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Published: October 10th 2009
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I can put it quite simple: Hop on the first plane to Bangkok, jump on a bus towards Vientianne and get here asap. Because if there is any country capable of inspiring men and cause tears of joy to well up in even the stoutest of hearts, it is Laos.
Why this is so, is difficult to explain. it is like explaining the chaos of Mumbai streets to someone who hasn't been to India yet. Or trying to capture the magnificence of Angkor Wat on camera. Or showing the same person a video on life under water at the pheurentians. It is simply impossible as word, picture or video is a mere shadow of the true experience. Add to that the great multitude of truly unique things you can do here and you'll be hard pressed to determine the origin of those tears.
In the end I can only conclude this:
Laos is magical.
We first came into contact with Laos magic after the scenic border crossing between Chang Kong and Huay Xai. To cross here you'll have to hop on a makeshift boat and ferry to Laos across the mighty Mekong river. On arrival the
atmosphere changes abruptly. The town is nondescript and on first glance things seem quite akin to Thailand. But there is something about the way in which the locals go about their business that makes you feel you've come to the right place.
Were Laos, Thailand and Vietnam tuk tuk drivers, the Thai driver would take you to your destination via a silk shop, the Vietnamese would almost run you over for you custom, while you'd probably have to go find the Laos driver, wake him up and then persuade him to do some work (Lonely Planet).
Although this statement is somewhat true, I wouldn't characterize the Laotians as Lazy. My conclusion is that the people of Laos have their priorities right. They understand as no other that life isn't only about the acquirement of things, but more on the enjoyment of those things acquired. This mindset so akin to my own makes Laos the most relaxed south-east Asian country to travel in and the Laotians the friendliest people I've ever met.
Next to a warm welcome the only thing Huay Xai offers to the traveler is transport onward. Were most fellow travelers went for Luang Prabang, we
Waterfall
Took us 4 hour of jungle trekking to reach the damn thing, so even though it looks a bit cheesy I had to post it decided to hit the less traveled North and to to Nam Tha. Nam Tha is world famous for its (eco friendly) trekking in the Nam Ha NPA which is located just a stones trow away from Nam Tha. From here we would slowly travel south to Vientianne and visit the most interesting places on the way.
Nam Tha is just as sleepy a town as Huay Xai. It consists of one main road splitting the town in 2 and connecting it to the 'highway'. Along this road you'll find most shops, restaurants and guesthouses. It is here we checked in at the recommendable Zuela guest house and explored the town for a bit. The next day we shopped around for possible treks and decided on the 2 day trek to Nam Lai with green discovery for the next day. This trek would include 2 days of hard jungle trekking and an overnight stay at the Akha village of Nam Lai. Morning comes early in these parts of the world hence we were up early for a strong start.
For those who never experienced a jungle trek I can say this. Personally I would much rather walk 40 km
on normal roads then 1/4th the distance in the jungle. Besides the hard terrain there is the ever present humidity. With rain the terrain becomes even harder and some hills dangerously slippery. Next to that, leeches like rain, mosquitoes to and did I mention it is raining season at present? Suffice to say, we had the time of our lives! and after a long wet day, battling the terrain, swarms of leeches and mosquitoes, we arrived tired but content at Nam Lai.
After a brief rest at our 'lodge' we entered the town. Were Thai cultural villages have everything but culture, the only thing modern the Akha have going for them is 1 solar powered lamp and a few pieces of machinery. it truly feels like being back in the middle ages. Ramshackle houses crowded with children and livestock. Children, parents and elders gathering at the river to wash, clean and play and a special 'hut' for young couples. This last thing needs some clarification.
In Akha society, when two young persons have an 'interest' in each other, they are placed in a special hut. This hut, suspended on poles about 2-3 meter above ground, will be their
place of residence until a baby is born. At that point they are considered married and may transfer to a bigger hut/house. If after 3 years no baby is born, both will have to find another mate. this hut system explains why there are so many children running around Akha villages as the hut would only contain 2/3 of me, let alone someone else!
After our tour through the village we had Lao dinner, beer lao, lao lao (Lao wiskey) (yes they are very imaginative people) and went to sleep.
The morning of our 2nd day of trekking was rather easy going, relative to the day before. this quickly changed around noon when we had to climb and decent numerous hills to reach the rice fields that would be the terrain for the last 2 hours of the journey. After the rice fields and a few rivers we arrived at a small village were a tuk tuk was waiting to bring us back to Nam Tha. here we had an easy evening only to hop on a bike the next day for another adventure. it is here I truly fell in love with northern Laos.
Picture landscapes
of beautiful rolling hills, jungles and rice fields as far as the eye can see. That is what we encountered on our little bicycle trip. Also we passed many sleepy villages with friendly locals going about their business and saw many more things impossible to describe. In addition, having your own form of transport makes it all the greater.
Next day we exchanged our bikes for a motorcycle and went for a 2 day visit of Muang Sing. Muang Sing is another nice town in northern Laos. It is also famous for the trekking possibilities but we were only interested in the town at that point. It took us around 2 hours to complete the 60 km from Nam Tha to muang sing on motorcycle. it took us so long because the ride is mostly through the mountains and Nam Ha NPA. This made it a great scenic trip. Muang Sing is also located just a 30 km from the border with China but we never made it there. In Muang Sing we had a great day only to return to Nam Tha the next day and prepare our journey to Nong Khiaw.
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