Fly Like A Gibbon, Sting Like A Caterpillar!

Luang Prabang is gorgeous and is actually a UNESCO protected World Heritage city. (Although because of that it comes with an 11.00pm curfew which is when all bars close and you have to be in your hotel room! Or you leg it to the bowling alley which is apparently the all night party! Lols - we didn't make it though) It reminded me of Hoi An in Vietnam, very old and quaint, especially at night when all the lights are lit on the bars and restaurants. It’s an old French colonial town and the buildings definitely add to the atmosphere as does the Mekong running through it. We arrived in the dark and from the first few hostels we tried we could tell it was a posher place than Vang Vieng (that’s not hard) as the prices were more than double. We did our ritual of me waiting with the bags while Tymon walks around to find a place as he is much better at the bargaining that I am and he came back with a very nice place. He’d left me sitting at a street restaurant which was the real deal Laos BBQ which we had yet to try so we headed back there for dinner. Oh my goodness – it was goooood! Each table has a hole with hot coals in and you get a tray like dish to place on top of the coals with a moat around the bottom. You get given a plate of meat & or fish depending on what you choose and a basket full of veg and noodles and a kettle with some broth in. You pour the broth in the moat & add the noodles and veg, put some fat on the top of the tray and then cook the meat on the top sides of the tray dish. It is sooooo delicious. We ended up eating there every night bar one and we were there for 4 nights.

The next day we hired push bikes and went for a cruise around town to some temples. At one we entered we came across 3 big towers which were all blackened at the top from fire, and it was then we noticed the alter like centre. They were cremation alters. We walked further down to the monastery to have a look around and Tymon got talking to one of the monks who said that there was going to be a cremation very shortly and he invited us to stay. So we did. Soon a lot of people started to arrive and there was a large crowd of uniformed people. The funeral was for a high ranking officer in the police and there were so many people. Family and friends as well as colleagues. The monks were all sat in a line in front of everyone as they read out chants which one young policeman told us were the blessings so that he would cross over safely to the other side. The family would repeat some of them, but it certainly didn’t seem to be a sad occasion. There were no hysterics or crying. The police all stood up in formation at one point and said…something (in Laotian so no idea) and then people queued up to go up to the alter and see the open casket and leave an incense stick and or pour a symbol of coconut water on the body, which we think was actually petroleum. Then everyone clears the space as the coffin and flowers and gifts left are set on fire. And it burns, openly on this alter it all burns and the flames are huge. It was quite a sight. As the coffin starts to disappear and ashes start to form the crowds disperse and that was it – a Laotian cremation. We got to walk up to the coffin before hand and pay our respects and the family did not mind us being there and taking pictures. It was quite a moment to have witnessed.

The next day we followed the walking route around town as it is full of temples, including the Royal Palace. The palace was nice full or the usual but the best bit was round the back in the garage they had all the old school cars. They were pretty much nearly all American and they had been gifts to the King. He had an old school speed boat too and a jeep. They don’t make cars like they used to! It was a tiring day walking around for so long and the temples weren’t really that impressive to be honest. The artwork in particular was a bit lame as it was all spray painted on through stencils – not very sharp so it all looked a bit careless, (obviously this was all pointed out to me by Tymon) but nevertheless it was a nice day out around town.

Our final day we went to a waterfall. We bumped into a guy who we had met in 4000 islands and he was travelling with some other people so we all jumped in a tuk tuk out to this waterfall. We even got soaked on the way as Songkran was beginning (the water festival for New Year) and there were people already on the street throwing buckets of water and being in the tuk tuk with no windows or back door there’s no escape from the water. You just have to take it. Cameras and all!! Anyway, it was the best I have seen in Asia. It’s stunning. It’s like a park the whole area and it has about 6 or 7 different pools and falls. The water is really clean as well so lots of people were swimming there. But we had heard about a secret pool that you climb to which was the second to the top tier pool and you could overlook all the others. We’d got our instructions passed on from other travellers and off we set. The directions were basically climb up to the top as you would normally to the lookout view and just before you get there turn right. Ignore and pass the ‘Do Not Enter’ sign and walk along the jungle area, climb up a waterfall (literally – with fast flowing water) and then you come to the pool. It was all a little bit dangerous but the pool at the top was worth it. Although secret my ass! There were about 20 people there – obviously word of mouth travels fast in the travelling world. But it was still amazing. And the infinity bit where you could look down onto the others was really cool. Again a little scary as the edge is only made of clay and it’s very crumbly so I think it’s an accident waiting to happen, but thankfully I didn’t fall over the edge and shatter myself against the rocks below!! We had an adventure climbing down to the pool below too which was good but as my fingers were still healing I had to give up at one point and wait as I couldn’t climb up, I needed 2 hands. It really was so great and even though there were a lot of people up there, we still felt smug when we walked back down to the bottom and saw people swimming in the pools below, like we knew a secret and had a better experience than them! (Childish I know – but you know it’s true :0)

Then we left, very excitedly to go to Huay Xai, the border town to cross into Northern Thailand but also the jump off point for the Gibbon Experience. We had heard about the Gibbon Experience back in Cambodia and it kept popping up as we travelled through Laos and it just sounded too good to miss. And boy – it was amazing, incredible, out of this world, once in a lifetime opportunity…you get the picture! We got there a day early as you have to register and sign all the waiver forms, which are not very comforting, but there’s nothing you can do about it if you want to do it. So bright and early the next day we took our small backpacks (we left our big ones at the office as that would be interesting zipping along with them on our backs!) and piled into a 4 x 4 truck. We sat in the open back with 2 others and got chatting away for an hour or so and then we arrived at the drop off village at the foot of the jungle. At this point I was already sneezing like a trooper – it had begun in the car – and my hay fever kicked in big time. I’m sure it’s one particular kind of tree, but it was really bad and that was really annoying as my eyes were itchy and I was snot city – but I just had to get on with it! We then had to trek through the jungle paths for about 1.5 hours to get to the base camp where the guides stayed. It was really really hot and hard work climbing but we were all talking so it didn’t seem that hard. At the base we got the intro talk and our harnesses and put them on as the next trek to get to the tree houses in which we would be staying would involve the zip lines! We’d been given the low down on arrival by a guy who was leaving about the best tree houses to stay in. 1 was the most central to all the zips, 5 was way out but was a posh tree house, 7 was a bit isolated with no nearby zipping and 2 was the private double tree house. Which incidentally we had pre-booked. However on arrival at the base when we were all asked who wanted to go with who we teamed up with another 5 people and another couple took the private which now I am so glad about. It was sooo much more fun doing it in a group! So we set off and we had bagged tree house number 1 which was also thankfully the nearest to camp.

So it came to our first zip line. To paint the picture we are about 150 metres ABOVE the ground and higher than most of the tree top canopy. You have 2 clips on the harness. One safety and the other the brake. The guide makes sure you are all clipped on right and then you sit down in the harness and pray as you let yourself going flying over the trees out into the jungle! Whooooo Hoooooo – what a feeling. At first I didn’t even look down I was just concentrating so hard on the end and braking. But I made it without any problems. Ah it was just such a thrill and I was shaking a little! :0)

The next zip we did brought us into our tree house. There is no way of getting in or out apart from zipping which is soooooo cool! And the tree house – WOW. It’s every kids dream – a real tree house, built around a tree 200 metres in the sky. We had a little kitchen and sitting area, and below that were 5 sleeping spaces under the mosquito cloth and the bathroom. Which is a bathroom and a half! It actually only has one wall, one curtain and the other 2 would be walls are open so you look out over the jungle! Mind boggling. Don’t even ask me how they engineer the running water! And the toilet is hilarious, it’s a squat down and the hole just falls all the way to floor. You can be done peeing by the time it hits the floor! Hahaha. Tymon and I took the top of the tree house which a private area for 2 with fantastic views over the jungle – we just stood there for ages looking at it.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are zip lined in by the guides and are left in thermas dishes incase you’re not around. So we had some lunch at which point the guide says ok I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun this afternoon, and off he zips. From that point on you can basically zip around the circuit on your own! We all went in the group and I tell you that first time connecting onto the line without the guide there telling you you are hooked up correct and safely is frightening. Infact even as we were headed back to the base camp on the third day I still checked my cables about 3 times each time. So off we went zipping around for the afternoon and the guy we had met was right. Tree house number 1 was awesome for connections. We had a nice circuit of about 7 zips which we did twice before heading back to the house to clean and freshen up before dark. It was an amazing first day! We sat down to dinner that had been left and talked by candle light although the bugs were massive and kept flying around us because of the light – but I was pretty good you know – no screaming or antics!! I’m getting better definitely! They did have light which was solar powered but it was much cozier with the candles. Oh and I forgot to say – the tree house even came with a cat!! Poor little thing stuck up there but he was a little daredevil – jumping out onto the tree branches and chasing lizards! I couldn’t watch. I was sure it was going to fall! That night once we all in bed and it was dead quiet the jungle was sooooo noisy! We could branches being broken which sounded like fire crackers and as if it was coming right into the tree house whatever it was. So even though the mattresses were quite comfy on the floor and the net was thick cloth so the morning light wouldn’t wake you at some ungodly hour, I didn’t sleep that well (not that I ever do these days!) But it was awesome at the same time.

The guide had said to us before he left that if we wanted to get up and see the gibbons we would have to be ready to leave at 5.30am sharp as they are usually only seen early in the morning as they wake and sing their song but only for about 20 minutes. So we had agreed that we wanted to go. However, unfortunately the girl who was meant to put the alarm on forgot!! Soooo the guide zipped in at 5.30am and was like come on come on! We all jumped out of bed, barely with it, got dressed and harnessed and was out of the tree house within 15 minutes. That was a wake up call if ever I had one zipping across the jungle in the dawning light! Once we were all across the other side the guide started running off like a mad man and the first part to the next zip is all uphill terrain. So it’s 6.00am, you’re barely awake and you’re sprinting up this hill sweating within minutes. It felt more like boot camp! The guide finally stopped and took us onto a smaller path and we could hear the gibbon calls. We started tiptoeing and walking slowly trying to be quiet which is actually really hard in the jungle with dry leaves and sticks and bamboo everywhere! We tried to get to them but we were too late. They stopped calling and they were gone! Gutted – all that for nothing. But he then took us on a little walk and explained all the trees and how they local people use them for cooking and medicine. It was really interesting. By 7.15 we were back in the tree house having breakfast and I felt like I’d already done a days work!

The guide stuck with us as we were going to trek around the jungle to tree house 5 and explore the other zip connections. It was an absolutely incredible day. I know I keep repeating myself and yes it was amazing – but it really was soooooooo AMAZING, words just can’t explain it! The trekking was HARD work, my god I was sweaty betty through and through but it felt sooo good doing some hard core exercise. I pushed on the pace and ahead of the group with another guy and just felt the burn – it was awesome! And the zipping, well you guessed it – AMAZING! We came to the longest one which is 500m and it’s such a rush – the views are awesome and by this point you totally take the time to look at the ground and beyond when you’re zipping and Tymon was making videos so you definitely get used to all pretty quick. In the end we were even wanting more thrills – higher and faster and longer lines! We got back around mid afternoon, exhausted! Had some lunch and a little snooze – well I did, my hay fever was sooo tiring, as well as the 5.30am start! – Tymon went off to the camp with the boys and guides to play football, and then did another few circuits before dark.

That night after dinner, once it was properly dark, 2 of the boys decided to break all the rules and do a night zip! We all warned them not to go – I mean there are bears and tigers out there, but they were determined. They took torches and off they went! They had to do a circuit of 3 in order to get back and we could kind of follow the light through the trees and they were back in about 10 minutes. They both said it was really scary! Especially when you zipped first and were on the other side alone waiting for the other to arrive! Hahaha. They are braver than me that’s for sure and I was just relieved Tymon didn’t go too!!

We had agreed again with the guide to go and find the gibbons in the morning and this time we promised to be up in time. We put on our alarm for 5.00am and were all ready to go dead on 5.30am. Except for one girl, Sally who the night before had an itchy rash come up and by morning was read raw and itchy beyond relief that she couldn’t even go. Which was such a shame as she is a complete monkey fanatic too! She had a little teddy monkey that she took zipping with her and took photos with – lols, it was brilliant!! So that was a real bummer but the rest of us zipped out and off we went – not at quite such a fast pace – at first. We went to the same area as we had the day before but they were moving fast and their calls were coming from another direction and then once again the guide was off and we had to sprint after him up this hill to the top zip line and zip across. Once we were there we all had to cram onto this platform and sit, as across from us (quite far away but still in view) were the gibbons. Slowly but surely we saw them start to move across from one tree to another to another as they started their calls. The noises they make are extraordinary! They sound like sirens and once they all get going in a frenzy it’s mind blowing! We sat on the platform for about 30 mins just watching and listening until they stopped singing and moved out of sight. Ah, it was beautiful. To have seen and heard these gibbons completely in the wild – AMAZING ;0)

After that we headed back for breakfast before going around the circuit again and getting lots of last minute video footage before packing up and beginning the trek and journey back into town!

All in all as I think you will have got from reading this – a total and complete high! I recommend it to everyone! Another must do in your lifetime! That night we all went out for drinks to celebrate and commiserate that we had gone and that we were back. And oddly enough that night several of us came up with the rash – not as severely but I had it on my stomach and arms and it was bloody itchy. The guides said it was probably caterpillars!! (It took a couple of days applying Calamine lotion for it to go – not nice so beware of caterpillars!!)

The next day we left to cross the border into Thailand! We thought we had booked onto the 4.30pm departing boat and then bus but we were woken up at 7.00am to be told that it was full and the only departure available was at 9.30am! Arrghhh that was a hard wake up and get go after the night before! But we made it.

You can actually see Thailand from Laos and the boat takes about 3 minutes to cross the river and voila you are in Thailand! Very easy…but more on that next time!

Before I leave you with Laos and begin Thailand I would like to quickly touch on the history of Laos as I’ve not mentioned it before. Laos is not like Vietnam and Cambodia where they were known worldwide and publicly for their wars and devastation, but they were just as affected. Tymon’s actually reading a book right now called ‘The Ravens’ which is about the ‘secret’ war in Laos as officially the war in Laos didn’t exist. ‘Both North Vietnam and the US denied they had troops there, when infact thousands of North Vietnamese were invading the country and pouring down the Ho Chi Minh trail on their way to the South, and the Americans were fighting hard against them from the air and on the ground via the CIA lead Meo tribesmen. The Ravens were the American pilots, all volunteers, who flew through heavy ground fire to identify targets and call in airstrikes. Their mission was top secret. They wore no uniform and carried no identification. They accepted the murderous casualty rates in return for a life of unrestricted flying and fighting.’ (The Ravens) But even though no one was supposed to know about it didn’t mean that Laos was any less devastated!

But the Laos people are lovely – so very friendly and their life motto to live by is to be happy.

I loved Laos and had a fab time. It’s really easy to travel as the route is pretty straight forward and easily connected. It has a real backpacker vibe and community and I would say if you ever want to experience Asia and you have just one country to pick – from my choice of what I have done, I’d say Laos. Especially for the non travelling types as it’s less rough than elsewhere. A beautiful country with beautiful people. Just beware of bloody Vang Vieng!!

xxx