Trekking In Northern Laos

When we arrived at the traditional Laos structure built upon stilts in the Nam Ha forest we were greeted by smiling man smoking a cigarette through a bamboo water pipe (bong). He and a younger boy had arrived before our group to help and prepare the place for the night. When the smiling man pulled out a plastic bottle of Lao Lao (local whiskey) I had my doubts. Kevin, a 26 year world traveler from Quebec, happily obliged as he took a sip and engaged in a broken conversation of Laos and English with a thick heavy French Canadian accent. Kevin is what I call an All In traveler. He’s the type that really goes for it and embraces the culture, food, and whatever with little reservation. I really admire his spirit as he was proving to be great company on a 3 day trek through the tropical forest of Nam Ha National Park.

I’ve never been much attracted to organized guided group hikes in the wilderness but when it comes to S.E. Asia it’s pretty much the only way to do it. Good maps, much less any map, are very hard to come by and often times don’t even exist. Also, there tend to be paths going all over the place from generations of people hunting, working the fields, or, from simply going village to village. The language barrier is a definite issue and forget seeing any kid of signage pointing you the right direction.

Doing a trek through the tropical forests of Northern Laos was high on Deb’s and my list. A company by the name of Green Discovery Laos was recommended to us. We visited their office shortly after arriving In Luang Nam Tha and had checked their website before arriving in Laos. The local staff working in the office spoke very good English and could answer our questions clearly. They also disclosed where all of the money made from the treks goes. I was impressed to see how responsibly the money is distributed and how the local people are not exploited. The guides are compensated fairly and every village visited etc. receives some kind of benefit. A 28% profit is made on each trek which is more than fair. The company is also very ecologically minded with a keen sense on minimizing impact on environment and culture.

We signed up for a 3 day 2 night hike through Nam Ha National Park. When we arrived to start our walk we were joined by three others. A French Canadian by the name of Kevin from Quebec City and two women from Holland. All in their 20’s. Aside of the five of us we were led by two local guides by names of Koum Seng and Soo Ler. Koum goes by EF. EF speaks very good English and the other seemed to understand a little more than he could speak.

Our trip started with a 30 minute drive out of town to a local village. We first spent some time in the village as EF showed us around. The villagers seemed fine with us being there and taking photos which is another nice reason to be with a guide. Often times I’ve found that when your with a local guide people are much more open to you being around especially when they see one of their own profiting from it. Also, they understand your just a foreign visitor checking things out which helps to avoid any uncomfortable misunderstandings that may be encountered on your own. As always the language barrier is an issue but with a guide it’s not a problem.

A few steps out of the village and we entered the forest. It wasn’t long before we crossed into the actual national park boundary. As expected there were no signs and no way of really knowing where to go aside of various paths leading one way or another. We first passed through a hillside where workers were harvesting sweet rice. Up and over we went and dropped into what you would expect, lush green tropical forests. Sections of the walk were very damp and the temperature alternated between cool or warm. With the beginning of the dry season we were pleased to see blue skies as the morning fog cleared.

We stopped for lunch in a small clearing with a picnic table covered by a thatch roof. A couple of local boys from a nearby village had hiked ahead with food and to prepare the area for lunch. Large Banana leaves were laid across the table and various foods were dumped upon the leaf. We were each given a block of sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf and a pair of some kind of plant stem to use as chops sticks.

“So, what’s this I’m eating?”. “Funn”. “What?”. “That”, as he pointed, “Fern”. EF went over and clarified what we were eating by waving a large fern branch at me. It tasted pretty good. The rest of the food was nothing too exotic. Mixed vegetables with tofu, grilled carp, and pork with cabbage. It was all pretty good. After lunch EF entertained us with brain teaser puzzles he created by chopping up plant stems. We eventually continued onward.

Some places have a feeling, a vibe and an energy. Something that can’t be put into words. Laos has it. As we hiked along, not to sound to esoteric, I felt like I was absorbing energy from the forest. It felt clean, pure, and unspoiled. We walked all day and I was pleased to find that we all had about the same hiking pace which for a party of 7 is pretty darned good. No one was dragging and we were all very into it. A nice group dynamic was taking hold. One of the Dutch women was kind of like a walking encyclopedia of info pertaining to nature and birds which added a nice little bonus to the experience.

For both nights we stayed in traditional Laos structures built upon stilts in remote areas. This was a forest trek so the only villages we passed through were at the beginning and end. When we arrived at the first camp the two boys who met us for lunch had hiked ahead and already gotten the place in order. Padded cloth mats were laid down for us to sleep upon and mosquito netting was hung to keep out the bugs. A separate structure was set up as a kitchen and everything was cooked over an open fire.

Deb and I dumped our stuff and headed off on our own to a nearby area that the guide told us about. We hiked down a steep hill upon an overgrown trail to a cliff grotto next to pools formed by a small creek. It was an amazing little place completely encapsulated by tropical vegetation. We found a spot by a pool and sat for awhile. When Deb and I hike together its not uncommon for us to stop at a place that feels special and just sit for awhile. It’s nice to absorb an environment by simply observing the surroundings, listening to sounds, and noticing smells.

When we returned to camp I was impressed by how the two guides with the help of the two other boys were preparing dinner. Everything was being prepared fresh. Water buffalo meat was being chopped and minced as well as several different types of veggies. Everything was prepared from scratch and cooked on an open fire. These guys really knew what they were doing and dinner turned out great. I abstained from the meat but I’m sure it was fine. I feasted on sticky rice with tomato sauce and sauteed onions. All washed down with rain forest Cardamon tea. We fell asleep to a forest full of tropical sounds. Much better than any rain forest atmosphere cd on the market.

The second day of walking was similar to the first but the two other village boys returned home and left us with a packed lunch of green beans, chili sauce, grilled meat, and sticky rice. During late morning we encountered 3 hunters. One was armed with a homemade long barrel rifle and the other had some kind of older military automatic weapon. We met them briefly in passing but I really would have liked to have had a picture with them. They were the only people we met on the trek aside of some rice harvesters at the very beginning. We stopped during the early afternoon to have lunch upon palm throngs. Into the afternoon we walked until we reached camp number 2 and the smiling man with the water pipe.

The second place we stayed at was larger than the first and I was surprised to see our guides cooking upon a fire inside a the structure built on stilts of tinder dry wood along with palm thatch for siding and roof. Kevin and I joked that we would just punch our way of the siding if it the building caught fire.

Unfortunately, shortly after arriving I came down with yet another migraine! My second within just a few days. I quickly retreated to a dark corner inside and drank a lot of water. I was able to shake it relatively quickly. With all I’ve been doing there are lots of things that could be triggering my migraines but there’s one trigger that really stands out. I’ve been getting plenty of MSG in my meals and the guides used a lot of it in their cooking. MSG is a definite cause of migraine and one I really haven’t paid much attention to. Foolishly so. I asked the trip leader if he could abstain from using MSG on my food. He took the request like it was one he’s had before and said, “No Problem”. For the rest of the trip he was really good about cooking food specifically for me without MSG and I greatly appreciated it.

Late in the evening EF went to a nearby stream to get some water and spotted a bright green snake in a tree. When he got back to camp he asked us all if we wanted to see it and of course we did. One of the Dutch women had an amazing compact mini spotlight flashlight to illuminate it as it slept in a tree. I asked if it was poisonous and EF said if you get bit you have two hours to get help. We made sure to keep our distance. It would take far longer than two hours for us to get to any kind of questionable help!

When we returned to camp I was kind of out of it but was still happy to see Kevin having fun drinking Lao Lao with his new friend and the others enjoying a star filled night next to a makeshift fire. I turned in early and the rest went to bed about an hour after I did. As soon as the last candle was blown out all kinds critters made themselves known by various sounds. Rats, mice, squirrels and whatever kept up a racket all about the building. I fell in and out of sleep all night long. Too tired to dig out my ear plugs.

On the third day we hiked out of the forest and into open deforested areas replanted with rubber trees. We stopped off at a local residence with pigs and chickens situated next to rice paddies. While there we said hello to the family of the residence and had lunch upon banana leaves on a table in front of their stilted house. Chickens and small pigs roamed about our feet as we ate. From there we continued to a village where we were inundated with kids trying to sell us handmade jewelry items. None of us bought anything but instead made a donation to the village school. The Dutch women donated a bag of pens which seemed to be more appreciated than money. The final village was where the smiling man who smokes cigarettes through a water pipe lives. We took a short break at his place before hopping a truck back to Luang Nam Tha.

Deb and I were very satisfied with the 3 day forest trek. Everything was very well run. The guides were friendly, conscientious, knowledgeable and good company. Not to mention, wizards when it came to cooking. Green Discovery is not he cheapest guide service, especially by Laos standards, but what we got was really good. For three days with food and everything it cost around $105 USD per person for a group of five. Prices vary on group size. They run eco oriented adventure travel tours all over Laos so I wouldn’t hesitate going on another one of their trips. The experience was authentic and not touristic. If you want to go trekking in S.E. Asia avoid the the touristic walks of Thailand and head for Laos.

In Laos Deb and I have found what we are looking for but China is so close. Too close. I sense a detour. We can get a visa at the border. It’s just too tempting…..