Laos Part 2 - The North

Phongsali
Bon Neua
Udonxai
Luang Nam Tha
Houay Xai (Thai Border)

After the monster boat journey up the Nam Ou, We spent a few days in quiet Phongsali. Whilst we were there we met Peter (a very tall Austrian) who also wanted to go trekking and so the three of us set off on a Ray Mears adventure. After chartering a tuk-tuk we arrived in Bon Neua, where we met our guide Som Sak. From here we boarded a tractor type contraption that took us to the foot of the hills and from here the trek began.

We spent the day trekking through the jungle, ate lunch on a giant banana leaf, drank water fresh from the stream as we had run out (bring on the parasites) and passed through a local Akha tribe village, where we were nearly attacked by the local dogs. We visited the village school and then continued to the next village where we would spend the night.

Entering the village was like stepping back 500 years to some medieval settlement (apologies if the history does not quite add up). We were greeted by a variety of animals and welcomed into the home of the village school teachers. There we had some hot tea and spent the next hour being accosted by the village idiot (with a club foot) who had taken a fancy to Olly's watch, a 12.99 job from Argos.

We showered with the locals (a village of 189 with only one running tap/shower and hundreds of pigs, chickens, cows, buffalo, dogs etc all around you watching the 'white man' clean) and then dinner arrived ... a live chicken that needed to be slaughtered before going in the pot. God it made a racket under the blade! At least we can now say that we know where our meat comes from (Hugh Fernley Whittenstall would be proud). After a lovely chicken dinner (boiled whole, guts and all), washed down by a few shots of Lao Lao, we retired to our sleeping quarters ... or dirty old barn may be a better description. It was pitch black, covered in cobwebs and when we shone our torch upwards it was like a scene from arachnophobia! I have never seen so many massive, hairy spiders (both dead and alive) ... luckily the Lao Lao kicked had kicked in and so Olly was spared another round of tears! Thankfully we had a mosquito net to protect us and needless to say, we were joined in bed that night by a 6ft 5 Austrian (Peter).

We survived the night (2 hours sleep) and awoke to the sound of chickens, pigs, dogs, buffalos, roosters and children scurrying around us. After a quick breakfast of last nights leftovers we said goodbye and trekked back to civilisation. Peter then informed me that when he had woken he had seen a giant spider inside the net, right above my head ... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! We had definitely got the 'off the beaten track' experience that everyone out here seems to be searching for ... but give me a tourist spot any day!

We left Bon Neua and the remote north of Laos on a very bumpy bus and headed for Luang Nam Tha, where we met the fourth musketeer Jay (Aussie). The first day we were there it rained all day and so we sat and played cards. Peter taught us the game 'shit head' which was to feature heavily in our daily itinerary from that point forward. We also spent the day trying to recruit people for a kayaking trip (to make it cheaper) and we were very successful. So the following day, eight of us set off on a days kayaking trip, which was brilliant. It was raining for most the day, which for once was good as it made the river higher and the rapids faster. Thankfully, Olly and I did not capsize, although we had a few very close misses.

From Luang Nam Tha we headed to the Thai border. We spent one night in Houay Xai and spent the night playing cards with Jay and Peter. In the morning we sadly said goodbye to Jay and headed across the river and entered Thailand. We were quite sad to say goodbye to Laos, the last few weeks have been amazing and something we will never forget. Laos is a brilliant country and I'm sure we will be back again someday.

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