For the first week in Laos I traveled with a group that conglomerated over lunch in Luang Nam Tha as we all chatted about arranging a trek into the Nam Ha National Bio-Diversity Conservation Area. Our table kept growing in size as trekking options were being tossed and other travelers realized they were into the same plan. Pull up a chair and join us! I love how groups form like this when traveling. The international backpacking community give me faith in humanity.
Our two day trek was amazing. Our group got along swimmingly. We were led by a 27 year old Laos guide named Ponsack. Handsome guy and he knows it. Very knowledgeable about various plants and herbs along the way- and leaves that you can snap, roll and blow bubbles from. Ponsack knows all the moves. Hiking up the hills through the jungle was great exercise and well rewarded with a traditional Laos lunch. We arrived at an Akha hill tribe village at about 4:30 pm and were instantly offered handy crafts. I surely did not need four embroidered pouches, but for about a dollar each and the thought of supporting their tribe it was well worth it. The detail that's put into these handicrafts compared to how cheap they are sold ... well, makes me feel bad! Especially when I've sold jewelry at home for 30 times the price!
An amazing dinner was cooked for us. A small snake found along the trek was made into a delicious lime leaf soup. When we asked Ponsack what snake would taste like he replied "snake tastes like snake." This became a running joke with the group... "Ponsack, what does grasshopper taste like?"... we anticipated the answer. "Grasshopper"... and he would chuckle. During dinner a man walked around the circle, feeding us shots of Lao Lao- local whiskey- possibly, ever so slightly narcotic? Very strange quality of "drunk". They just kept it coming, going round and round the circle with shots! Sometimes refusing alcohol in SE Asia is considered very rude, so these situations can be interesting to deal with if your not up for it. Let's just say that a few us don't remember as much as others' from that night! The next day we were crying, laughing so hard at the photos.
Our group got on so well that we decided to travel further north together. Welcome to Muang Sing. Slow, sleepy, rural. Lonely planet says "Muang Sing is a small town that grows on you by the hour. Its main appeal is a confluence of cultures ... It’s a utopia for trigger-happy photographers... " I think everyone in the group was a little burnt out from our trek though and maybe a bit disenchanted with such a rural scene. As such- it was my main mission to find a motorbike rental so I could explore the surrounding area and hill tribe cultures. Maybe I could replicate my enchanting ride through the hills of Chiang Mai?
No comments:
Post a Comment