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The hillside was so steep that I had to pull myself up using any
available tree branch and roots. The terrain underfoot was really
slippery as the carpet of dry bamboo leaves provided no grip for my
shoes. It was actually more difficult than walking on mud as the
dry leaves tended to slip downhill whilst I was trying to go up. It
was frustrating how the local guides just sped up the hill in their
slippers as if it was a Sunday stroll. And of course there were
leeches, even though it was dry season.
We were in northern Laos, close to the Chinese and Myanmar
borders.
We arranged our trek in the Eco-Guides office in Vieng Phoukha,
which lies on route 3 in Luang Namtha province. Very few tourists
venture up here as they generally concentrate on the more touristy
areas of Vientienne and Luang Prabang which is a World Heritage
site.
The Vieng Phoukha area is the newest trekking area in Laos. The
Eco-Guides service is a community based scheme which currently
offer 4 treks, ranging between one and three days, which visit
various ethnic minority villages.
I was surprised to learn how many different ethnic groups live
in this area. The main ones are Akha, Hmong, and Khmu. Over the
years people have migrated around Burma, China, Laos, Thailand and
Vietnam. The people wear their traditional clothes every day and as
we went around the market our guide pointed out the different
tribal costumes and hats.
Our trek started by crossing dry padi fields, and we met a trio
of girls carrying nets and baskets. Our guide explained that they
were looking for animals. These people eat virtually any animal
they can find, so search the padi fields and forests. They use
bamboo traps to catch birds and small mammals and they go into
caves to hunt bats during the right season. This area is rich in
limestone so there are several extensive cave systems, some with
some stunning stalactite formations.
The first obstacle on our trek was crossing a small stream using
bamboo poles. Three poles spanned the stream and they bounced
discordantly as you stood on them which was a bit unnerving. I
learnt just to go across quickly and not think about it, but one of
our group resorted to crawling across on hands and knees. We then
entered the forest and began the uphill climb.
I was surprised how cool the forest was. In Malaysia I always
find the forest to be a hot, humid and sweaty place, but here in
northern Laos the forests were definitely cooler.
We followed a pleasant trail alongside a small river. Then we
were surprised to hear a banging sound and our guide told us it was
rice-pounding machines. Intrigued, we went to have a look. We saw
an ingenious system of bamboo pipes attached to a large wooden
pounder above a pile of rice. When the pipes are full with water,
they tip down _ which, in turn, forces the pounder onto the rice. I
later saw a manual version in the villages where the women were
using a treadle system to deploy the pounder.
Throughout the trek, our guides pointed out various leaves and
shrubs which they use for medicine and food. Lunch was a pleasant
meal; we came to a clearing and one guide cut several banana leaves
and laid them on the ground as the tablecloth. Then, whilst one
guide unpacked the food he had carried, the others disappeared into
the bushes and came back with an assortment of ferns and
leaves.
We ate these with sticky rice, some vegetables and Laotian
sambal. I found the sambal to be rather bitter despite the strong
chili flavour. The bananas were always nice although somewhat
battered after being carried for a while.
That evening we stayed in a Khmu village. We arrived late
afternoon and went down to the river to wash, even though the
villages now have 2 or 3 communal taps. The water was surprisingly
cold. We sat under the house waiting for dinner and lots of
villagers came to sit and watch us. The women smoke long stemmed
silver pipes. Earlier we had watched a Chinese peddler selling his
wares and I was interested to see he was buying human hair.
As soon as the sun went behind the hills it really cooled down
and I was quite cold huddled by the small fire. I was also very
hungry so was relieved when we were given plates of pumpkin to
snack on. After what seemed hours we were called to dinner in the
house. The village houses have no furniture, so we sat on the
floor. A blue plastic sheet was covered with the ubiquitous banana
leaves. Piles of sticky rice were laid out, then different dishes
of vegetables, chicken parts and bowls of chicken bone soup. The
guide opposite me took the chicken's head out of the soup and ate
it with relish.
The people here are all animists, and some groups, particularly
the Khmu have a hierarchy of spirits, the most important ones have
guardianship of villages and houses. We were told not to pass
straight through villages, we should stop and chat, otherwise the
villagers will think they have been visited by evil spirits. The
following day we went to a cave and, before we entered, the guide
had to ask permission from the cave spirit.
Over the two-day trek we visited three different villages, Akha,
Khmu and Lahu, but different groups live together in one village,
so we also saw Black Hmong and Hmong Mien. They build houses of
differing style and of course their clothes are different.
The locals were OK about having their photos taken even though
it is a new concept for them. The best thing about trekking in this
area is that the idea of tourism is still new and therefore nothing
has been spoilt by the ill effects of tourism. Because it is
community-based, the local people benefit. The guides are learning
English.
It was certainly a great experience to go somewhere off the
beaten track and to get away from mass tourism and to see villages
totally unaffected by foreign visitors.
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