Huay Xai and Luang Nam Tha, Laos

Laos. What did we expect? What could we expect? It is a small country, rural, and one of the least developed in the world. It has a low life-expectancy, three or four ATMs in the entire country, and more unsealed roads than you can shake a stick at. It has no border with the ocean, and the geography of the north is plagued with steep mountain cliffs and dense jungle, making urban development- and farming- quite difficult. We were braced for a difficult, frustrating, but ultimately awesome travel adventure. We came away from this small country filled with happiness and peace, colorful memories of gracious locals, and a lifetime of experiences to treasure. It truly is one of the most incredible places we have ever been.

We arrived in Laos at the very beginning of October, overland from Chiang Mai, Thailand. We travelled by local bus with Gabi, our Brazilian pal, Gosha, a Polish girl also staying at Julie's in CM, and Aussie Paul, an Australian guy we met up with on the bus. The journey to the Thai-Lao border on the Thai side was rather uneventful. Upon arrival, we walked through immigration, and boarded small, wooden boats to make the journey across the Mekong to Laos.

Crossing through Lao customs was a piece of cake (although Gosha had to pull out a map of Europe to show the officials that Poland, in fact, did exist.) The border town of Huay Xai was dusty, quiet and uneventful. We made home for the night in a small guesthouse at a whopping $3 per night for a double room.

There are many posters in Laos warning visitors against the cultural taboos they may violate during their visit. We wished more than anything that we could have gotten a copy of one of these gems. Here are some of the pictures outlining the "don'ts" of Laos:

do not touch anyone's head in Laos

do not smoke weed out of large bamboo stalks in Laos

do not make out in front of locals in Laos

Armed with all the cultural knowledge we needed and Gosha, Gabi, and Paul, we bought some BeerLao and set out for a night on the town. BeerLao, as it turns out, is pretty much the greatest national beer we've ever had. We plan to create an official fan club when we get back to the USA.

mmmmm...

The Club

enjoying some classic Lao grassy looking snacks. The perfect accompaniment to a BeerLao... or a dinner of bark?

The guesthouse we stayed at had very little bathroom doorways. We called them hobbit bathrooms:

watch your head!

The next day we made the decision along with Gabi to travel to Luang Nam Tha, a small town in far northern Laos close to the Nam Ha protected area. Laos is working with the government of New Zealand to put in place mechanisms for sustainable ecotourism, and has made great efforts to limit the impact of tourism on their natural areas. We decided this would be the perfect place to do a hill trek, so the next morning we set out for the bus station.

We were told that the bus to Luang Nam Tha left at 9:30 AM in the morning. Unfortunately, in Laos, the bus only leaves when there are enough people to fill it. If there aren't enough people, no problem! One bus just travels to ALL the cities. This meant a very long ride for Gosha, who was heading on to Luang Prabang, 16 hours from Huay Xai after dropping us off in Luang Nam Tha.

We played cards in the rain and watched the bus hit a telephone pole at the bus station until about 3:00 PM. Finally, there were enough of us for the rickety bus, and we departed.

the broken telephone pole is in the background

after seven hours of suspense, we're leaving!!

Lao water bottle. It's so true.

The journey to Luang Nam Tha took only four hours. Apparently before they sealed the road, the journey took 12 hours. Thank God for asphalt. The scenery was pretty incredible- soaring mountain peaks, and completely uninhabited tracks of wildlife and forest. The Lao locals on our bus were very friendly. The bus will pretty much stop for anyone, and pile on as many people as possible. Some friends told accounts of bus rides where chickens were running up and down the aisle, and they held people's babies on their laps.

Our first Laos bus adventure was a crash-course in features of Lao cultural travel. There are no public toilets in Laos, you simply tap the bus driver's shoulder and he'll pull off the road. Everyone runs out of the bus and assumes squatting positions in the surrounding fields. You have to take care not to wander too far, though, because being the most heavily bombed country in the history of warfare, there is still a lot of unexploded ordinance (land mines) about.

When we arrived in Luang Nam Tha it was already past dark. We made our way to our guesthouse (a squeaky-clean haven at only $5 per night) and set about booking a trek for the next two days. We wanted to take a trek and do a homestay in one of the ethnic minority tribal villages in the hills of the Nam Ha PA. Once the tour was booked we were off to bed and then on to the next great adventure.

That morning we were greeted with a steady, grey rain, and picked up by pick-up truck to travel with our guide and porters to the trailhead. Enter Laura, the fourth member of our little expedition. Laura is from Ireland, and absolutely hilarious.

The trek we chose was challenging. It covered 35 km in two days and involved about 7-9 hours of walking per day. The leeches that were constantly trying to wriggle into our socks, pants, shirts and everything else were an added bonus to the rain and general discomfort of the beginning hours. We actually found leeches on our faces, and in our underwear, which was alarming (not to mention confounding... how did they get in there??)... new thresholds, new thresholds. The scenery that unfolded was simply breath-taking, though, and our guides kept the spirit light.

We stopped for meal breaks in the jungle or in simply wooden huts. The food we ate was all from the jungle, and absolutely delicious. A staple in all Lao cuisine is sticky rice, which you lump together and use as a spoon to dip sauces and meats. You have to watch out for killer-fiery chillies, though, which are typically buried like landmines in otherwise mild dishes.

The path was extremely deserted and remote. During the entire trek we only saw one or two other people in the woods. What a wonderful solace!

our trekking group: Megan, Gabi, Laura, Catt and our guide

That night we arrived at an Akha village, where we slept. The Akha are a tribe that live in northern Laos. The women can be identified most easily by the black caps they wear, which are very plain at birth and are decorated with elaborate silver coins and other ornamental pieces as they become older and pass different life milestones. The Akha villages can be identified by their "spirit gates" which sit high on the hill, usually overlooking the village. It is believed that through the gate exists the spirit world, and the other side of the gate is the human realm. The village they live in itself was unreal- limited to no electricity, 7 hours' walk from the closest road, mud-floored huts. We built a fire for cooking, light, and heat in our hut, and washed in the river (there is no running water; they boil river water for drinking). Washing in the mud with leeches added an interesting, new dimension to our experience, to say the least. We sat down to a delicious jungle meal (by candlelight) and Lao-Lao, firey Lao whiskey. We also had a chance to meet with villagers in their homes, and hang out with some girls from the village, who offered us dried bean seeds as presents. I had brought crayons as a present for the children, and they in turn presented us with a large squash (vegetable). Another interesting point you may notice in the pictures are the reddish gums and teeth of many of the villagers. They chew bettle-nut, which turns their saliva and teeth a dark red colors. Anyway, here are some pictures from our visit to the village, and our trek in the Nam Ha Protected Area:

Megan and Laura getting some light from a headlamp

dinner is served

Akha girls from the village

the Akha village from a distane

Akha grandmother and granddaughter. You can see the difference between their hats

A typical Akha villager's home

The tiny houses on stilts are Akha "love shacks." Each hut with a son has one. It's for the boy to use for... well, love shacking. They're really about the size of a coffin, only. Pretty cozy

This village's spirit gate

A waterfall we passed on our trek

Megan and Gabi during the trek

Megan with the waterfall

hut where we ate lunch. Normally this structure is used for storing rice

Lunch for the locals... crabs from the river!

Jungle lunch served on a giant leaf

Home-made chopsticks for lunch... our guide literally whittled these from bamboo right before the meal...

Our lunch hut for Day 2

a view from the trail...

Our trusty and knowledgeable guide...

The home stretch... crossing rice fields after 15 hours of walking

The next day after the trek we bid farewell to Gabi, and Laura joined us for a motorcycle ride in the countryside surrounding Luang Nam Tha. This was our first time riding a motorbike, and we loved it! You feel like you're flying. Apart from a little spill in the mud at the end of the day, all went well.

Pictures:

More to come on Laos!