but ropes were being thrown out and we were being towed back into shore.  Jeff launched himself off another rope swing several times before we were ready to move on. 

By moving on, I mean we drifted across the river to the next bar.  This one not only had a higher rope swing, but a zip line as well.  Jeff took the zip line out but didn’t let go before it hit the end of the line. When his hands slid from the handles of the zip line, the momentum he had going flipped him, literally head over heels, about three times before he hit the water.  From someone who didn’t hit the water hard, it was pretty funny to watch. 

We were towed into several other bars and Jeff went off every rope swing around.  I, being scared of heights, was perfectly happy to watch, take photos, and chat with Leah.  We floated past the bar area of the river and down into the quieter areas.  Once the noise disappeared into the distance, the river was quiet relaxing and beautiful.  As the sun set, the temperature dropped and we exited the river before reaching the town center.  It was a fun day.

The next day, the weather changed, it is was a bit cold and rainy.  Jeff was really sore from all the swinging so we took it easy.  In nearly every restaurant in Vieng Vang, there are endless re-runs of Friends or Family Guy replaying over and over.  After watching about 10 episodes of Friends, it was time to move on!  

Boo Vandals !! Go Cougs!

Floating down 'bar street'

One of J's many launches off the rope swings that day

Not all Vandals are that bad!  Thanks for floating with us Leah!