Trekking in Laos

With the Thailand part of our travels behind us, we've arrived in the beautiful and less touristic country of Laos. The border crossing was rather uneventful. We took a five-minute boat to cross the Mekong River, paid for our visas and Voila! Getting used to paying in Kip instead of Thai Baht has been a bit of an adjustment (8000 kip is equivalent to $1 USD). Otherwise, things are wonderful.

We just returned from a three-day trekking tour in the Nam Tha National Protected Area, which is in the northwestern part of Laos. We went on a trail that took us to two separate villages where we spent the night with local tribes. The first night, we were at a small Akha village comprised of about 20 dwellings and one small school for the children. We were welcomed by the chief of the village and his wife (we'll try and post photos soon).

Sleeping in one of the huts was a great experience. We were given blankets and thin mattresses and bug nets to sleep under. Whoever said that roosters only starting calling when the sun comes up never stayed in a village in Laos. If not the roosters, than the pigs and ducks would utter their calls at any time of day. We were treated to some local food and drink (Lao lao rice whiskey is strong stuff - 45% alcohol).

Spending time with a few of the children in the morning was one of the most memorable parts of this experience. Since we couldn't converse with each other, we used pictures in a small book to teach them some English words. It's amazing how quickly children learn.

Hiking through the jungle was pretty spectacular. We traversed many different landscapes and lots of mountainous terrain. On our second day, we swam in a beautiful waterfall. That night, we landed in a village where people from the Tai Dam tribe live. This village was more populated with about 250 inhabitants. Again, we were greeted by the village chief and his family. We also slept in his house. It was fascinating to see their basic way of life and how much it differs from our own standards. The women play a primary role in the community, contrary to many other cultures.

Our hike ended this afternoon and now we're back in the town of Luang Nam Tha. For the first time since we started travelling, the weather is pretty poor (rainy and a little chilly). We just enjoyed a hot shower and we're looking forward to sleeping in a warm bed tonight. In the next day or so, we'll head southeast towards Luang Prabang and stop at a few villages along the way.

Again, we'll try and post photos soon. Internet connections aren't very fast in some of the areas we've visited, which poses a challenge for posting images.