Fun in Laos

This country is so easy to be in. All the foreigners that come south from China are so relieved to be here and take a few days just relaxing all telling China horror stories! Seems we didn't do too bad. Luang Nam Tha has lots of Eco-tourism trips, different operators have exclusive rights to certain areas. We did a two day kayak trip with another couple, Leo from the UK and Ursa from Slovenia. We met them on the bus on the way to Laos. We all got on well and had a fantastic time. Two local guides escorted us. We were in inflatable boats and plenty of exciting rapids to bounce through. Lots of hazards to avoid like trees, vines, bushes etc, don't think it would pass the commercial test in NZ!  Lunch provided, sticky rice, spicy vege dip, pork and bamboo shoots, tomato and tofu. All laid out on banana leaves. We stayed overnight in a minority (tribal) village. The kids took us through the rice fields to the bamboo swing bridge, scary watching them run across it, they could easily have fallen through the sides to the fast flowing river below. A thatched roof hut to stay in, fine for the night, good dinner and breakfast, the village girls helped our guides to prepare & cook it all, pots over an open fire. Part of the money we paid goes to the village, they are amazingly poor, they still use a foot pedal to manually dehusk the rice, some of the photos show the village. They just grow crops. Very little education. The older women smoking pipes and in the second village we visited opium is still widely used. Lots of pigs, chickens and dogs. About a 4-5 hour walk out to a road. We went inside one 'house' An elderly man was laying on a bed. He had been ill for over 2 weeks and couldn't move. Possibly a stroke, they could not afford to take him to a doctor. Inside the house was bare, except for a fireplace and wok, no chimney,  couple of little stools and a bed frame. Floor littered with corn cobs, young guy smoking through a bong, kids all inhaling as well, no windows. Quite sobering. Back in Luang Nam Tha with a lovely little guest house and great eating places, awesome fruit shakes and fresh baguettes. Sabai dee from Laos.