This time I'm making no appologies for the length of this post.
Here is the story of that trek....
We go to the shop to buy some food for the trip. Ive already brought some coconut biscuits the day before but Claire and Jane need to pick up some supplies as they only arrived into Phongsaly last night. They're from Australia, early 30s and up for the three day trek as well. I arrived the day before to sort everything out. We met in Oudoxmai and decided that as we were planning on doing the same trip that we'd team up. Its early morning and Seng our guide is at the market spending our money on lunch for the day. As we wait the first casualty is my imported Chinese Meng-Bo backpack, purchased especially for the trip. The first zippers blown and I seriously doubt if its going to make it through the days ahead. Seng returns, we grab our sacks and hit the dirt road out north of the town excited for the difficult days ahead.
The sun is powerful up here in the hills and the temperature soon hits 30 degrees. The first village we pass is only about an hour out of town so is hardly different. We dont stop except for the local brewer of the rice whiskey. Its 9.30 and a breakfast of banana and batter hardly seems enough to help stomach the lao-lao this early. We take a shot and wait for the burn. This is strong stuff. Were offered another but i have to refuse to hold back the bilious feeling not needed with 7 hours of walking ahead of you.
The dirt continues ahead but we bare left down into the bush. Seng fashions us some walking poles from bamboo with his ever handy knife and we continue out of town. These come in useful, were a few hours in and the the bush is growing thicker. The difficulty is not the inclines but watching your feet while avoiding being thwacked in the eye by stray branches. Seng described this first days walking as moderate-difficult. He was right about that but the added heat is firmly shifting the balance towards the difficult end. I was right about something as well, my bags not going to make it. The left strap is broken and is now being held together by various knots of various sizes.
The views of the northern Laos hills are stunning despite the wears of obvious deforestation and we try to take it all in, much like the leeches with our blood. They're annoying creatures more than anything but we try our best to fend them off. Jane is not so lucky and by the time we stop for lunch theres one full to bursting point on her ankle. Seng snatches it off, tosses it in the fire and watches that sucker burn.Lunch is served on a table of banana leaves and we tuck into the dishes with the communal sticky rice, hands for bowls, fingers for forks.Its after lunch and now we have our second casualty. This afternoon is hard and Jane is beginning to regret signing up for 3 days. Shes had gastro the past few days and that mixed in with the steep climb and dehydration from the intense midday heat is proving a troublesome cocktail. We take regular breaks but have to move forward. We keep going, hoping that the village is round the next corner or through the next clearing and when it does we are finally revealed. From afar it fits perfectly aloft the hillside, guarding the valley below, but as we venture closer something feels... different. We are not greeted by a warm handshake or gentle smile, but the raging growl of the local dogs. Sticks at the ready we ease in closer. My mind races back to my appointment at the nurses office pre-trip where I politefully declined the 200 pound rabies jabs, maybe im going to regret that. Not that they'd be much help, the nearest hospital is a days walk away and there ain't no air ambulance here.
The trails in these parts are not well worn and they maybe get a few trekkers every few months, but the looks we receive are as if they've never seen white people before. Its not a look of concern or inquisitiveness, more a glare of shock and worry. It feels like we've strolled into the village naked brandishing shotguns.We weave through the 27 houses, avoiding the animals littering the streets extremely unsure to the chiefs house where we'll be spending the night. Hes introduced to us simply as "The Chief". Hes a scrawny man, fragile in appearance and lacking all of the elements of grandeur that my imagination had previously concocted. Were introduced to chiefs wife and chiefs eldest daughter, who appear to be doing all of the work. The chief pours the local tea.
We head outside in an attempt to try and engage local kids. International symbols of friendship do not appear to be working though, the wave, the smile, the saying of "Sabai Dee" all seem fruitless. The sweets we bought help a little but not to the extent that we'd hoped. One of the teenage boys poses for a photo, hes clearly dressed up for the occasion, but everyone else is off limits for now. Its an animist society and I dont want to be accused of stealing anyones soul, my canon DSLR sure looks like it could. We're invited to one of the teenagers houses for tea but are soon called back for dinner. Seng, Chief, myself and the two honorary males sit but a few inches off the floor on woven seats. The house, like all of the others in the village doesn't have a floor as such, more of a continuation of the dirt outside. The roof is made of bamboo and all the walls are woven. A fire sits off centre puffing away for every hour of the day and night, and theres a female change area where chiefs daughter visits every now and then. Theres one room cordoned off from the main space, i suspect this is for the chief.
We eat the freshly cooked meal between shots of the chiefs own lao lao. Dinner soon passes and its dark outside. Seng says hes going to sleep and we decide to join him on the wide wooden raised bed. Were not sure who else will be joining us up here tonight but we hope its not the chief. I call shotgun on big spoon just in case. I fear i already know the answer but ask the question to Seng just to be sure. "Wheres the toilet?". I get the answer I was expecting accompanied by a smile "anywhere".Its 11pm and I'm starting to stir. It seems chief is still awake and having a party with a few of his mates, passing round the bamboo bong just a few feet away clearly not bothered by the level of noise. I try to sleep again but am awoken by another noise a few feet away. This time a cow has a grievance with something outside and wants to make it vocalised. Its not long before the sleepless night is over and the cockerels make sure we know its morning. Jane and Claire have had the same kind of night.
Today is going to be interesting, especially for me. Its my 23rd birthday and is already classed as one that im not going to forget. Jane is unnerved by something this morning. Apparently pigs like to eat shit.... Pigs eat shit, we eat pigs, and so the circle of life continues.
We bit our farewells with offerings of soap and shampoo for chiefs daughter and join the morning commute to the rice fields. After fending off more leeches than yesterday we climb the first big hill of the day. This is hot, humid, and very hard going. We reach the top soaked in sweat from the 40 degree heat. Claire joins us 30 seconds later and we have our 3rd casualty. "Im going back to the village, you guys keep going, i can care for myself!" We all stay quiet not wanting to antagonise the situation any further. Me and Jane don't say a word but share a look that we both know means 'that's really not an option'. We let the dust settle and take an extra 5 minutes.
We continue up the hill, Claire included.
Lunch comes and I'm offered the majority of the mango dubbed, ' the birthday mango'. Seng has changed his ring tone as well, every time it buzzes the tune of happy birthday delights the air, and they all sing along.Were having a water panic now, the climb really took it out of our supplies and were afraid of running out. Our methods of saving water however are not needed. We think theres a few more hours left but are releaved to find out its only just over one. We arrive at another village for a break knowing this is going to be better than the last from the off. There are still the same barking dogs as before but this time they are reduced to a wimper by stones, pelted at them by the kids who have come to see us.
Were at Sengs fiends house for some much needed tea. Like the previous village its pure bamboo with no mod cons, except for two 2010/11 poster decorating the wall of the Chelsea and Liverpool teams (although i notice Roy Hodgson is still the manager). We strike conversation with the kids again with the aid of the sweets, but im more interested in teaching Sengs friend how to pronounce the names of all the players.Time moves on and so do we, we don't want to be walking through the dark along these paths though its not long before we reach or final destination for the day.
This village is a special place and we feel a good vibe. We settle in with some more of the local brew and head outside to take it all in. We sit there raised on a bamboo platform watching the village life roll by. An old lady comes by, shes mother of the chief, grandmother of the kids around us and at 72 is carrying one of them on her back. Shes quick to compare boob size with Jane and Claire and cracks us all up when she gets them out, flapping them about to make sure we know what shes talking about. There is no doubt. This isnt a social problem here, the mothers regularly are uncovered as to be so whilst breastfeeding is bad for the spirits. I sit here thinking about the surrielty of my birthday but soon its feeding time. Not for us but for the pigs. We watch the family below personify teamwork, the boy flailing a stick keen on its use to fend off the other pigs from the runts special extra food. Two horses charge through the chaos and one ends up in the house. Not a single eyelash bat everyone continues. We wonder around the village up to a little hill. The inquisitvness is too much for the kids here and we spend some time showing them photos, although most of them are of me taken by them and have fun with the camera. We spend alot of time here, its an amazing place to be. Im definitely in love with the lifestyle, nothings stressful, life is simple, everythings bliss. Sure theres arguments sometimes but overall this is great.
The sun is threatening to vanish from view so we head back to chiefs house for some food. I forgot that there was a horse in the porch. We sit in the dark with the food, Seng waiting for his friend to return from fishing, and when he does we make a toast to our food with shots of lao lao. We toast my birthday and eat well.
To bed we head once again lying aside each other in parallel lines doest in bug spray. I stir around 11 and feel something on my leg. The mother is of course still up, being the last one to sleep and the first one awake. Shes noticed me move and we both realise something at the same time. There is a child using my leg as a pillow. My lao has been improving but i dont need to know a word to understand what she said. "SON Get away from that white man!". The boy wakes and lets out a 'wergh' noise before scurrying away to the far end of the bed, where he spends the rest of the night.
Day three is upon us and its the final stint, my bag has finally given up and theres no zips, mearly the most bodgiest of knots keeping it together. Only a few hours walking today we set off early after giving the same offerings of soap and shampoo, up the dirt track accompanied by one of the village woman elders who is coming with us back to town. Were walking strongly and shes keeping up, but all of us are surprised when we stop at a stream to drench our heads to find her whipping out a bong from beneath her dress. She quickly lights up and makes the most of this rest stop before we continue on our way. Were nearly finished and take in the last of the northern hills, a beautiful place. Finally we descend to the valley floor where we're greeted by the Nam Ou River,carving its way trough the landscape. Were used to our stench now but we take a dip while we wait for the boat which takes us down the river to the town of Hatsa where our journey ends. We bid farewell to Seng and thank him for his guidance, and reflect on what has been an amazing adventure, over copious amounts of the beer Lao. We don't say goodbye to each other but spend the next two days heading down the river where we finally part, smelling slightly better than before, but forever sharing an awesome experience i'm never going to forget.
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