Crossing the Mekong on a wooden boat for about 5 bucks, we left Thailand for Laos. The first "third world" country on our trip, and one of the 20 poorest nations on earth, Laos was destined to be a new experience. We took an evening bus for about 5 hours to the northern town of Luang Namtha. Not much of a city, the local economy was fueled by eco-tourism due to it's proximity to Nam Ha National Protected Area.
After finding a relatively brand new guesthouse to stay the first night, we signed up for a two day trek with a local guide company to experience the national park and spend a night in a local village within. Luckily we had a full day of rest and relaxation in between leaving for our trek and our arrival in Luang Namtha, because we would need it. Waking up early that day, Eric pulled out of the adventure after enduring a fever all night, and soreness from our mountain biking in Chiang Mai. Brandon once again remained behind, because he "had to work". Amy and I would be going alone.
Once we met our Laotian guide, we were quickly on our way, with a quick stop at the local market to buy ingredients for our meals. A fellow American joined us on our trek, a guy from San Francisco who had already been traveling for 11 months with his wife. They had been environmental city planners and decided they were tired of California and needed a break. Before coming to Asia they had spent 3 1/2 months in Eastern Europe and 3 1/2 months in South America. He had some great stories to tell and information to share having already been to China, Cambodia and Vietnam before Laos. His favorite location so far had been Argentina, specifically the Patagonia region. No where had he found a better steak, or scenery.
Driving down a dirt road paralleling a river, we arrived at the trail head about an hour after leaving Luang Namtha. There we met two local women who helped carry our food half way on the first day's trek. Passing between clear-cut areas for rice farms and jungle we slogged on in the heat of mid day. There was little humidity, but the steep hill climbs and temperature made me sweatier than I have been all trip. We stopped and enjoyed a nice authentic lunch on banana leaves at a farm hut around noon, after which the two women and their dog said farewell and left us to continue on our way to the village. The remainder of the hike was mostly in the jungle and continued up and down over mountains. Overall we travelled 24km the first day according to our guide.
Arriving in a larger village first, we bought a few more supplies and then continued on through some corn and rice fields to the small farm we would be staying overnight at. A fenced enclosure housed 4 buildings, all bamboo thatched style huts on stilts. This style of home makes up probably 90 percent of all buildings in Laos. With rice fields surrounding the property, the fenced in area was a bustle of farmyard animals. There were geese hissing and snapping at loud roosters, dogs chasing cats, pigs squealing and gangs of ducks chasing around solo chickens. It was very entertaining. As the evening passed, more animals began to show, dinner time was soon. After the mother of the village tossed out grain and vegetables the feeding frenzy began. Unfortunately for one of the ducks, it would have been best to skip the meal, because before he knew it he was being weighed and tied up, about to become our dinner. He was boiled and then plucked, and then taken to the river to be cleaned while we kept warm by the fire. The meal that night was interesting, and I don't think any Americans tried the blood and intestine soup, we were stuffed too full with rice anyway. The local people here push food on you, more and more rice even when you try your best to turn it down. It is especially tough when you are hiking. That night we all slept under mosquito nets in the family's main hut, on pads and with extra blankets, because it actually got pretty cold at night.
The next morning we were again stuffed with rice and noodle dishes before heading out to hike another 20km or so. This day was full of steeper ascents and descends, and the end seemed to never come. After reaching a relatively clear river, we bathed and soaked in the cool water before meeting a taxi to take us back to Luang Namtha. It was a fun adventure, a great way to see the countryside, but not the most comfortable few days, especially when it came to trying to keep all that rice down...
Laos Photos
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