Living out my boyhood fantasies on the Gibbon Experience

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Day 348: Friday 12th June - Crossing over the Mekong into Laos

Today I am crossing over the border into Laos. Despite looking into both the border crossing formalities and whether I can get Laos currency on the other side of the border, I am none the wiser. Some sources say you can’t get a visa on arrival, most say you can, but the length varies between 15-30 days. Similarly, I find a few internet sites that say that there is an ATM in Huayxai on the Laos side of the border, whilst most say there isn’t, and a money changer is the best I can hope for. I decide to go for it without arranging either a visa or some currency in advance and trust that all will be okay.

The journey to Laos starts in Chiang Mai bus station. I arrive there for 8am as the Laos border closes between 5pm-6pm, and it is a 6-7 hour journey to the border. Whilst waiting in the queue for a ticket, the Thai national anthem starts playing, and everyone stops what they’re doing and stands to pay their respects. A final example of how highly the King is revered in the country. I buy a ticket direct to Chiang Khong, on the Thai side of the border, as the bus leaves at 8:30am rather than split my journey in two at Chiang Rai, which is recommended as it saves time overall. The scenery on the journey is impressive - very lush and hilly. Northern Thailand has possibly the best scenery of anywhere I’ve been in Thailand, and I have a feeling that I haven’t done it justice. No time to dwell on that one as today is the last day of my visa and I have to get out of Thailand regardless.

On arrival in Chiang Khong I get a Tuk-Tuk to the ferry crossing on the other side of town. The tuk-tuk mafia is one thing I won’t miss about Thailand (as well as the mosquitoes which have given my leg a going over again in the last 24 hours), but thankfully this time they’re a friendly bunch and there is a price list which negates the need to bargain. My last act in Thailand is to get stamped out of the country at the immigration office, before taking the boat to cross the Mekong, which also acts as the border, Thailand to the west, Laos to the east. The border crossing is one of the better ones I’ve done, only the Bolivia to Chile crossing was as memorable. The Mekong - one of the world’s great rivers - offers a beautiful setting, Huayxai and Chiang Khong face each other on opposite sides of the river, and immigration on both sides of the river is straightforward and relaxed. Whilst you fill in your entry forms for Laos you are given a seat overlooking the Mekong, which certainly beats the inside of a plane, bus or some drab border office. $35US lighter and I am granted a standard 30 day visa, which is what I think I will need to give Laos the time it needs.

Climbing up the hill from the ferry crossing, I find an ATM to get some currency. Next stop is the office of the Gibbon Experience to register and get the final details ahead of tomorrow’s departure and then find a guesthouse to relax after a long journey which hasn’t been as complicated as I imagined. The guesthouse has a rooftop balcony overlooking the Mekong, so I go up and enjoy the sunset. Up there, I get talking to an Irish-American lad; Kevin, and a Dutch girl. I have dinner with them, and take my first taste of one of the world’s best value beers - Beer Lao. 10,000 Kip (75 pence) for a large bottle and it tastes good. I like Huayxai and Laos so far, it feels really chilled out.

Day 349: Saturday 13th June - Day 1 on the Gibbon Experience

I am excited about travelling in Laos, a number of travellers I have met have described it as the highlight of Southeast Asia. I am equally as excited about the Gibbon Experience which I only read about no more than 6 weeks ago, and once I had I simply had to do it. In essence it is living out boyhood fantasies living in a tree house for 3 days whilst using zip lines to get around the forest as well as the opportunity to spot wildlife, the rare Black Gibbon. It sounds brilliant!

Two different experiences are offered by the Gibbon Experience; The classic experience (the one which I am doing) and the waterfall experience, which depart on alternate days. The classic experience uses the zip lines closer to the boundary of the nature reserve whilst the waterfall experience goes deeper into the forest using a bigger variety of zip lines. The trade off is that to reach these zip lines 3-4 hours walking each day is involved. I’d rather have more time to use the same zip lines and relax in the tree house rather than walk in the rainforest for that length of time, so I’m more than happy to be doing the classic experience. I am joined on the classic experience by three English girls travelling together; Kat, Jenna and Hannah - who as pointed out to me is a spitting image of Margo from ‘The Goodlife’. Normally groups are bigger than this - around a dozen can be accommodated each day - but four is a good number.

We drive for an hour and a half on deserted and pot-holed roads, north-east to the Bokeo Nature Reserve. I leave my bag in Ban Donchai to pick up in two days time, as its on the way to Luang Namtha, my next destination. The adventure starts as we transfer on to a narrow dirt track to drive to the edge of the Nature Reserve. The 45 minute drive is full of drama as we get stuck briefly in mud, hang on for dear life, get shaken from side to side and at one stage the vehicle almost tips over! We get out of the jeep to walk into the Bokeo Nature Reserve, crossing paths with the group who have just finished their 3 day classic experience who are full of praise. Excitement building..... Before we reach the tree house we have an hour walk uphill through the forest and then get harnessed up, before the fun starts.

The only way in to the tree house is to zip in. Connected to the zip line via two lines; a safety and then the roller and brake mechanism, it is an anxious excitement before zipping in. The tree house is 45 metres high and the zip line is suspended above the forest canopy. Safely over into the tree house, the four of us acquaint ourselves with our home for the next three days. The tree house is mighty impressive. Built on three levels, it sleeps up to six on mattresses which lie on the floor. We have a bathroom, with a squat and (45 metre) drop toilet, where your human waste has a four second fall (yes I timed it!!!) before it lands on the jungle floor. You shower with a fantastic view across the forest. We then have a small communal area, complete with kitchen area, hammock, table and stools which offers a breathtaking view out across the Bokeo Nature Reserve and its horizon of lush jungle and rolling hills. If I’d been able to build a tree house like this when I was a kid, I’d never have gone to school! Completing our tree house are two cute ginger kittens who we will be sharing our living space with, and who offer the daily dose of entertainment. The guides bring us food at regular intervals and other than showing us around the zips they leave us to do as we please.

After settling in, the guides take us around the half dozen or so zip lines closest to our tree house. I’ve loved zip lines ever since I was a boy, but these are so much better than any I’ve used before. They’re longer for a start. The longest we use today is 320 metres long (that is the length of 3 football pitches). They’re suspended high above the canopy, up to 150 metres above the forest floor and offer unrivalled views of both the Bokeo Nature Reserve in the distance as well as the forest far below. After the first few zips, the fear factor disappears, you get the hang of the braking mechanism and how to prevent yourself spinning around, and then it’s just brilliant fun and awesome views.

After a late lunch the girls head straight out to play on the zip lines, whilst I relax reading a book in the hammock. I then do a couple of circuits of the zip lines, as well as discovering tree house number two (there are 7 tree houses apparently), and a further two zip lines to play on. Relaxing in the tree house after the days play is just as great an experience as the zip lines. There is the uniqueness of the bathroom facilities to bring a smile to your face, then the views over the Bokeo Nature Reserve which never fail to amaze, a beautiful sunset to watch, the sounds of the jungle to listen to as darkness descends, good company and then the two affectionate kittens who we Christen ‘Me’ and ‘Ow’ to fuss over. They eat the same as we do (rice, egg, fruit and vegetables) and in the absence of a tasty protein source, they resort to hunting down any insects that fly in to the tree house which is particularly funny, as they drag their prey under one of the stools and hunch over the insect hissing.

Day 350: Sunday 14th June - Day 2 on the Gibbon Experience

We are awoken at 5:30am to try and spot the Black Gibbons that live in the reserve. We can hear their calls across the forest as we labour to get ready, before zipping out of the tree house in the hope of spotting them. We don’t manage to see them, but we do hear their calls which are really strange - a mix between the interference when trying to tune an old radio into a station and a robot. Not seeing them isn’t a surprise, every account I’ve read of people who have done the Gibbon Experience has mentioned that they didn’t manage to see any Gibbons.

After a little snooze and breakfast, a guide collects us to go and use some of the zip lines further away. We see tree houses three and four, which whilst not having as good a layout as ours, probably offer even more spectacular views, if that is possible? There is a lot of walking involved, in between the zip lines, which makes me glad that I chose the Classic experience over the Waterfall experience. The zip lines we use today have maybe even more outstanding views of the surrounding forest, and are generally longer than those near our tree house - the longest is a whopping 500 metres long. The problem with some of the longer ones is that you can’t manage to zip to the end and end up having to pull yourself along the final stretch of the line which is exhausting on top of all the walking in the heat and humidity.

It is mid afternoon before we get back to the tree house and everyone is tired. The girls opt to chill out in the tree house but I want to make the most of this opportunity to play on the zip lines, so I go and do another circuit of the zip lines close to our tree house. When nightfall comes, no one has any energy to play cards or chat, so we all end up in bed by 8pm.

Day 351: Monday 15th June - Day 3 on the Gibbon Experience

It’s the same gig as yesterday morning, a dawn wake-up to see the Gibbons. This time we get out of the tree house quicker and we go to a different part of the forest and we are lucky to spot a couple of Gibbons jumping through the top of the forest canopy far above our heads. That was really cool, and so unexpected and just tops off a truly brilliant experience. After breakfast I have one more play on the surrounding zip lines, and as I finish the circuit I’m both exhilarated and disappointed that the experience has to end. At 10am we are collected, have one final zip out of the tree house and then walk out of the forest and wait for the vehicle to collect us from the village.

Quite simply the Gibbon Experience was one of my highlights of Southeast Asia, actually make that of my entire trip. Sometimes you can live out your boyhood fantasies, on the Gibbon Experience I did. I’d love to come back here with friends - it would be great for a lads weekend away, shame it’s on the other side of the world.

Another dimension which makes the Gibbon experience that extra bit special is that is eco-tourism at its best. It is expensive to do (160 Euros) but you don’t begrudge paying this as the money goes to pay for 23 forest rangers which monitor 25% of the 123,000 hectare Bokeo Nature Reserve and protect against poaching, hunting, slash and burn and logging which are destroying primary forest in Laos. Currently, Lao national parks have no forest guards and therefore the Bokeo reserve is unique in this respect. In addition to the environmental benefits of the project, economically it provides local villagers with work as either guides, guards, builders or suppliers. French owned at present, once the infrastructure is fully developed it will be handed back to the Lao people. Great idea, great project, great fun!

Note: I'll put the videos on facebook.

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