Luang Nam Tha and Impressions of Laos

We couldn't leave Laos without heading out on a trek, and supposedly the best place to do that is in the area surrounding the Nam Ha National Park Area.  Using the quiet town of Luang Nam Tha - a short 320 km/10 hour ride (at an average speed of less than 20 mph) away from Luang Prabang - as our hub, we set out to explore the countryside by bike and foot.

After arriving in town around 6 AM we set out to find a guesthouse and an activity for the day.  We settled on a place near the night market area and decided to take a guided bicycle tour of the Nam Tha valley.  The tour took us up an unpaved road (you'll see that the biking terrain features prominently in this paragraph) to a village of a now forgotten ethnic minority and then down another dirt path and through some pretty dense vegetation to a great Laotion restaurant called the Boat Landing.  Between those two points we passed through many a rice field and even managed to survive a standoff with some cattle blocking our way.  Say what you want about the animals being more scared of us than we are of them, but when a horned 400+ lb animal is staring at you and taking a few steps backwards like it's preparing for a charge, you get a bit nervous.  Although there is much to see on the tour, the bumpy terrain wreaks havoc on your back and, rather than continuing with the scenic route, we chose the mercifully shorter and more-well-paved road back to town after lunch.

The Hillside Village We Visited

Rice Fields Forever

It Wouldn't Be a Laos Post Without a Beerlao Shot

Rice Fields Once More

That evening, eager to see more of the area, we set about to find a trekking option for the next two days.  The prices for the treks are determined by the size of the group - more people = cheaper per person - so naturally we found the one outfit and the one day where we were the only two signed up.  Although the $99/person price tag was a bit steep, the food alone was almost worth the price of admission.  Add to it a knowledgeable and friendly guide, the most authentic home-stay experience we've had, and a challenging (for us) two-day hike through some pretty cool forests, and you've got yourself one hell of a worthwhile package.  For reasons ranging from preservation to monetary, the government has partitioned the NPA into zones with exclusive permit rights for only one company.  Besides minimizing the eco-footprint that a single popular area may suffer, the other great consequence to visitors is that you have the trail all to yourself.  The exclusive feel of the hike helped lessen the sting from the price as well.

On the first day, we hiked over and down a pretty sizable hill, relying on our custom-made bamboo walking sticks to steady us through slippery paths and narrow bridge crossings, to two remote villages, one inhabited by the Khamu people and the second by the Lantan ethnic minority, that are accessible only via the trail we took to get there.  Along the way, we stopped in a makeshift hut to have a delicious lunch spread courtesy of the same Boat Landing restaurant from the day before.  Our guide, Pon, was so good-natured, affable, and knowledgeable about the forest and its many plants, that we didn't even mind slipping and sliding up and down the steep and muddy slopes of the hill.

                          Lunch Break In the Jungle

A Typical Bamboo and Thatched-Roof Home

A Little Village Swagger

Manual Rice Mill

Life and Livestock In the Village

In the evening, Pon cooked us another amazing meal consisting of stir-fried veggies and tofu, sticky rice, soup, some bbqed fish, and a sweet tomato sauce that he essentially referred to as tourist crack.  Since all of the cooking is done over a wood (or bamboo) fire, the food picks up a subtle and delicious smoky taste.  We also got a chance to interact with some of the villagers and participate in a cultural exchange.  For their part, we were invited into the home of one family where the local Animist shaman was performing a praying/soothsaying service for the sake of a sick child.  For our part, Avi let some of the kids play with his tablet, which obviously went over as a smashing success. They particularly enjoyed playing Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds.

Another Great Dinner Spread

Avi Playing With a Local Child



The next day, we finished the trek with another hike through the forest, with mud, treacherous trails, and leeches as staples of the walk.  We reached our final checkpoint feeling exhausted yet accomplished and got back into town with enough time to shower before getting on the night bus back to Luang Prabang.

Our Guide, Pon Showing Us A Plant That Blows Bubbles

Rachel Displaying Perfect Plant-Bubble Blowing Technique

Posing With Our Handy-Dandy Walking Sticks

The Dense Shrubbery On Our Hike

As for Laos as a country, we can't just end the discussion without touching on the impression that it made on us.  Technically speaking, Laos has a lot less defined tourist attractions than, say a country like Vietnam.  However, we found ourselves enjoying our time there as much as any place we've been.  There is a certain unquantifiable attractiveness to the place that makes you feel connected to it.  Maybe it's the people, who are uniformly some of the friendliest and most inviting to tourists we've encountered.  Maybe it's the fact that we biked around a lot of cities/towns, which gave us both a bearings for where we were and more familiarity with the places.  Whatever the reason is, we were more than satisfied with our tour through the country and highly encourage people making their way to SE Asia to include Laos in their itinerary.