I was lying in a barbers chair the other night staring at the ceiling during a shave when I spotted a gecko directly above me. This is not a rare sight in Laos, as they are virtually everywhere. No sooner did I spot him I saw a small black object falling from the heavens. Gecko shit, landed squarely on my shoulder, which was luckily covered by a vinyl "bib" to protect me from the hair clippings. It was at this moment that I realized how lucky my life is. "Shit happens" is an inevitable fact of life, but sometimes it's not so bad as long as it doesn't splash you in the face. "For every cloud there is a silver lining." The idioms and proverbs can go on for ages, but there is a point to all of this.
I haven't posted for a while for two reasons. The first is that I was staying at the Organic Farm in Vang Vieng to avoid the Loser Frat Boy/Euro Trash scene downtown. I rented a bicycle to get around, and the farm is just 5km or so from the city center, but I was teaching two classes a day at the primary school, one in the morning and another in the evening, so with the schedule split and planning/travel tme for the classes, going to town was easier said than done.
The second reason is because I recieved some startling news on Sunday night. I'll be candid and air my "dirty laundry" here, as there are no innocent to protect at this stage. I coincidentally found out that the girl I had been seeing for the past two months was secretly still together with her alleged "ex" boyfriend. I've heard so much about the virtue of Chinese women, but this was an act so dispicible it would make LA girls blush. In light of the bad news and trying to get to the bottom of the whole ordeal, I wasn't putting much effort into my travel blog. By the way, for those of you who haven't caught on, this is the part of the message that dovetails with the whole "shit" analogy. I was glad to find out about all of this before I got too attached to this girl, the web of deciet and lies was so tangled it is staggering to discover. I will lick my wounds for the final ten days of my holiday and return to Tianjin with a fresh start. I am happy to cut people like that out of my life.
All of that drama aside, the tail end of my week in Vang Vieng was pleasant. As I mentioned, the classes kept me busy, but frankly I wish I could have stayed longer and worked with the kids for another week or two. They are not as disciplined as Chinese students, but really enthusiastic and a lot of fun to teach. The best feeling I could ask for is walking into a class of 30 kids that rise from their chairs in unison and say, "sabaa-dii" with their hands together and a bow. I spent my evenings studying Chinese, and became the unofficial Chinese tutor for the staff at the farm, with beginners lessons starting at nine o'clock every night. Most of the adults there can now exchange greetings, ask and answer simple introductory questions and even do a little negotiating. The children of the staff really enjoyed hanzi, and practiced stroke order on grid paper with me (although I doubt the know what the meaning of any of the characters is in English or in Chinese...or in Lao for that matter!).
The last day there was Saturday and I rented a decent mountain bike so I could seek out the Tham Phu Kam Caves. I was warned by the locals about the rough terrain, but didn't see what all of the fuss was about. It was 12km to the mountain, the first four were on a paved road into the city, the next four were on dirt and gravel on a not so challenging uphill grade, and the final four kilometers were on a single track that went through a rice field. This last part was a bit tough, only because one mis-step would land the bike in a swamp of water and muck, but not nearly as bad as it was reported. The climb to the first cave was about 200m and not too challenging outside of the slippery rocks. The first cave was small and unimpressive, so I went on to the next, which was about another 100m climb. This one did not disappoint, as it went back quite far. My small flashlight wasn't enough to light the cavern fully, so I treaded slowly as to avoid slipping on the rocks or hitting my head on one of the stalactites hanging above. After crossing a bamboo "brige" through a small tunnel, I reached the end, which unfortunately was marked heavily in grafitti. I descended the mountain and came across a nice lagoon spring, which I would have had a dip in if not for the villagers fishing downstream and the thunder booming on the horizon. It looked like I would be heading right into the teeth of a storm on my ride back, so I'd cool off with or without the jump in the pool.
That night I had a nice dinner with the staff and they pulled out a bottle of "lao-hai" which is fermented rice and corn husks in a clay jar. I didn't partake, but they certainly drank enough to compensate for my shortcomings. I woke up at 5:30 with the intention of catching the 7:00 bus to Vientiane, where I was hoping to hop on another heading in the general southeast direction towards Lak Sao, so I could hop off at Na Hin, my final destination in Laos. I decided to pass on a tuk-tuk ride to the bus station in favor of enjoying a 30 minute walk, and about three quarters of the way there I was scooped up by a jumbo tuk-tuk heading to Vientiane. I hopped on and spent the next four hours rattling along in what amounts to an oversized golf-cart with a flat-bed attached to the rear.
I switched to a VIP bus in Vientiane, simply because it was the first one leaving, and although not heading exactly where I needed it to, it would take me to the point where Route 13 and Route 8 intersect in Khum Kham. I jumped off in Khun Kham and promptly found another transient filled tuk-tuk heading east to Lak Sao. I got off in Na Hin, which would put me in striking distance to explore the famed Phu Hin Bun NPA (National Protected Area) the following day. I went straight to the Tourism Information Center where the attendant, Ngoi helped me book a two day trip that would include a six hour trek through the NPA, a longtail boat ride through the Kong Lo cave, a village homestay and return transportation back to town on day two. His English was good although he had a bit of a "used car salesman" vibe about him which I didn't particularly care for.
It turned out that he would be my guide the next day, and he conveniently "lost" his English during the trek. I've found in Laos, that any trek is only as good as the guide, and he was awful. We hired a local villager to direct us up what looked like an impossibly steep mountain which was blanketed with dense forest. The local guide was very adept at manuevering up and down the jagged limestone and effortly passed through the thick brush and overhanging thorn branches and bamboo. This was easily the toughest trek I have ever done, with rock climbing in areas where one mis-step or loose rock would have sent me plunging several meters and I probably would have been skewered by a giant rock. My guide and I surely would have been lost in the jungle or descended to our deaths without him. The tour guide was essentially useless, as he knew absolutely nothing about any of the flora or fauna in the forest. I have taken several guide based tours while here in Laos, and all of the guides have been knowledgable about the area and very friendly. The most insightful thing Ngoi said all day was, "Look, big tree," as he stood with a dumb expression on his face pointing at, you guessed it, a big tree. When I asked him what type of tree it was, his English was lost again. We finally finished our ascent, and descended for the next three hours on slippery moss covered rocks and mud slides. The local guide said we were the first to take this route since the rainy season ended, which was evident by the amount of brush he had to clear with his machete. We got to the bottom, where I discovered leaches were feasting on my ankles. I burned them off and jumped into the river out of pure exhileration for having reached the bottom safely.
From there, we picked up the longtail and headed to the Kong Lo cave, one of Laos most prominent natural wonders. Its a 7km long cave that was only navigated fully by boat as recently as 2002. France, once the colonial overlord of Laos, funded a lighting project to showcase the beautiful stalagmite and stalactite structures that sit about 2km from the end of the cave. Inside, the cave is completely pitch black, and we puttered through slowly with only the aid of a few flashlights. Very spooky and the only signs of human intervention are the tiny reflectors every 100m or so to help boatmen navigate to the end safely.
I was then taken to a nearby Lao Loum village (lowland Lao) for a night homestay. No one in the village spoke English save for a couple secondary school students that were eager to ask "Where are you from?" The family I stayed with was twelve people, the father and mother, eight kids and two grandchildren. I asked to help cook dinner, and no sooner was I handed a live rooster. The sister broke its neck and I held its feet while we plucked the feathers from its still breathing neck. She pulled out a knife, slit its throat and let the inky blood drain into a ceramic bowl. I was then instructed to clean and pluck the remaining feathers from the bird. When I offered to help, of course I thought I'd be chopping some lemongrass or stirring the pot, maybe adding some salt into a soup here and there, this was MUCH better. The dinner was a simple chicken soup, fresh as can be, with lemongrass, chilli and sticky rice. I watched Thai soap operahs with the family at night, which I guess is no different from spending time with my own family back in Buffalo. I went to temple in the morning with the daughter, which is the second time I have been to a Buddhist temple. We prayed and bowed while the sole monk in attendance chanted some incoherent message probably about impermanence or some such concept, and gave alms at the end. I returned to the village, spent two hours walking around taking photos and played soccer with some of the boys that passed on school that day. It was a very nice experience, although next time I'll bring a phrasebook and some family photos so I can communicate a bit more with the family.
That day, I got back into town and rented a motorcycle. I went to the highest point I could find and took some photos of the gorgeous sunset. A very nice end to my trip in Laos. The next day I started my journey to Hanoi, which I surprisingly completed in one day. Na Hin to Lak Sao by tuk-tuk, Lak Sao to Vinh by bus, then a connecting bus which I caught just in time heading to Hanoi, a six hour drive with about twenty stinking drunk Vietnamese men that were tying one on in Vinh before heading home to their families in various towns on the way to Hanoi.
I'll be in or around Hanoi for the next ten days, hopefully venturing to Sa Pa tonight, an isolated mountain village three hours north of the city. I have a friend in Haiphong, about 100 km from the city, so hopefully we'll meet at some point and perhaps go to Ha Long Bay together. Vietnam, although I haven't seen much of it yet, is a stark contrast to the peace and tranquility of Laos. It's a pretty frenzied scene here. Motorbikes are whizzing past at high speeds in every direction, the streets are packed with people, the entire city seems to be under construction, with jack hammers pounding away and scoffolding surrounding every building.
More to come later this week...for now, some photos. Enjoy.
~man zou~
Christopher
