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Published: June 15th 2010
My Gibbon Experience actually began on the 9th June as I had to get a local bus from Luang Nam Tha to Ban Donchai. This town consists of 3 buildings. Within my first 3 minutes 2 other Aussie girls arrived; Lana and Jess. They were also doing the GE. We staying in Donchai's only guest house - a wooden room with many, many bugs and ate from the 1 restaurant with no menu. It was lovely in a unique kind of way.
We attempted to chat with the 6 local girls who were aged between 7- 22 years. Although they didn't actually speak to us in english I could tell that they understood more than what they let on. It was a fun 20+ hours but by 10 am the next morning we were sooo ready to get out of there.
The 4WD was late getting to us but of course that's normal in Laos. We drove the 45mins to the trek starting point and it was up and down like you wouldn't believe ( yes car sickness kicked in but I got over it quickly)! Then... finally we were off.
For me the GE has two sides. Since
Lunch number 1
The only meal not to include riceit's the only place I'll ever be able to do it I'm not prepared to say that it wasn't an amazing experience however, it was also a bit of a let down because there are so many things that could be done to make it a better overall experience.
Firstly the highlights: flying through the air at 150m off the ground through the jungle is not something you can do every day. The freedom of a harness is simply indescribable. My first 'zip' was like a baby bird's first flight from the nest- more a of a catapult than a graceful swoop! The breaking system took a bit of getting used to but once I had that under control I used my time to look around and enjoy the view.
Staying in a treehouse is every kids dream (ok maybe even some adults). Yes, I loved being up there in the tree, feeling it sway with the beeze, in amongst the canopy. I was up at 5am every morning just to watch the light change as the sun moved around making the dewy leaves glitter and listening to the awakening wildlife. For moments like these can you really name
Happy campers
The boys at the waterfall a price???
BUT... in reality everything does have a price and if you were to asked me if this was good value I would have to say no. I paid 300 Aussie dollars. The experience is for 3 days but it's more like 2 full days. The guides only spent the mornings with us and there was no education in terms of environment/ wildlife etc. The meals were very basic and while we always had enough food they went overkill on the rice- breakfast, lunch and dinner every time and it was crappy rice. There was alot of free time- even the boys could't zip for 6 hours and there were no games/books/activities for entertainment. For the amount I paid, in comparison to other tours in SE Asia they lacked service. In my opinion they need to boost this aspect. That means having enough candles, mosi coils, maybe some star gazing at nighttime or a games box. My biggest gripe was the lack of safety instruction. As much as I understand the guides are still learning english when it comes to suspending yourself 150m off the ground you wanna know what you're doing. Right from our very first zip
Butterfly runway
So many butterflys they were using my body as a landing strip. we were connecting ourselves to the cable. Our guides watched from a far, not really paying much attention to our technique. This worries me for future clients. And of course the big question... Did we see any gibbons? No. i knew the chances were not in our favor right from the booking, but I did expect to hear them. Apart from one short burst of giggles from the gibbons and a dart from a few inquisitive squirrels we were wildlifeless (apart from the critters I will now write about).
Others issues: when we arrived we were told of the bee problem, luckily no one in our group was deathly allergic, but I suppose if you were it would have not be a nice thing to learn after all the arrangements just to get there.
I did end up stepping on a bee on the first night- while I was in the shower. Out of 7 group members, 4 of us were stung. They were a big problem. The most trecherous time to deal with them was on the toilet. They swarmed around there all day and you had to be very careful not to get stung on the bottom.
Cooling off
Before the pain kicked in the cool water felt amazing The other big problem were the leeches. I was super cafeful not to let those slippery suckers attach themselves to my body but it meant constantly checking my shoes, socks, pants etc. I lost count after flicking my 25th leech off but there were many more after that. Jess and Luke were the most sucked on. There wounds bled for ages.
The last thing to report was entirely my fault, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't impact my trip. On the first afternoon we spent 2 lovely hours at a waterfall. As I was getting into the pool I slipped and smashed my tail bone on a rock. At first I felt ok but by the time I was ready to get changed I realised that it was badly bruised. That night I didn't get much sleep and I knew I would be faced with 3 hours of trekking the next day when I could barely more, let alone walk.
It certainly was a challenge and without the wonderful support of my entire group I would never have made it. There were a few tears to begin with. The pain was overwhelming - but then I told
myself that part of travel is not only physical challenges but mental ones as well. Once I decided that I was going to push through the pain (after all it was only a bruise) I did. I have a nasty black bruise and 5 days on I am still in pain but each day is a bit easier. I bought some pain medicine and that also helps. I am proud of myself for extending my boundaries, it feels just as good as reaching the top of that mountain.
So, Saturday night Adeline, Rachel, Luuk, Rob and myself ( Jess and Lana headed off in the other direction) celebrated our survival from all things wild with a dinner that did not include rice. In fact I even tried to bribe the boys to eat rice but they could not be bought! I had a burger and chips, the boys ate pizza and the girls ate semi western food. I loved every bite. Our group made the experience and despite all the critiques I've given I will still remember the trip with fond memories. I guess it's all part of the adventure!
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Esther Whitmee
non-member comment
eh leeches
Hey Chloe, an awesome experience even if you did not experience a Gibbon. You must be good with heights. I was sorry to hear of your fall. You were a trooper to pull through and not let it stop you . Those leeches are awful things. As a kid we would swim in a local river each summer and as soon as you got our you checked for them. Hard to imagine that they used to use them for medicinal treatments. You have been having so many wonderful experiences and I am so enjoying reading all your travels. School is report writing (don't miss that do ya?) and it is an 11 week term so needless to say it is busy and long. We miss your sunny smile. Keep happy and enjoy yourself. Hope your bruise and pain have gone. praying for you my friend. Hugs and blessings Esther