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Published: April 1st 2008
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Pic 1
Henry taking it easy after a big walk. Hi everyone, we're back from our jungle trip to Muong Ngoi. A fantastic adventure - and no doubt one therapists will earn a living from in ensuing decades. We spent 3.30 hours on a mini bus to Ngon Khiaw, then hopped on a skinny wooden motor boat with too many other tourists for the one-hour trip to Muong Ngoi. Now, in Australia, to run rapids like this would involve lifejackets, helmets and a 30 minute safety talk. Here, they just pick a line around the rocks and gun the engines. Simple. Then we broke down. Nice. Spent about 90 minutes on the shore trying a clearly useless battery, wishing Opa was here to sort 'em out. Before it got too dark, they sent another boat for us.
Muong Ngoi has become a bit of a tourist haven, just the spot for renting a cheap bamboo bungalow, lying in a hammock all day and looking at the amazing scenery. None of which really works for us (have you seen four squabbling children in a hammock? Ugly!) It is a small village, with one dirt track, electricity for about three hours in the evening and, of course, its great attraction in no cars
Pic 2
This was the restuarant we had lunch at after we got caught in the rain walking. or motor bikes. We hoped to spend a week, but immediately found it a little unfriendly and intimidating - the women run everything around here and they are tough. But Muong Ngoi worked some magic on us, I must say. Firstly, it is an amazing spot on the Nam River, surrounded by steep green hills. They loved the kids, really loved them. Too much. Lots of cheek pinching and kissing and cuddling. We were a definite novelty, with our four falang noi (little foreigners). But the great thing was that the kids could explore on their own safely. No cars. We slowly got to know the place. The kids went out for fresh banana fritters at about 6.15am, then we headed out for some noodle soup (there was also a sweet version with sago and coconut milk, very popular). Soft pancakes with spring onions cooked on the fire in the afternoon. Monkeys in peoples' yards. Roosters, ducks, chicks, ducklings all over. Something happening all the time, on a village scale. One day we walked to some caves, then on to a small village. My children walked for about four hours that day - amazing! It was cool and overcast, and
Pic 3
Joni having fun with kids from a village. we experienced the most amazing storms. We spent hours just swimming, building sandcastles and playing with the village kids. Another day, a couple of local boys took us fishing. We visited a weaving village where, again, the curly girls were treated like movie stars, but it was the fishing we loved. The boys laid out long nets from the boat, then "whopped" the nearby water really hard with bamboo sticks, sending frightened fish into the nets. And it worked! (Garry Clough, we think you should give it a go!) The kids helped untangle them from the nets and the boys cooked them for us over the fire. Then they cut a banana leaf and laid out sticky rice, egg, chilli and they picked some river greens and we had a very memorable lunch. The trip and lunch was 250,000 kip, about $30 for all of us.
Another day we hired a wooden boat and paddled ourselves upstream. A bit. We're not that fit. But that was fun too. In the end, we felt very comfy among the kids and animals and mud of Muong Ngoi for a week, although the accommodation was a bit skanky. I won't go into details
Pic 4
Preparing the catch for lunch. now. Suffice to say, I reckon I'm too old for bedbugs. We have a test for hygiene - what would Aunty Linda say? I'm afraid she's give this village the thumbs down...perhaps pigeons in the restaurant kitchen isn't so appealing.
Incredibly, we are all well, given that we've got a bit bolder with our street food choices. Truman and I went to the Luang Prabang market this morning and, among the papaya, mangos, bananas and lucsious greens, also saw snakes, sqirrell and an owl!
Yesterday we rode elephants at one of the elephant camps. Everyone loved it, although for the old lady of the group it felt a little like the scenic railway at Luna Park and she had to actually shut her eyes at times. But it was a great thing to be up close to these lovely animals.
We're down to our last few days, eating our favourite foods and revisiting our favourite places, doing a bit of market shopping. We'll see you all soon,
Love Team Schlechta
PS. Tony, Sal, Richard and Simon, have been looking for the mythical Laotian breakfast for you. Exhuastive research. I've done sticky rice with mango, various omlettes, fish broth noodle soups...nothing
Pic 5
After catching the fish, it was time to eat. that resembles the Globe special. But I'm still out here, working hard 'til the end.
Team S
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