My finaly weeks in LAO P.D.R.

Lao P.D.R. (People's Democratic Republic)

The last time I wrote I was in Vang Vieng, a small little backpacker town halfway between Vientiane and Luang Prabang, the two largest cities in Laos.

The town itself was hot and dusty and filled with “tv bars” where hung-over 20 year-olds went to eat food and watch Friends (the horrible sit-com), The Simpsons, or whatever else was playing at each place. However, the area surrounding Vang Vieng was filled with spectacularly gorgeous farmland, rice paddies, cliffs, rivers, lagoons, butterflies, waterfalls and caves. It truly felt like paradise.

We stayed at Maylyn Guesthouse in a little bungalow just outside of town, along the river with a porch and a quiet little surrounding garden. Nice. One day we rented motorbikes and explored the caves and the countryside. The next day we went tubing.

Tubing is THE THING to do in Vang Vieng. We rented tubes for $4 each and got dropped off upstream from town. From 11am – 8pm we slowly made our way down the river stopping for big Beer Laos and shots of “Lao Lao” (rice wine) while jumping from tall rope swings and zip-lines along the way. It was certainly a fun and drunken adventure… until we got stranded in the river after sunset and had to find our way back in the dark... Drunk. Yuck!

here's a video of me on "The Big Swing" (15 meters / 45 feet from the water) That day, with enough alcohol in my system I seem to have conquered my fear of heights.


and here's chad


The two things I loved best about Vang Vieng were
1) The Organic Farm / the Organic Farm Café (in town). The farm specializes in Mulberry trees used to cultivate silk worms for silk production but they also make all sorts of other products from their crops: Organic mulberry tea, shakes, jam, etc. They focus on teaching the villagers traditional crafts and sustainable farming techniques. In addition to farming they also have a number of other community projects including a school bus and a community center where they teach English. The farm was founded by a native Laotian man educated in France. It’s a super cool, socially, culturally, communally and environmentally conscious place. And their Café in town has some of the best, freshest and most delicious food in all of Laos. If you go I recommend the Lao Garden Salad and the Pumpkin Soup. Go for the food, and to support the entire operation.

2) the Blue Lagoon and Poukham Cave was this awesome blue swimming hole at the edge of a mountain with little huts to chill out and read in, while butterflies danced in the air around you. Ferns, and greens, and palm trees paradise!

After a few days in Vang Vieng we headed to Luang Prabang where we spent our time visiting wats (Buddhist temples) and museums, eating good food and drinking Beer Lao. From there we took a day trip to Kouang Si Waterfall where again we found ourselves in paradise swimming in crystal blue waters, surrounded by palm trees, butterflies and beautiful nature. My favorite thing in Luang Prabang was the art exhibit: “The Quiet in the Land” a collaboration between western artists and native Laotian crafts people and artisans, focusing on education, promotion local heritage and cultural preservation and sustainability in the face of globalization. The exhibit was both well thought out conceptually and executed professionally.
I highly recommend checking out the website for more information: http://www.thequietintheland.com/laos/
http://www.thequietintheland.com/

From Luang Prabang we headed even further north in Laos towards the Chinese border. Our first stop was Luang Nam Tha where we stayed at The Boat Landing Guesthouse another really great socially, culturally and environmentally conscious Eco-lodge. At $35 a night it was by far our most expensive accommodation of the entire trip, but worth it for the peaceful surrounding, excellent restaurant, and wonderful room.

From Luang Nam Tha we signed up for a three-day trek through Green Discovery into the Nam Ha National Protected Area (NPA). Me, Chad, two Aussies, two Danes, a Swede, a Brit and two Laotian guides hiked through unceasing torrential down pour for the first twodays. The first night we slept in a wooden hut deep in the jungle along side ants, bugs, spiders, mosquitoes and countless other critters. The second day after hours of wet trekking and countless river crossing we finally arrived at an abandoned Akha village miles away from civilization where we stayed the night. The sun emerged on the third day as we descended through the clear farmlands on our way back to Luang Nam Tha.

Early the next morning we caught a bus to Muang Sing 10 km from the Chinese Border and made plans for another 2-day more cultural trek through the Akha Villages in the north. Along with an Israeli and a Dane, Chad and I hiked in the heat with spectacular views to a village on top of a mountain where we spent the night. The next day we returned and started making the journey back to Luang Prabang where we spent a few days eating good food and chilling before I caught my flight back to Bangkok, then back to the states.

Chad's still in SE Asia for another few weeks before he head to India, Europe, the East Coast, then finally back to SF. It was a wonderful trip!