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Published: January 28th 2013
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Have you ever woke up and wondered “where the hell am I?” This must be what hostels are like. 6 people side by side. Very cosy.
On the street down stairs breakfast is served, buffet style. A panoply of egg dishes, bread, watermelon, bananas, papaya, pineapple, fried rice, noodle and pancakes. All washed down with Lao coffee and black currant juice.
Muang Noi is a small village on the Nam oui River in Northern Laos. It has no roads and electricity 3 hours per day. The river is the life blood of this place. It is the road, the food, the bath, the entertainment and the economy. The tourist have arrived, unlike Vietnam there seems to be as many tourists as locals. Some young fresh faced backpackers, lots of in love couples and I think everybody who attended Woodstock!
Our host’s young brother has offered to take us fishing for the day, a modest fee required of course. His name is Jay and his English good. We only have US dollars but he trusts us to give him the right amount in Kip. The Lao’s are very easy going and honest people, sometimes a little too easy going.
Our boat is long and thin, more like a canoe, with an inboard motor and the usual long tail out the back. Ping has joined us to help in the fishing. We grab some beerlao and coke and head off.
At a narrow sandy bank we disembark, Jay and Ping take their net and walk up stream about 300m than ping swims out into the current and jay reels out the net. When it is all out Jay follows ping down the stream, at our boat Ping comes to shore and reels the net in. First go our catch is small 1 large and 1 tiny reject. The net than has to be cleaned because the river is full of water grass. We move to another place and repeat this operation 7 times until we have enough fish for lunch.
The banks of the river are full of life with small local villages overlooking the water. Water buffalo, pigs, dogs and chickens roam at will along the shore where corn and vegetables grow behind bamboo fences. A very idyllic place, or so it seems from the outside.
Ping lights a fire, guts and scales our
catch, clamp them between split sticks and barbeque it on the open fire. Jay has now scampered off towards one of the villages, laughing and disappearing in the trees saying he is off to get some vegetables he has a cousin here.
Leafy branches are laid down for our table and our barbequed fish, salad vegies, sticky rice and of course chillies spread out. We trade some beerlao for local whisky and sit and enjoy our meal, on the bank of this magnificent river, with towering limestone cliffs as a backdrop. At this moment in time it is not possible to feel jealousy as I am sure no one has got it better than me.
Returning for dinner at our village Jay has joined us for a drink. He has taken a real shine to Daniel and Dan, Thomas and he head off to the local nightclub. 10 people and lights out at 9.30 hope the boys can get over their big night out.
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greg
non-member comment
lao lao
good thing I'm one of your friends cause no one else is commenting on your epic adventure that lao lao goes down well