Reisverhalen: Laos Laos! We love Laos!

Hello hello hello!

 

Hows is everyone?! we are great and yes it is that time again, to tell you about our travels and adventures!

 

Well we both really enjoyed the Lao cooking course we did. It was very inspiring and it made us both think how much we will miss their food! so the cooking class was good, now we can take away a few secrets and recipies to try back at home! After Luang Pra Bang we traveled north to Nong kieaw by local bus. We the caught a river boat up stream with two Aussies and a mother and daughter from New Zealand! The trip was about an hour upstream to a small village Moung ngoneu that had some guesthouses. Along the way we saw buffalo on the riverbanks and we often stoped of at the smaller villages to pick up or drop off supplies or people.

The village itself was pretty tiny. on 'main street' (wide dirt path) that ran down the centre and there were some small resturants and bungalow guesthouse that branched off  here and there, most of which overlooked the river over looked the river. we stayed in a bungalow for three nights here, thwere was only cold bucket showers or the river, and electricity was from 6-10pm every night. The second day we were here it rained int he morning but buy mid day Pieter and i set off wioth the two austrailian guys and walked to the next village 1hours walk away, investigating the caves on the way!.

There was one that was very humid inside, it was big with high cielings and alot of rock formations to climb over and around. We ended up finding a small river/stream running through the cave that we latter found out linked up with the second cave we explored. Unfortunatly because of the hotsprings and the heat inside the photos we took were all really foggy. The second cave pieter  the booys just explored, they found a huge sider that was easily the size of your hand, bats and other creepy crawlies! !

The village we walked to had about 15 houses, and one resturant/guesthouse. we sat and had lunch and were all invited to go and drink Lao lao (rice whisky) in the 'party house' nextdoor!! haha they had started at 10am! but we walked back instead.

Our next voyage was up stream to Moung keau. it was 4hours and we went with only two other foriengers who were traveling on bikes. It was a beautiful trip and like the one a few days before we traveled through some rough rapids!!! we stayed a night  and met an australian women who had been working and living in Laos of 10 yeahs, she spoke very good Laos and the next morning she helped us to get off at the right village with hot springs. When we got off, there was nothing, a tiny market and the main road with some houses either side. we thought we were in the wrong place but with no map we finally found the one place in town you could stay. here there were some hot springs in the local river which we enjoyed sitting in! That night we had to use our phrase book alot since no one knew english, we had sticky rice and stiry fry veges with egg, sounds simple but it was delicious. we had a group of 6 people adults and children starring at us as we ate which was funny, but i was nice to be in a rural area!. This place isnt in the 'lonely planet' guide book so naturally hardly any tourist come here.

 after that we traveled on to Lam Namtha where we stayed a few days, this is a good place for treking but we had plans to do that in a more rural area afterwards. during our stay we had a herbal sauna! Ive never had a normal sauna so this was a new experience for me. The staem was funneled in to two tiny dark wooden rooms. one for women one for men. At the time i had been sick for about 2 days so this felt really good! even though it was very hot! also during our stay we rented a motorbike and went on a scenic drive around the district.  WE went to a restrant and Pieter had a delicious Lao stew. with stick rice of course!! everything here is eatten with sticky rice and jeow (chilli paste). After that we went to a temple monument. At that time there was a three day festival/carnival like celebration going on for it sothere were stalls everywhere. We both played a game and i won a packet od greasy deep fried chicken wings and pieter got a paket of laundry powder! haha bvoth extremely usefull things!!

After that we went to Moung Sing. On the way in the truck we met an older american couple who had been living in Moung Sing for 5 yrs. She was involved with traing doctors and organisin sugeries etc etc. She invited us over to her home at 4pm when the local kids come over and play, read, draw write etc etc. Alot of Lao children can only speak Laos they cant read or write so there qwere many books, puzzels and other learning  and educational equipment for them. Itr was alot of fun we played outside with balls, even had a musical ending to our day where we all had to sing a song! ppft!! haha that was funny

After moung sing we went on to Moung Long where we had planed to do our trekking. There were no tourist and it was hard to find a place to eat, aswell as locate the tourist officer manger to arrange a trek. Finally at dinner we met the manager 'Toui' It turned out that that day her had just relocated the tourist office! So the next morning we went to see him after having breakfast at his sisters resturant

 

WE decided to go on a fourday three night trek. so we left at 11am that morning. packing only what we needed into one pack. the other we would get back at Xieng Kok at the end of our tramp. the fist day was 6hours long, walking up into the jungle. There were new years celbrations (3days) going on in the 1st village we were  going to stay in. We passed some
hilltibe people on the way and they spoke with Toui and said ' we will be made to drink and celebrate when we arrive they started at 10am!! sure enough when we arrived on dark the place was desered, only a few women and children were about, all very facinated by the sight of us! we left our bags at the chiefs house/hut. (where we weould stay) and then made our way to a nearby part of the village where the elbrating was being done! WE had no idea what we were about to experience but sure enough it was one that we may never have again!

All the women and children were dressed up with red cheeks and head decorations, when we walked up with Toui  every one was staring at us. there are only a few tourist that come by here but never during celebration time! With in seconds men came out on 'the drinking hut' and greeted us with and quickly served us up a  large shot of Lao Lao (rice whisky)!!! we were then brought inside the first hut. It was dark, only candle light and there was alot of noise and whisky being drunk! we sat down and no longer had we sat down were were pulled and tugged to sit at the other table where the chief was(well on his way i might add!). So then we were being offered shots left-right and centre. We both were in laughing and astonished by the whole situation! one our left there was about 4 different songs being soung by different drunk men and then the children, mothers and babys standing around looking at us two in the middle of all this. Everyone was very friendly and generous, but maybe a little too generous with the whisky. Afte rthat we moved to the next hut, especially for meetings where us (the guests) and the elders ate dinner. It felt wierd especailly with so many small face looking at you as you ate!

after that we went back tot the chief house more food and lao lao was offered to us, even the chief and his wife 60-70 were drinking on. We slept on simple mats but with more than enough blankets for warmth, aswell as the open fire inside the hut burning. soon after laying our heads to rest we head the chiefs wife out the back spitting and spewing from the amount of rice whisky she had had! ewww! haha but sooo wierd! thats something we never thought we whould hear a 70yr woman do!!!!

Every morning they get up at 5am its already very noised with animals and people talking by 6am.  Toui made us breakfast and packed lunch for the day and we are on our way tot he next village. it was 6hours, but today we had to take an extra gude from the village becasue the trake was soo overgrown and unused! Her was in barefeet and slashed the way with his mishetti (knief) 3/4 of of days walk.  It was thick and difficult to walk though most of the day untill we arrived at the old village site of the 'Ahka' hilltribe people we were staying with. They had moved down to lower more fertile land only 2yrs ago. and we were the 6th people to visit the village!!! we walked down untill we came across what pieter describes as  what looked like 'a battle field'!! and it did, ruined forest everwhere the sound of bamboo and trees falling and workers littered around the place falling trees. Even Toui haddnt seen any of this since the last time her was here. we stayed the night in the chiefs house. Here the village in "Ahka" they have strong beliefes about 'good and bad spirits' and it feels quite 'cult like'. However they are very welcoming and again alot of the children haven seen  'falang' (westerners) before. This was an amazing experience. there is no road acess whatso ever. everything is grown or made here in the village. WE washed in the watering place , with many children watching us, dinner was delicious but they couldnt understand why i didnt eat meat. For them there most gracious offereing to a guest is meat. But the bamboo shoot and egg was devine!!!! We got  traditional Ahka massge that night, the chiefs daught who was 7months pregnant gave me mine. They all work soo hard. The next morning we left after breakfast, Tuoi brought noodles and instant coffee which we had in the morning with additional made breakast. It was all delicous!  Today was the biggest day 9hours walking. after 3hours we reached another Ahka village and the chief insisted we stop and eat so we did, juicy papaya and then rice and pickled vegetables etc etc, we also got the chance to see the procces of making Lao Lao! It was a nice village, all the children adn some adults came to see us all crowed around as we sat on the porch of the chiefs house.Toui thought of satying on for the night hre but that left alot of walking for us the next day so we carried on. On and on we walked , crossing rivers by bamboo ralf, wading though rivers, the jungle we wlked though was stunning! so lush and exotic! Toui got fruit and palm centre for us to try. (always eatten with chillis of course).  we walked and walked up and up the sun set and we were still walking andat 6.30 we arrived at the third village we would stay at.

The next morning we had breakfast at the chiefs house then a second breakfast at the 2nd chiefs house with Lao Lao at 9am in the morning! we left on the chiefs truck, this was so much fun! The road made by the government and funding projects was very rough and bumpy, the three of us clung on to the bars of the truck tray standing up and we monstered our way to the next village ducking down to miss the low hanging branches! WE then walked 2.5 hours down out of the hills to Xieng kok. By now my feet were blistered so baddly from the previous day, walking in damp shoes from the river and so on. But it felt amazing to be finished a tramp that was at least 90km. we sharde our last lunch together next to the mekong river with Burma on the otherside, and then said goodbye

 

We stayed the night and planned to leave with a firent of Toui's via speed boat the next morning. 2 americans and 2 australians we taking about building a bamboo raft and going down the river becaus ethe cost was too high!! Toui and us found that amusing! Firstly the rapids are too risky and dangerous, second to get bamboo big enough you have to go into the hills or buy some which is expensive for a four person raft to carry there packs, let alone food and water for four for a week!! thirdly it will take them a week to cover the distance a speed boat does in 2.5hours, and i dont think they had considered the problem of steering and getting out of the way of the huge shipping boats thet travel the Mekong river!

WE are curious to know how they are getting on because they were serious about it bust only after 5mins of traveling down the river in the speed boat we really knew that it definatly not a wise thing to do!!!!!

The ride was great! the boats are so slim and fast its very exciting winding your way around the curves of the river! When a shipping boat passed we had to stop and rest to ride over the waves and then carry on. On one side you had Laos and on the other Burma, both had villages along the river side as we went.  then we got the the golden triandgle where Burma, Thailand and Laos meet sourounding the mekong river. There was a huge building in Burma right on the border, our driver said it was a casino! Its illegal to gamble in thailand so alot of thais go there for the day! crazy!

 we then got a taxi to the crossing point to thailand.It was very easy then we got a bus the Chang Rai and here we are...  

 

 

 

 

and thats the end of the story

 

 

 

The next two weeks we will do a bit of R&R (rest and relaxation) with not so much travelling about. we will got possibly to chang mai and then south to the coast someplace before i need to be in Bangkok.

 

take care everyone

 

lots of love from Nina and Pieter