One Week in Northern Laos

We original planned to only stay in Laos for two weeks, but we loved the country so much that we decided to stay longer and explore the North.  The one thing that we felt we had not truly experienced yet in Laos was the rural communities and environment.  After traveling throughout Laos it was evident that the majority of the population lives in the country side rather than the cities-- we therefore decided to try to get off the beaten track a bit.

Two Nights in Nong Khiaw
Nong Khiaw is a lazy river town and exactly what we needed after the touristy cities of Vang Vieng and Luang Probang. Although there isn't that much to do in this town, the amazing landscape and views are worth the visit.  There are bungalows and guesthouses lining the river with huge limestone cliffs in the background.  When we first arrived there were very few tourists (although the next day a huge busload arrived) and we just walked around, relaxed on our bungalow's porch and admired the views. 

The next day we signed up for a one day trek which began with a slow boat down the river to a minority village. The trek was pretty interesting because we went from walking through rice fields to walking through corn fields and then with a blink of the eye we were hiking through dense jungle. The trek wasn't too difficult (there were leeches but they don't bother me as much) but it started raining pretty hard which made it slippery.  We ended at a waterfall where we swam and had lunch.  We then trekked back to the village and kayaked for two hours back to town.

We got back from the trek midday so we decided to rent bikes and bike around the area.  Although I am becoming a much more confident bike rider, I overestimated the shape I am in and had some difficulty with riding up the hills.  Nonetheless the scenery made it very worthwhile.  We built up an appetite and had a delicious Indian meal and then headed to the "only bar in town" which was basically empty.

The next morning we hopped on a pickup truck with some locals and a French couple who did the trek with us and began our 8 hour journey to our next destination, Luang Namtha.  After an hour or two we were transferred  into a minivan which was a bit more comfortable although the roads were far from paved.

Four Nights in Luang Namtha
Luang Namtha is a small town that is mostly used as a home base for treks since it is right next to the Nam Ha national park.  We arrived at night and headed straight to the night market which I must say is probably my favorite food market that I've been to thus far. The market was not too big but had a variety of options.  I didn't think I liked Laos food until this market.  We had amazing soup and roasted duck and sticky rice. We ended up eating here 3 of our 4 nights.

Instead of jumping right into a trek we decided to spend our first full day exploring the region on motorbike.  We drove for about 2 and a half hours on a windy paved road driving past small minority villages growing peanuts, rice and other crops. Our destination was a small town with not much to see but we stumbled upon a small restaurant with an amazing view and a friendly owner who gave us a Korean style grill and heaps of vegetables, noodles and meat to cook.  He noticed that we were clueless how to use it so helped us with the cooking.  It was one of the best meals I've had and we got on back on our bikes uncomfortably full (although we of course ate a large dinner at the night market).

The next day we set off for a two day one night trek through the national park. It is really hard for me to describe how amazing this experience was--I know I say this alot but I think it is one of the best things I've done so far.  We got very lucky because we picked an amazing tour, had an wonderful guide and the 6 other people who signed up for the trek were awesome.  We started the day stopping at the market and buying all of the ingredients for our meals for the next two days. We spent the rest of the day hiking through jungle, learning about the plants and wildlife around us and watching our guide pick herbs and plants (that we would later be eating).  Our guide was so knowledgeable and the people in our group were very nice and had awesome attitudes which enhanced the whole experience.

The highlight of the trek was the minority village that we spent the night with.  This particular minority group lives on the top of the mountains which really isolates them from other villages and towns.  Their village looked like it was out of a movie or national geographic.  The views of the mountains were breathtaking, the houses were so simple, and there was very few signs of westernization.  They had no tvs and actually had a few solar panels which helped provide some light at night.

These people speak their own tribal language dso the only way we could communicate with them was through their village chief who spoke Laos to our guide.  When we first got there, the people were quite shy and looked at us strangely but soon enough Andrew and a few other guys were playing a sport called speak takraw (basically volleyball with your feet and head).  We had a home cooked  candlelit dinner with the village chief and we asked him tons of questions while he happily poured us rice wine.

The next morning we woke up to a magnificent site-- the clouds were hovering over the mountains but it was clear enough so you could just see the tips.  We ate breakfast while watching the sky clear up. We also were invited into one of the families' houses where they passed around  a bamboo bong full tobacco (I respectfully declines).

A girl in our group had a brilliant idea to bring balloons to give to the children.  Before we left, we handed out the balloons and watched both the young and the old see balloons for the first time in their life.  I will never forget the eagerness of the women to try to blow up the balloons, the stunned faces on the children faces and smiles on the older men. I have too many amazing pictures but pictures also doesn't do it justice.  (For more pictures see this link: https://plus.google.com/photos/112830737109470306884/albums/5915281022243711857?authkey=CIeQgKSqkuCQQg)

The trek back was long and rainy but we were still euphoric from the past 12 hours and our guide continuously fed us knowledge.  We got back into town, had a hot shower and then met our new group of friends for one last meal at the night market.  The next morning we got on a bus and said goodbye to Laos.