Blogs from Muang Sing, North, Laos, Asia

The third new year in four months seen off in grand style, we feel we have acquired enough good karma to explore Asia's murkier side and start off the much anticipated expedition to the Golden Triangle, a wide swathe of northern Southeast Asia comprising remote parts of Burma, Laos and Thailand. A savage region of rugged mountains and inaccessible forests inhabited by Akha, Hmong, Karen, Lisu, Shan, Tai Lu and a few other hilltribes. Imagine warlords with private armies, megalomanic Burmese generals, opium mule trains chugging through the jungle, hidden opium refineries, Chinese triads, remote villages and above all the chest-high pink and white poppies that are the source of opium and numerous opiates deriving from it: codeine, morphine, heroin, just to mention a few. Add in the mix secret wars waged by CIA and financed ... read more

13/01/2010 - 16/01/2010 Being in the north in Thailand I entered Laos in the north (or nordish) as well and I would work my way down to the south as such, last stop 4000 islands. Entering Laos was easy, just take a small boat to cross the river and receive your visa on arrival, 35 dollars, made in 10 minutes. I have to admit, things really change once you cross that river, very different from Thailand: the English level off the local people is much lower, not so cheap as I expected (sometimes more expensive then Thailand, of course this was in the border town), but luckily not so busy and noisy!! From the border town, Huay Xai, I made my way more up to the north to Muang Sing together with Micky (ESP/FR) whom I ... read more

Via ugly little Khon Kaen I make my way to the town of Nong Khai, sitting on the Mekong directly opposite Laos. The town is so relaxed, quite atypical of border towns, which are normally busy and seedy, that I stay for a couple of days doing nothing. I dine in a small vegetarian restaurant that serves incredibly cheap noodle soup with fake meat and hang out at a guesthouse overlooking the Mekong. I don't stay there, but I use their free wireless, which is one of the reasons why the guesthouse is teeming with backpackers. The other reason is that it's the first recommendation in LP, which guarantees a steady flow of brainless, pale-skinned young hedonists. As I sit in the garden of the guesthouse, all of a sudden the earth starts to shake, glasses ... read more

The day we leave Muang Ngoi Neua is entirely spent in transit. It says a lot about the landscape we're in when a journey of around 100kms takes 12 hours. The longboat is followed by a succession of ever increasingly dilapidated minibuses which take us further up into the highland, ending in Luang Nam Tha, just a few miles from the border with China. I'm feeling grotty, coming down with a cold and my foot is still far from well (Lao Lao lies!) We decide to check into a decent guesthouse with cable TV to catch up with the past weekends' football. A powercut almost stops play, but is fixed just in time to watch Chelsea knock Arsenal out of the FA Cup...happy days :) Full of cold the next morning and with a fun ear ... read more

Am naechsten Morgen gings mit dem Roller nach Muang Sing, wo die GTZ (Gesellschaft fuer Technische Zusammenarbeit) ihr Quartier hat. Zwei Stunden Fahrt ueber eine recht holperige Strasse durch sehr schoene Dschungellandschaft, die jedoch oftmals Feldern weicht, die durch Abbrennen des Dschungels entstehen. Hier kann dann fuer zwei oder drei Jahre Reis gepflanzt werden, bevor die Felder ausgelaugt sind. Oder es wird Kautschuk angepflanzt. Nach drei Jahren werden dann die Baeume angeschnitten und das Harz wird in Behaeltern aufgefangen woraus dann Kautschuk gewonnen und an die Chinesen verkauft wird. Die betreiben hier viel Handel und sind fuer einen Grossteil der Exporte hier verantwortlich. Ein weiteres Produkt, dass bis ins Jahr 2000 den Grossteil der Wirtschaft im Muang Sing District dominiert hat ist Schlafmohn, woraus Opium ("O") gewonnen wird. Nachdem die DEA in Amerika aber Druck ... read more