Here comes the rain again

Having had a pretty dry wet season so far in Laos, the last few days have started to make up for it a bit. Right now Im hoping all the clothes that got soaked on the roof of the Sawngthaew (a sort of truck with two rows of seats, though I sat in an additional 3rd row of plastic chairs with my feet dangling out the back - best views that way) back from Nong Khiaw will be dry before I head off on the boat towards the Thai border. Apparently the previous day a woman had given birth on the same Sawngthaew run, so at least I missed getting my clothes covered in that:)

Nong Khiaw is as far as the road goes en route to the little town of Muang Ngoi Neua, where I've spent the last couple of days. The last hour is completed by boat, and the isolation means there are no cars or motorbikes of any kind, so its a really nice place to relax and watch the village life unfold. Again the scenery was excellent, both on the way and around the area.



Theres only sporadic electricity and the food kinda sucks, but still its all part of the experience. The girl running our guesthouse was a bit of a character, and took us to her local orchard to graze on all manner of tropical fruit, which required some climbing and waving of large bamboos. The nicest part was a day spent trecking to the little village of Ban Bo, which occupies a beautiful setting in paddy fields surrounded by karst mountains. And the odd satellite dish. Its occupied by a mix of Lao and hilltribe folk.


I went with Issy and Violene who I met on the boat, and we met a few other falang who were overnighting there, including one Basque guy who was going to spend a month there teaching english to the local kids. The walking was a bit tricky with all the mud and river crossings, but very enjoyable, though we had to keep the odd eye out for the local kid hunting for their dinner. On the way back I took a dip in a lovely pool beside a cave. Fabulous.
Back in Luang Prabang now for a days r&r before braving the two day boat trip up to Huay Xai and a date with the Gibbons of Bokeo reserve. They mentioned 5-9 hours walking in leeche infested forest to get to the treehouse where we stay. Should be interesting...