Trekking Lao-style

Our 2-day trek from Luang Prabang is definitely one of the highlights so far. We didn't see another Westerner for 2 days - a good sign of being "off the beaten track" I reckon! The hike was fantastic - stunning scenery, fascinating village people from different ethnic hill tribes, and a fun guide.





The first day we walked through jungle tracks beside the river, and then 'up up up', passing 2 different hill tribes along the way - Hmong & Khamu. The only obvious difference is Hmong village huts are built at ground level, while Khamu huts are raised above the ground using bamboo sticks. Speaking of bamboo, nobody would survive without it here - it is used for EVERYTHING! Building houses (including the roof); in cooking or eating raw; water pipes; kindling, baskets, carrying poles, fences & gates; sandpaper for school books...the list goes on. Really is amazing.




My fitness must really be lacking though - I had to get carried across the rivers, and was even caught leaning on a tree for support. :)

Playing with the kids at the village we stayed was really fun - hopping tag, rock-paper-scissors, and chanting "ning som sam" (1-2-3) while joining hands in a circle...I never really understood that one. The older kids played a game like volleyball, except using feet and heads only. Our guide had taught us the numbers 1-10, which came in useful for scoring!

They had some kind of ceremony for us in the evening - we had to drink a few shots of 'lao-lao' (seriously strong alcohol fairly burns the throat...just grin & bear it :) ). Then we were given loads of bracelets "for the good luck". It was an unforgettable experience.


Day 2 we continued downhill via a waterfall and back by the river. The villagers work so hard carrying heavy sacks of rice, piles of wood, or supplies. Everyday they walk about 4 hrs from the village to the road, get a tuk-tuk to Luang Prabang to exchange goods (selling rice or corn, and buying supplies), then walk back to the village in the evening. Others are either collecting rice, pounding rice, cooking, building, or making something else in the village.





Some of the villages had electricity, generated from a makeshift pump at the river. Other hill tribes use a half-pipe (made from several bamboo sticks tied together) to transport clean water for washing and cleaning to their area.