Trekking in cool, unspoilt Northern Laos
Liz Price
Sunday, July 22, 2007
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.
The Brunei Times
http://www.bt.com.bn/en/classification/life/travel/2007/07/22/trekking_in_cool_unspoilt_northern_laos
No comments:
Post a Comment