Laos!
6 Jun
|
|
Laos is a mix of old and new. Tradition and commercialism. Lust and religion. Tourists have only been visiting this country for less than 20 years, it so amazes me how traveler villages have sprung up in so many places around the country. It’s easy to get taken aback by the beautiful natural surroundings, and instead of submersing yourself in the ‘real’ culture, to sit back and write about it in an air-conditioned PCbong. For foreigners, this country is a paradise. Everything is cheap; dinner is less than a dollar if you like noodle soup. You find yourself arguing with tuk-tuk drivers over 40 cents to take you across the city. There is very little pollution (still, thankfully) and many international NGOs working to protect the natural areas and wildlife. It seems for the most part, foreigners who stay here care, unlike various places I saw in Thailand.
We entered Laos by boat in the north, to a village called Huay Xai. The village had guesthouses with kids who spoke fluent English. They were used to having foreigners around, and one boy learned to play guitar by travelers passing through. The prices of food and accomodation were twice what I found was normal for Lao (ahem, 4$) and we noticed many locals still chose to bathe and do their laundry in the river. This was my favorite type of village though. It was small enough to remember people’s faces after only a few days, and devoid of any big commercialized buildings or restaurants. Every shop was family owned, and also served as a living room, motorbike garage, and PCbong.
We found out about many other opportunities while in this village, one being the Gibbon Experience. There is a French guy who, 7 years ago, raised money to preserve the Bokeo Jungle which is home to many families of gibbons (those skinny little monkeys). In order to preserve the jungle, he came up with an idea to bring awareness and some tourism to the area. He and some volunteers built tree houses in a small section of the jungle, cleared out trails leading around and through the jungle, and attached ziplines between platforms to allow tourists to access more of the jungle. For a mere 200$ you can explore the jungle with guides and delicious Lao meals included for three days two nights! We met some new friends named Dorien, Uland, Amy, and Griffin. Together, we zipped, hiked, swam, and generally were in awe at the jungle and the project itself. We didn’t happen to see any gibbons, the families tended to move away from the treehouse areas after tourists began visiting, but we did learn a lot from our guides about the plants and other wildlife in the area.
But I get ahead of myself. Before visiting Bokeo jungle, we did a two dak ‘trek’ in Luang Nam Tha province, in the northeast of Laos. Our trek, or hike, lasted about 7 hours a day. We traversed rice paddies, big open fields, and into the jungle with vines and steep steep steep hills. We ended at the Ahka village. The Ahka are a very unique indigenous tribe that grows rice in the fields. We had massages from some of the young Ahka girls, learned lots about their culture, and took a ton of photos of the kids and elderly while the adults were working. I wasn’t sure if I thought being there was a positive thing or not. The kids knew there was something out there they were missing, and I think after having lots of tourists visit their village they were changing their ideas of the world. This is more a philosophical arguement though… would you rather know or not know? In general? Ah, I digress.
We then headed to Luang Prabang, French-influenced tourist central with beauuuutiful limestone waterfalls just a bikes ride from the town. I could have spent all weeks hiding out in the caves around the falls, why I didn’t is still beyond me! There was nice tourist friendly restaurants and covered shopping areas around the town. It was clean and taken care of, more so than any Lao place I had seen. In the mornings the monks who live at the temples in Luang Prabang walk down the streets collecting alms (food to eat) for that day. We joined the Buddhists in dishing out balls of sticky rice to the line of monks as they meandered through the pre-dawn light. It was beautiful, and I wished I was more thoughtful to give them some fruit or sweets. Most of the monks were under 18 years old, strangely enough, and I still am not sure if they really follow Buddhist precepts… I saw some novices hitting on girls and smoking cigarettes.
Next down south to the narrow and tall limestone hills of Vang Vieng. This village is known for drunken tourists tubing down the river, then watching reruns of Friends in the many guesthouse/restaurants along the main road. Though we did have one day of tubing debauchery, we generally prefered to explore the surrounding natural area. Danny went rock climbing, we visited caves, and I volunteered teaching English at a local village school. The landscape in this area was so magnificent, you have to see it to believe it.
Now, in Vientiene, we have checked out the city, the temples, the buddha park, got our seafood fix at the river restaurants, and are heading off (just Bubby and me) to Phonsavan, known for the thousand year old stone jars that are about 3 meters high and weigh over a ton! Then, to explore some caves the Lao people hid out in the 1960-70s while the US carpet bombed the areas they ‘believed to be housing communist forces.’ Two days until Vietnam for some snorkeling, fishing, boating, and caving in Halong Bay!
Next on the agenda, the division of Rumianowskis! Danny heads south to do some diving, meanwhile I find a bicycle and finish planning my Asia bicycle adventure!
MRumianowski
Hi Melissa.
It sure sounds nice over there in Laos. It seems to me that you are having the once in a lifetime experience you will never forget. Do not worry about what’s happening here in Yardville….the same old. Keep writing about your travels. We all love to read about your adventures. But, do not forget about your family here. We all miss you and Danny greatly. We are so happy for you. Me, especially, cause I never went anywhere.
I regret the choices I never made. So, yall have fun, take lots of pics, and be carefull. We all look forward to seeing you 2 again. Who knows when that will be? Nevertheless, don’t drink the water, OK? LMAO
Love, Uncle Dave
Just catching up with your last blog. You are so amazing, your attitude, your thoughts and the way you phrase your words in print. Keep writing and enjoying.
Love, Momma