Nhong Kiew was awesome, especially hiking up to an amazing view point above the town to watch the sunset, and a cute little restaurant on a raft so you could swim in the Nam Ou, and view from the hammock on the deck of my private bungalow. But, I felt the need to move on to an even smaller, more cut off town called Mueng Ngoi.
After a fun (albeit sketchy) boat ride we got to a town of spotty electricity and hand painted signs. Just after sunset the most massive rain storm I have ever experienced moved in. Thunder crashing, lightning lighting up the sky and walls of water falling down confined me and my boat mates to our bungalow complex with no electricity but we made the most of it by drinking what Lao whiskey we had, playing cards and listening to some music. It was a crazy experience and I was glad to have a good crew for it as well as some supplies to help it along (music player, cards, and snacks!).
The next day i set off with an eager fenchman i had met the day before for an even further remote adventure. We walked into the hills, adventured through a massive cave with a river in it, and spent the night in a small village. It was a great experience to watch the goings on of the village but due to a lack of access to electricity in the last day I had no camera! What did I see?
Children catching cicadas using a stick with some sort of glue on the end. Once stuck to the glue they skewered them on another stick. Cicadas make a delicious snack after they are fried in oil and spices (they’re addictive!).
A pig getting hog tied and then strapped to a motorbike to be brought to another town for a party celebrating the birth of a child.
The interior of a Laos village home. The concepts of interoir decoration and furniture are not prevalent in rural Laos culture. Not a single piece of furniture in the house. Meals are eaten on a tray on the ground (which is dirt) with the family sitting on cushions around. The walls are “decorated” with pages from old calendars distributed by either the Laos telecom company or a bank. Beds are mats on the floor upstairs. Still, the house we stayed in was tidy and organized and worked well for the nice family that took us in.
The coolest thing though is that these villages are almost completely self sufficient. What little power they have is supplied by makeshift hydroelectric dams in the river that runs nearby (a contraption that looks like a weed whacker, with a propeller in the water and a generator on the “handle”), they eat only what they have available, they make their own whiskey out of leftover sticky rice, and they even grow their own tobacco.
I’m back in civilisation now but I have given myself a challenge. When I got to this town, I had wanted to be able to go hike into the villages on my own but I didn’t feel like I could. Now after seeing one, I know I am capable, and I have some time on my hands, so today I am wandering off on my own into the hills to spend the night in another town. The best part is it costs next to nothing and the food they give you is some of the best I’ve tasted so far in Laos! Only a couple of days left in this magnificent country so I best make the most of it!
But if you haven’t heard me say it yet.. I love Laos, this country has taught me so much, and I will be sad to leave next Monday, but alas, my visa expires and Vietnam is calling!
Here’s some pictures, mostly from the day I travelled to Mueng Ngoi
Photo on the sketchy boat
Fuck off butterflies I’m trying to read!
Des Boefs a l’eau
Misty morning in Meung Ngoi
