From Luang Prabang we took the boat up the river to a small village- Nong Khiaw.The trip was very nice though the boat was not comfortable for the big Europeans :) It’s still great to sit in a boat for many hours watching the area around and the people making a life at the places along the river.
In Nong Khiaw we went for a day-trip through the forrest and rice-fields around, crossing rivers, having a “chat” with the people along the way. In one village we saw a girl boiling the Lao Lao. I had a taste, the spirit still hot. A little bit like Tequilla, but still, it’s made rom … guess … RICE!We also saw people getting the juice out of the sugar-cane. What a job! Just look at the picture! In the villages people organize themselves for this kind of work by the rule: “everybody has to do some work some time”. Marx would be happy to see that! Hard work, but still relaxed, like all Laos- you work, when it’s your turn and when you get tired, someone else takes the turn. Time doesn’t matter.The morning before we left I took a walking-tour to one of the caves nearby. Another cave where people were hiding during the war. I was up so early that the caretaker hadn’t arrived, I had to wait for him to lock up the gate. In revenge he took me back to the village on his motorbike. Nice people!
We then went to another village up the river. Not much to do there, but the trip on the boat was great! Real nice surroundings! And very local. A kind of bus-boat, picking up people along the way, dropping them off at real remote places.At Mong Khua, a tiny village, we rented a motorbike and just drove off. Nice enough. The most special thing on the trip was, that they build a better road, which means they shovel sand and stones from the hills along the road on to the road. Ans after they’ve done that they clean the road with big machines. Nicely one after the other. Which ment to us we had to wait for to and a half hours on the road to get through. Along with the locals who were all relaxed about that, waiting, eating, chatting..
Next stop: Luang Nam Tha. Camilla left after one night to go to Thailand. I booked myself on a 2-day-trip through to the national park.That was great. Walking through jungle-forrest, learning about the plants, tasting strange leaves and fruits and experiencing what strange animals people live on. We stayed overnight in a small village in the jungle and here we REALLY could understand how poor people are in some areas of Laos. Eating whatever is moving (scorpions, rats, worms, carcroaches..), living in tiny homes.It was a lot of walking but absolutely worth the effort. Massage and Lao Lao with the locals in the evening, waking up the next morning with ALL the kids from the village staring into our hut :)Half of the money we payed for the rip goes to the village (they say), which is real good for conscience
One more day in Luang Nam Tha I motorbiked to the next district, Muang Singh. Special because of many, many different ethnics living there. Very close to the Chinese border too, so you see a lot of Chinese workers walking around.
Now there are only 2 days left on my visa, even though I extended it once..It’s a pitty! I really like Laos a lot and I will definitely come back here soon.Now I’m off to Thailand.
NEW PICTURES IN THE GALLERY "North Laos"!
