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Published: December 19th 2008
Well, we have come 1 hour up the river to a beautiful place called Muang Ngoi. After finding a guest house over-looking the river, we were invited by the owner and her friends to join them for food and Lao Lao (rice whiskey). Flippin awful stuff but we thought it would be rude to decline. A shot of Lao Lao each went round the circle until the bottle was finished. We discovered they were having a party for the owner - 'Mama Bungalow' - to cheer her up because her husband left her for another woman.
Everyone here is so friendly, they love to talk and find out more about you. Many of the locals don't speak much English, but enough to get by.
There is no electricity here apart from 6pm to 10pm, so the whole village goes into sleep mode at 10pm. If you're out without a torch that's you buggered as you can't see a blinkin thing. And it's a cold bucket shower in the morning... best way to wake you up in the morning!
Day 2 we decided to go fishing with one of the local boys who works as a tour guide. We went out
in his paddle boat, a long narrow thing that feels like it may tip at any moment. So we paddled upstream for maybe a mile. They used a massive net which they lay gradually in a big circle. When it was mast, they used a big stick to hit the water. The idea behind this is to make as much noise as possible to scare the fish out of their hidy-holes so they swim into the net. The first couple of times were unlucky, Jai even had to jump in to untangle it from underneath the water. Don't think it was as warm as it looked judging from the look on his face! The next couple of times we caught 2 fish each throw. Quite satisfying. Jai also noticed a frog on the bank, somehting which is in abundance here judging by the deafening chorus of 'Ribbets' at night. Through the day however they seem to be very good at hiding, though not this one unfortunately for it! Jai immediately jumped out of the boat and used the point of his oar to jab it in place. Next thing I know he has picked it up and is breaking his
legs so it can't hop away. Quite brutal but Jai was unfazed, probably having done it a million times. I'm not sure at which point the frog died but I'm hoping it was with the first jab before his legs were broken! At lunch time we bearthed at a beach and immediately Jai and the boat driver Don sprang into action finding firewood to build a fire. Jai gutted the fish and frog quite expertly. He also found some chilli plants, so he used them too. We ate our BBQ off a banana leaf they had taken off a tree. What a feast, it was superb. Probably one of the best meals so far!
Overall we have really enjoyed ourselves in Muang Ngoi, one of the most beautiful and peaceful places we've been to.
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