Ethnic Encounters

---

It is I, Ashlee. Patrick is not feeling well after our bumpy bus ride to Luang Nam Tha, so is sleeping, but he will write again soon I promise 😊

We departed Muang Ngoi Neau by boat, and landed in Nhong Khiew, back on the main trails of Laos. From there, we ran into some travel difficulties, which although frustrating at first, actually led to be one of our most memorable days here so far. We originally wanted to catch a bus to Luang Nam Tha, about 6 hrs bus-ride away, but quickly learned that as we were the only two people going, the bus wouldn't take us. This isn't the first time the low tourist season hasn't worked in our favour. We then decided to catch a bus headed to Luang Prabang but we would get off at a town not far out of Nhong Khiew. The hour or so ride to Pak Bang was enjoyable as we talked to a Parisian called Olivier, and his pleasant conversating helped pass the time. At Pak Bang, Patrick and I got off, and upon finding the local bus station, tried with varying methods to discern if a bus was going to Udomxai (near to L. nam tha), that time it left at, and what time we should be at the bus stop before the bus arrived. None of the men at the bus station (really a table and chairs at the side of the road) spoke English, and P. and I spoke no Lao, so we used pens, paper, our hands and our watch to converse. It was really a lot of fun! Pak bang is not much of a town, I think it's sole purpose is to act as a bus stopover, but there are some decent noodle shops there, of which Patrick and I endorsed. Our "bus" was nothing more than a truck with seats in the box, but it made for an extremely gratifying travel experience. Our travel companians were a couple ethnic tribe people and few more ethnic Laos, there most have been only 6 of us in total. The road from Pak Bang to Udomxai winds itself slowly up a mountain side, passing villages perched along the side of the road, until you reach the summit, where you have a clear view of the land all around. Northern Laos is made up of lots of mountains and villages, with inhabitants consiting mostly of chickens, cows, pigs, and Lao people. Laos itself is almost entirely composed of villages ... if you don't experience Laos villages you haven't experience Laos! The sun was shining during our late afternoon trip, and it only added to the scenic appeal. Once we reached Udomxai we were happy to hear that we could catch a bus to Luang Nam Tha that evening. We grabbed a quick noodle soup dinner (for a dollar combined total!), bought a grapefruit from a local vendor, and then headed on our route north. Unforutantely this bus experience was not as delightful as our previous one. Our driver was a young man trying to prove his maturity to both his friends and the girls in the front row by driving very fast and honking the brutally loud horn at any young child alongside the road. We saw more than one young child cry at this horrible show of testosterone and careless-ness. He and his friends also had a horrible habit of horking and then spitting out the window, I think they each must have felt the need to spit at least once every two minutes. Needless to say, they had to stop on the way and buy some water since they were probably entirely dehydrated. Luang Nam Tha was finally reached by late evening, and in record time (3 hours instead of the usual 4). The town itself is nothing special, the main highway runs right through the town, but the surrounding area is noteworthy. Nam Ha National Protected Area (NPA) lies just outside of L. Nam Tha, and is slightly different from a national Park. It encompasses a large area and all tourist activity must be accompanied by a local guide. Nam Ha NPA tries to be both culturally and environmentally sensitive, and succeeds well in its mission. A part of all tourist proceeds goes directly to the towns and villages located within the area, to help with basic necessities and for trail upkeep costs. Tomorrow we are leaving on a two day kayak trip through the park, so we'll have more to say on the Nam Ha NPA in our next blog.

The day after arriving in L. Nam Tha we caught a bus to Muang Sing, which is only a couple kilometres from the Chinese border. This was another interesting and less than comfortable ride - we arrived at the bus to find that all the seats were taken, however there was a box in the aisle for Patrick to sit on and I could sit on a plastic chair conveniently placed in the aisle for such a purpose. Luckily there were no chickens in the bus... it has been known to happen. After a rather uncomfortable ride we arrvied in Muang Sing, the largest town in the mostly village-comprised region. The Muang Sing area is notable for its trade in opium, and was one of the major opium producers in Laos. Mostly ethnic hill tribe minorities cultivated the opium, and although it has been illegal to use or trade opium for a couple of years, it is estimated that in M. Sing alone there are prob around 1000 addicts. One can only imagine how this has disintegrated their cultural lifestyle. It is still readily available, and we were invited to buy some more than once from the local ladies selling their textiles and bracelets. We have been very thankful to see that there are posters all over the area politely asking tourists not to buy drugs, as it only encourages the use of it by the locals themselves. On the morning after our arrival in Muang Sing we rented a couple bikes and headed out to the hills to do some cultural trekking. After an 8 km ride on a rather too small bike for Patrick, we arrived at Adima Guesthouse, which is located at the foot of a mountain and in the midst of a community of different eithic groups. We were given a map of the surrounding area, and suggested trekking routes, and set off on our 2 hr trek. The trek took us through an area which must rarely receive visitors, and indeed it felt like the outside world hadn't touched the countryside at all. After wandering a little off route, a nice Akha woman showed us the correct path, for a sum of 5000 kip ( 60cents). After wandering up a steep jungle path, we suddenly emerged on to the crest of a mountain, which had many gorgeous sights to behold. Up on the mountain there were many fields of rice, and peanuts, and even orange trees we think. One sad thing about the fields was that they had originally been cultivated using the slash & burn practice, which still continues today. As the hillsides were not terraced, one can only hope that they won't erode in too many years and with out too much damage to the local environment and to the people themselves. Still, we could see pleasant streams wandering along the valleys below, snug between dense jungle on one side and lush rice paddies on the next. Wandering along we suddenly came upon a young man sitting in a hut, taking a break from hunting. We enjoyed a litttle conversatiion with our new friend, and he accompanied us to the next village, Nam Ded Kauw, which was his home. Along the way he helped Patrick and I with our pronounciation with a couple of conversational phrases, and we quickly put them to use. We were bombarded just outside of Nam Ded Kauw by a miriad of children, some child mothers themselves. They were very inquisitive and very eager to have some "boo-boo", ie. money. One of the children wanted to look at our guide book and pretty soon all the children were jostling for a chance to look at the photos included. Interestingly though, they were very apposed to having their photos taken. Only a few times were we given permission to take photos. Tourism has not yet reached this isolated town; there were no handicrafts for sale, and only one or two villagers spoke any english. This village, although the most beautifully situated Laos village we have seen, is also the poorest. It was so heart-breaking to see the western perceived 'squalor', and I thought how a simple lesson in hygiene and sanitation could do so much to improve the day to day lives of the people. Patrick and I wondered if much of the poverty could be attributed to the use of opium and a loss of their culture and original customs. Although an ethnic tribe, no one wore ethnic clothing and we didn't see anyone making clothing or weaving cotton when we were there. We were surprised to see how quickly we compared them to the people of Sapa, who, although poor themselves, still cultivated hemp to make their own clothing, and seemed brighter, healthier, and even happier. Nevertheless, it was a very eye-opening experience and we were treated very well and had a great many laughs with the teens and children. We left Nam Ded Kauw (me, a long-sleeved shirt lighter) and walked another half hour to the base of the mountain where we came into some Yao villages. These villages were considerably more 'wealthy', with a clinic, school, and even a few stores. The women here are known for the red yarn boa-like tufts around their coat collars, and it is the only ethnic group in the area to have a history of literacy , even if only in the men. We soon made our way back to Adima, and after a quick banana shake (one of our staple eats here in SE Asia), we set off on our bike ride to M. Sing. We were greeted shortly after departure by rain drops, which quickly turned into a torrential downpour, but lucky for us we had brought our umbrellas. We must have made quite the sight biking in that storm with our umbrellas perched above our heads like Mary Poppins 😊

One thing about Laos culture which is so heartening to see, is the importance of family life. Family is everything to Laos people, and the young generation are expected to care for the old when the times comes (this is true of Vietnam too). A prime example is our Muang Ngoi guide, Thuy, who told us that he went to Luang Prapang to university, studied geography, lived in the capital Vientiane, but was happy to come home to Muang Ngoi to help his parents when they asked him too. Now he works at his family's restaurant and gives tours on the side, and he said he is more content to do this than work a government job, which his education very well might have given him.

Everyone takes care of the children, from older children to aunts and cousins and other villagers. Men and women seem to share child duties, and it is so sweet to see how the men here especially just love children. Even in Vietnam it wasn't odd to see a waiter taking a foreign kid around in his arms, parading him through the restaurant. Kids don't seem to be reproved much in this country, perhaps that is why you barely hear them complain or cry. I was especially touched in one circumstance in Muang Ngoi where there was a little girl, prob around 2.5 or 3 yrs, obviously physically disabled, and she had to be carried at all times. Everyone in the village took turns carrying her around, and they were always smiling and playing games with her. I dont know what the future has in store for her, but in the meantime she is definitely loved, cared for, and interacting with society.

Well, tomorrow we are off on our river adventure, and I'm sure will have many more stories to tell when we get back.

Take care!

---

Photos

Nam Ded Mai Village
Typical Lao village

En route to Nam Ded Kauw
Trekking through the countryside with our guide up front - notice the slash & burn practice of agriculture

Patrick with Yao Woman
An example of Yao craftsmanship

Cute Yao Girl
The older girls seemed a bit more reluctant to have their photo taken, but were quite eager once we showed them this photo on the camera