Advertisement
Can you see Hannah ahead?
Yes, the brush really was THAT thick! 019a - Laos - Luang Prabang Side Story
05/20/08 - 05/22/08
Hannah's Christmas pampering redeemed
The story begins last year while I was looking for an awesome present for my soon-to-be world travel partner. What better present to get her than a weekend pampering to be redeemed sometime during our travels, but not come out of our tight travel budget. And, ahem, I suppose since I would be with her at the time, I could potentially get some use out of the present as well... but really, this would be HER gift!
It came as a surprise then when Hannah suggested that a two day trek from Luang Prabang be used for her weekend pampering. Did she realize that this was not really a pampering, but a 15 mile hike through dense, hilly, scary insects-all-around, tons of freshly rained-on mud, bizarre tropical plants cutting you while you walk, jungle adventure? Well at least she would add a stay at a posh resort and an elephant ride afterwards to make it worthwhile. So we were set!
The tour company shuttled us from Luang Prabang to the base camp/resort. Unfortunately, about a half a mile from the base
camp a tree had fallen on the road so we had to walk the rest of the way with all of our luggage (we would leave the big bags at the resort during the trek) on. 'Morning exercise!' our tour guide explained!
Our guide was perfect. Ai (pronounced 'I') was 25 years old and a native Laotian that has never left the greater region of Luang Prabang. Surprisingly, he had never been to Chiang Mai (in Thailand) or Vientiene (the capital city of Laos) either. But, he was incredibly joyful throughout our trek and his English was excellent. He knew the answers to the majority of our questions and would happily share his stories with us. Oh yeah, he was also a much better hiker than either of us. Even though he was significantly smaller he carried all of our food (lunch, dinner, breakfast, and lunch the next day) and 8 liters of water (Hannah and I carried 3 liters each). He wore knock-off Converse shoes (not hiking boots) and jeans, and didn't use a walking stick even in the muddiest sections. Interestingly enough, he didn't slip and slide nearly as much as we did.
Along the way,
we met another couple that was on a similar trek with another guide. They didn't fare nearly as well as us and fell multiple times on the uneven terrain. At one point, the girl just decided to slide down a steep muddy section on her butt instead of hike down it! Poor things! Luckily, they made it safely, although pretty well banged-up, to our over-night village.
One of the coolest parts of the trek was going through the rural villages. The locals were Hmong (from Mongolian China) or Kamu (from Cambodia) and were just going about their daily lives as farmers. They were more interested in seeing us (especially the kids) than we were of them. I believe this is a good example of sustainable eco-tourism. The tour company gives some of its profits to the villages, but not so much that they become dependent on tourism for survival. In this case the villagers still have to earn their living through farming.
After over 7 hours of trekking on the first day, we were absolutely exhausted when we made it to our third village, Ban Hoi Fai, where we would spend the night. Hannah found some warm Beer
Lao from one of the huts (they kept it underground to keep it slightly cooler) and Ai made us a wonderful dinner of pork and steamed vegetables with sticky rice. Afterwards, our guide offered us some local Lao Lao rice whiskey and we sat around the table and talked. The whiskey tasted like a blend of of nail polish remover mixed with terpentine and then doused with gasoline... mmm, local moonshine! We swallowed two shots each (apparently it's bad luck to have only one) and called it a night.
Our accomodation that night consisted of a couple of mats and blankets on a hard wood floor. Although uncomfortable, this made us appreciate how the locals lived: after a back-breaking day tending to the farm they come home, have a simple meal of vegetables (and meat on special occasions) and sticky rice, and go to sleep on hard wooden floors with their families. Since they've probably never slept on a proper bed they don't know any better and are content just the same.
The next day was a breeze compared to the first one. We trekked for about 4 hours and made our way through two villages and back
to the same river we had started at. There we grabbed a long tail boat and motored about 5 miles up river back to the base camp and checked in to our room.
Our resort bungalow was amazing. Set amongst a thick jungle it overlooked the river and mountains and was large and airy. It had a tub (with hot water), a large outdoor shower, a balcony, and a comfy bed with views all around. Now THIS is what I intended Hannah's Christmas present to be all about: pampering! And, because we were so tired from our 2 day trek we enjoyed it even more!!
The next day we woke up and ate breakfast at our resort's restaurant while we overlooked the daily washing of the elephants. The elephant guides grab the animals from the camp and bring them down to the river for a good scrubbing. Some of the tourists that signed up for a 'mahout' (elephant training) experience also participate. Afterwards, we went over to the elephant camp and got a one hour ride with one of the majestic beasts. This was so cool! They are massive animals (around 10,000 lbs) and walk slowly and deliberately.
Our mahout guided the elephant well, but the elephant still did what she wanted. Both Hannah and I also got to ride on the neck of the beast (instead of on the chair/saddle) and it was fantastic to feel that amount of power underneath you.
All in all, this was an amazing getaway and I'm glad Hannah chose this over your run-of-the-mill 'Four Seasons' resort pampering. Come to think of it, I wouldn't expect anything else from her!!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.053s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 7; qc: 24; dbt: 0.033s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Jane Y.
non-member comment
Oh I am so jealous that you got to go to Luang Prabang. And those elephants! Have fun in Cambodia, we sure did.