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Pretty Sky
There was quite a bit or rain while I was in Luang Nam Tha. But during the day we got beautiful puffy white clouds in the sky. Leaving Luang Prabang to go explore the far Northern reaches of Laos was more difficult than I imagined it would be. For the last couple weeks I have been wanting to get away from the cities and find some more remote areas of Asia. On my first real opportunity to do that I have decided to go North from Luang Prabang rather than a more typical Southern backpacker route. However getting on the bus this morning, and leaving the comforts of the city, has sent my emotions and energy in a spin.
Journal Entry - May 1st
Hop aboard the local bus to Luang Nam Tha, a small city surrounded by spectacular landscape well known for its preserved nature, remote villages, and real Lao cultural experiences. This is to say, there aint much going on in the way of Western Comforts and entertainment. Add in the fact that you don't know anyone with you, you will be hours from any busy city, and you are not sure if you'll be able to contact people from home, then you have the picture of my morning in Luang Prabany on Aprill 30th, 2008. Granted, this description is far form the most
Opposing Comfort
Bus journeys define a large part of the Laos experience. The first of many 8+ hour rides. This is what you get, if you can see it ain't no Greyhound Express. isolated, remote, off the beaten path picture you could imagine. It is not as though I am venturing days deep into the Congo w/ nothing but a knife and a prayer to survivie. In the context of my trip thus far, and my life for that matter, this is getting remote. At the same time, I've been asking for this since the crowded beaches of Thailand. "Get remote, Northern Laos, in the cuts..." I have about 7 more days than most backpackers who try to see the Northern part of Laos, why not venture of the backpacker trail and get lost for a couple days. So I'm on my way and the rush of enthusiasn is not propelling me forward. I'm a bit scared, worried about 10 hours on the local bus, and feeling alone. But we pull out of the station in Luang Prabang at about 9:00am and I don't look back. The vehicle is old, has uncomfortable benches, benches that make the yellow schoolbus you took to school seem like a luxury vehicle. The bus is operated by the requisite 3 man driving team. This is very common in Asia. You might think they are all there to
Accident ahead
On the narrow roads any type of accident can mean long waits. This accident up ahead only set us back 30 minutes. No big deal when you consider it was 10 hours without the hold up. share the task of driving. If you did think that then you would be wrong. If I may, a drive team always has the driver, one man behind the wheel the whole time, and his sidekicks whom check tickets, load people on, offload passengers at various unscheduled stops in the country, tell you when to get out and how long you have before the bus starts moving again. In the event that the bus has mechanical problems, the team of three can handle the job better than just one. Buses usually have problems. It is more likely to break down at some point than not, or at least this is my experience. Long journeys in Asia define much of your trip. Especially in Laos, where the infrastructure is 3rd world, the roads rough, bus journeys of 10 hours are common. You learn how to pass that time. The scenery is usually enough to take your breath away. People on the buses are a mix of tourists and locals. You see how people are living in the country. You navigate forests, mountains, villages, and when the bus stops and you see the driving team run out and start peeing, you know
Country Home
Small bamboo huts like this are sprinkled throughout the countryside. this is the bathroom break.
I wake from my nap to the buss stopping. I have no time to check in with my thoughts or feelings. Do I still feel lonely and apprehensive? All I know is everyone is getting of the bus, and judging by the suns position we are no where near our arrival time. A tweenty yard perimeter of passangers is quickly set up around the bus all of them evacuating their bladders. "Oh this is the pee break.." No... there are no toilets, just bushes. The Lao women are experts at popping squats under the cover of their skirts. They don't even go behind bushes. Skilled..... Funniest of all is watching the female tourists decide they are going to pop a squat with such minimal coverage.
My spirits were lifted momentarily by the novelty and comedy of the situation. But the journey continues and the cold mountain air, rain, unsealed road, stop and go driving, and conintual bumps has sent me back into my lonely apprehension. So I take some time, I do have plenty of it ahead of me, to try and process my feelings. For something I have been asking for I
Welcome to Luang Nam Tha
This giant beer cozy says more or less when I said in the title. Welcome, hello, glad you are here to drink the national drink of Lao, Beer Lao. am a little bit thrown off by my reaction to the situation. I'm being tested... how will I cope with the feelings of isolation, alone, trying to find peace of mind. NO contact, no guarantee for friends, no plan to do anything, and no idea of what is ahead. These are the themes that generally come in various combinations throughout travel. Rarely do they all pile up on you together. But when they do you recall why it is you left home.
After my quick evaluation of my situation and feelings I assess how I am doing? Was I failing? Am I not at peace w/ myself? When faced with the combination of these challenges was I starting to crumble? Would it only be a matter of time before I was longing for some touristy beach in Thailand? Have I been using various crutches along the way through Hong Kong to Laos in order to avoid the real test that was on my plate this bus journey. I sat in the bumpy bus and meditated on these thoughts.
The truth is that I really couldn't qualitatively evaluate my feelings. I was definately feeling something. It was not pure
Exploring the local market
Another important lesson I learned from Tony B. is that you should always start your exploration of a new place at the local market. So many people in this region come to this market every day to sell their hard work. This is their life daily and there is so much to gain from the experience of seeing how they go about their business with each other. Stay out of the way and just watch... then you can taste a few things and bargain till you are satisfied. joy and bliss. But to label it as aprehension and loneliness was incorrect. All I can say for sure is that energy in my body was moving. Faster and more violently than normal, but just moving. I was having things churned in my chakras and meridians. From all I've learned of moving energy I should have been excited. A shift started to happen, in an instant. When something moves inside of you, this is an opportunity for expansion, self discoverey, evolution. Someone once told me that when they get those feelings they always attack the very thing that is causing them. They always know that something special is coming out the other end. How blessed am I to be receiving this gift, this chance for darkeness to escape and for light to fill my being? And those crutches that I spoke of before, that was a bad word to describe foundations in my life. If I decide I want to have a comfort in my life daily that helps me navigae uncertainty, then so be it. These are blessing, no cheats. When I remove them I must bow in gratitude at my opportunity to shift.
You can seek out
Stupa
Buddhist countries have many stupas. This is the biggest one in the whole Luang Nam Tha province I think. I was later told that it had been destroyed in the Indochina war in the 70's. It was still looking unfinished after being rebuilt. that change. You can, just like I did, ask for something different. You can leave home and search for the unfamiliar. But even if you don't you are bound to have days when the world you call familiar conspires against you to make it all seem foreign. I say "embrace that day, embrace that moment." Stay in the present and be with those emotions. Don't try to escape them with distractions. Label the emotions if necessary. Call them fear, anger, whatever helps you to process them. But know that ultimately it is just energy moving and the road that lies ahead is one of transformation. That energy wants to transmute into something of a higher frequency, otherwise it would not be showing its face to you. So bare down, use your coping skills, and meditate all the energy into bliss and joy.
__________________
That was very real for me. I needed that journal entry in order to clear some major stuff that was building the first couple days in Luang Nam Tha. Sometimes life hands you situations like this, other times you put yourself in those situations. The fact is that Luang Nam Tha was in fact one
At the stupa
I thought this statue was very cool. of the best experiences of my journey. I can say that now having already left and spent 5 incredible days there. What started for me as a fearful departure from Luang Prabang ended in a joyous celebration of culture, friendship, and nature. Let me share with you a couple stories from my days there.
My first full day in town consisted of me on a bike riding around the surrounding area. I wandered through rice fields, took small detours off the main road to find isolated villages, I road up the hill to the big Stupa, found time to book a trek for the next day, went to the Chinese Market (not sure why it was called that), and stayed well fed at one of the local restaurants (I ate all three meals there today). For dinner I had a spicy chicken stir fry. With a combination of lemongrass, ginger, garlic, chilis, curry paste, veggies, and a big serving of meat.... I was fully satisfied. By eating here every meal at all times of day I really got to see how the business was run. The man that made it all happen was my server. He was the front
Leeches are Serious
Olly got a leech on the first day. Those suckers (no pun intended) really now how to make a mess. They inject some anticoagulant so you just bleed and bleed and bleed. Ewwww of the house and did his time in the kitchen as well. He handled the rush at lunch with superb composure. When a one or two wok kitchen gets a swell of 15 patrons it can get a bit crazy. But he worked his magic, kept everyone happy, and all the while he had this grin on his face that was so hard to read. He could understand anything you said in English relating to the menu and his service. He was always kind enough to bring me hot water so I could mix the coffee that I carry with me everywhere. And when he could get a break he was often out in the street running around with the dog. But todays highlight had to be when two girls who I shared the bus journey the day before with came and sat down with me for after dinner conversation. Karley and Lauren had exchanged words with me on a couple of occasion during the day and on the bus yesterday. But nothing substantial. We did however all manage to book the same trek for the next day so we felt it appropriate to get to know one another before
First Meal on the Trek
Eating in the middle of the jungle off of a banana leaf. Squatting instead of sitting and eating local specialties like river moss, chili pastes, and other vegetarian delights. It felt real, it was real, I was so happy. we set out into the jungle for two days. What made the evening special was the conversation topic. Spirituality, meditation, and religion. This happens to be a topic that comes up often on my trip. But tonight I was engaged on a different level. Their enthusiasm and curiosity captured my fullest attention. Their questions were great and I felt a rush when I was speaking about my transformations in the last two years. These are moments for remembering our foundations in our lives that keep us steady. After two days of feeling a little strange, out of place, uneasy, alone.... I was all of the sudden talking about the things in my life that keep me grounded, give me stability, and sure enough by the end I felt at ease and knew I belonged right here in Luang Nam Tha.
Day two and three were all about the Trek. I wrote about my trek in Chiang Mai, the elephants, the rafting, the slow pace to our hike, and the fun night of games and drama talk. I did love the trek in Chiang Mai. It was absolutely perfect for the time. Trekking in Lao was a completely different experience.
My new little friend
He turned out to be a little aggressive. He really wanted to take lots of pictures with my camera. He filled up the memory card on me. On that I will say perhaps surpassed that in Chiang Mai. The group of trekkers I was with complemented one another so well. Our personalities, attitudes, and interests weaved together to form the ideal team. Every team must also have a captain and this role was owned by Mr. F. (and that doesn't stand for Mr. Filly my friends) This job belonged to our guide who went by Mr. F. He is a legend. I use that word not in the same way that you may know it. I don't think anyone outside of those who have trekked with him and his close friends really know what he does or how he does it. But he is still a legend. The guy is a perfect blend of style, composure, humor, kindness, knowledge, and ...... fill in the blank. He is a handsome guy. While we all wore our rugged trekking clothes and shoes, he wore jeans, a nice white t-shirt, a denim long sleeve, a stylish hat, and sandals. He carried a big knife to hack down any foliage that was in the way. He told funny jokes he learned from tourists, always remembering the country that they originated from.
We visit the village school
The village children took us to their school and Karley and Lauren gave them a lesson counting to Ten. He would ask me riddles and tell me jokes that he got from Americans. He had to study hard to become a guide, had to pass a test that a low percentage pass, and he is the first guide to take people to the particular village we were going to stay at. Only three months ago he took the first ever group of tourists like me to this village. A pioneer he called himself. Great word.... how about LEGEND next time.
The pictures of the trek I think tell most of the story. Eating in the jungle from banana leaves was a thrill. When we came to a clearing and saw the village about a half mile away on the ridge with the sun going down behind it and the mist in the trees I got goosebumps. When we arrived at the village it was like stepping into a movie. Getting to know the people in my group... Olly from England, Julienne from France, Karley and Lauren from England as well.... that was part of the fun. We battled the elements. Rain came down hard for many hours while we hiked. It cleared for lunch and then gave way
Julienne gets mobbed
Julienne was a big hit because he has such unique hair. I don't think the village has ever seen dreadlocks before. They have only had tourist coming for 3 months so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. as we trekked out of the jungle. But the leeches were there to take the place of annoying natural element when the rain left. A leech that jumps from bushes. "Check every minute for leeches," said Mr. F. "Are you f#@king serious," I said. Julienne managed to get a tick in his crotch, that was a scary thought for me. And the hiking was rigorous. A break was always welcomed and we did about 8 to 10 hours total hiking on both days combined. I loved it.
The rest of my two days in Luang Nam Tha were spent with my new friends from the trek. We all hung around two more days to do further exploration of the surrounding areas. I was just happy to be with the group because they were so much fun and we all got along very well. Olly and I shared a room at a guesthouse, we all rented motorbikes one day and road them for hours. On our ride we came across many small villages and had to cross so rivers. This was difficult over very shaky and unstable bamboo bridges. At one point we were sure we had to turn around.
Feeling at Home
I quickly began to feel at home in this remote hilltribe village. The warmth of the welcome and the smiles on everyones faces helped to ease the transition. No stable bridge and a wide river. After enough time a women came running up from the down stream and gestured for us to drive through the water. We did as told and were relieved to find the depth only about a foot. We went to a waterfall and got stuck in a downpour. Olly and Karly both burned their legs on the exhaust pipes of our motorbikes. This happens way too much to tourists. At night we wandered the night market and got some cheap eats. I tasted and found a new pleasure food. Grilled bananas stuffed with coconut.
When it was time to leave it happened suddenly. We were all at the bus station and the three of them (Julienne had been gone for a whole day by now) were headed to a different place on a different bus that was leaving 30 minutes before mine. One minute we were all talking, waiting for my breakfast to arrive, exchanging contact information, and just enjoying one another's company like well acquainted friends do. Then they were running to catch their bus that was leaving..... and it was over.
Soon enough I was on my bus to Luang
Love Nests
These small little huts build up on stilts are where all the young men and women go and have pre-marital relations. It is very common and part of the culutre for young men and women to sleep together in these huts and then if they get pregnant, that is when they get married. Prabang. Back on the same bus and headed right back to the same place. I planned to stop over for a couple nights in Luang Prabang before continuing on South to my next destination. I also wanted to be in a familiar place so I could really enjoy the state I was in after my last 5 wonderful days. Ten more hours on the bus, this time it was no problem and I loved the ride completely. I loved the constant stop and go. I loved that we stopped 5 times more than before. I loved that there were many more people on this bus and less room to move around. I loved the guy in front of me that threw up on the winding roads. I loved that the bus was leaking something important that made the 3 man drive team work overtime. I loved that I stayed awake for parts of the journey that I slept through last time.... it was so amazingly beautiful. And most of all I loved that I felt completely safe, relaxed, and at home on that bus... after all I had been through in the last 5 days. I was home.......
Loving
Village Elder
This man was kind enough to let us take his photo. We were told to ask old men and any of the women in the village who were topless if we could take their picture before we did. Lao, loving You, loving Me, loving without boundaries.
Marcus
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Suzanne
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Wowzers!
Leeches jumping out from the bushes!?!?!? Holy Cow! Looks like an amazing adventure....I love the crazy wacked out bus rides too...