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Published: January 27th 2008
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We arrived in Chiang Khong on the Thai-Lao border after a relatively comfortable, karaoke filled, 6hr bus ride from Chiang Mai in Thailand. Getting to Huay Xai, Laos from Chiang Khong involves hopping on a small boat and taking a two minute trip across to the other shore. When we arrived in Huay Xai we checked in at the Gibbon head office so we could begin our trek the following day.
After a 2.5hour drive we arrived in a small village on the edge of the jungle. We met our guides and our 8 member group started the long walk to our tree house for that evening. After about an hour long uphill climb we reached a base camp where we were given harnesses so that we could go zipping. Zipping involves clipping yourself onto steel cables that are strung across valleys so that you either don't have to walk as far or, directly into the tree houses where you stay. From base camp we walked about ten minutes until we reached our first zip line. You stand on a wooden platform, strap yourself on, step off the edge and then zoom across the valley.
The first day we
reached the tree house at about 2pm and our guides pointed out a route we could follow if we wanted to do more zipping and then left us for the night - Lao people have a very laid back demeanour.
The first night was entertaining; our dinner arrived at about 5pm carried by a little Laotian lady zooming across the cable. Dinner that night was basically what we ate for every breakfast, lunch and dinner for the whole trip. It was always some variation of rice, lettuce/cabbage dish, spinach, potatoes and carrots, tomato, eggplant and sometimes a meat dish. The food was nice but pretty unexciting 3 times a day!
Following our early dinner our group sat around by candlelight talking. We included Kat, Scott and Bianca, as well as 2 other Aussie girls our age, an Israeli guy and a German couple. Eventually as the night wore on a bottle of cheap whiskey emerged as well as a bag of pot (both prohibited as "you are already high enough")...all supplied by the over 40's members who proceeded to get into a very giggly mood which kept us young people amused till about 9.30 when our candles ran
out.
The following day we started out early...well early by Laos standards. Our 8am start got on the road sometime after 10 when the guides showed up and we were off walking again for the next few hours...most of it again up steep mountain tracks. Day 2 had heaps more zipping and to get to our 2nd tree house we had to do a huge zip across a valley. Along our way we were able to spend some time at a waterfall. The entire group except for Bianca and Kat braved the freezing cold water for a swim/bath which was good at the end of a hot hike, except that the water was about -500 degrees (not exaggerating). The 2nd tree house was a lot more remote than the first which was nice, and it was surrounded by four zip lines that we could use in our spare time, whilst underneath the house was a small river/stream that was apparently full of frogs that liked to stay up all night croaking. Our second tree house came equipped with a rat and massive spiders on the roof. The rat was pretty tame and only ran away when people walked right
up to it...and was tame enough to chew right through thick material of one girls backpack to reach some nuts that evening.
In the end Bianca didn't have a shower/bath/hose down for the whole three days which was a new record for her.
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