(Another) jungle jaunt (by Laura)

Our foray into the jungle in northern Thailand whet our appetite for further trips.

Laos offers similar treks through the jungle to traditional hilltribe villages; since Laos is much newer to the tourist scene, we imagined the experience here might offer something more genuine than we had seen in Thailand.

We took a two-day trek in the jungle near Louang Namtha, northern Laos, run by the local eco-tour office, which has been set up with a view to try to return some of the benefit of tourism to the hilltribe villages who essentially form a major part of the draw to this area.

The jungle we trekked through felt pretty intense at times, with some awe-inspiring ancient trees (see below left) and bamboo canopies. The trails also felt slightly more remote, criss-crossing through a now-protected area of 222,400 hectares.

We passed through a number of different villages, principally Khmu and Lanten (in the area there are also Akha, Tai and Leu tribes, all with their own languages). The people here are animist, therefore (amongst other things) believe in the strength and threat from the spirits in the jungle they inhabit. Offerings are made to the spirits in a ceremony each year, during which time guests are not allowed to enter the village. Their welcome always felt genuine and we were invited to a ceremony in the Khmu village where we spent the night, when the village headman offered up chicken, sticky rice, egg, water and lao lao whisky to the spirits to ensure our safe return through the jungle (see right- we suspect one of our hosts may have been weaned on lao lao).

Sticky rice was in fact a bit of a feature of the trip. It was served in bamboo baskets at every meal; after the third consecutive basket of sticky rice (breakfast), Joe desperately raided the village shop in search of something for his sweet tooth. In fact, eating and sleeping both featured heavily. The treks in this part of the world do not seem to follow the normal pattern of 'trekking' and involve very regular breaks for food and for siestas, which probably outweighed the time we spent walking.

As is always the case with trips like this, it was the group of people who made for the memories (see left at supper in the headman's house). We have been fortunate so far with the people we have met and once again were able to spend time with a group we had quite a lot in common with.

It's clear that the trekking industry here is gathering pace and we have heard of people who have not been so lucky with their experiences. In Thailand twenty five years ago, as travellers started to ply the trekking routes in the north, the industry apparently became incredibly cut-throat and the experience less and less rewarding, both for tourists and locals. As the infrastructure is modernised and the trails become more accessible, it seems increasingly possible that Laos may follow suit.

Laura