TrekLuangnamtha.com

Laos is a forgotten land. Like most, I didn’t know much about it before setting foot in the country. I knew it was at one time French occupied and that it usually earns a fleeting spot on many Southeast Asia travelers’ itineraries.

I could tell, however, within the first moments of entering the country that is was a special place that would soon earn a top spot on my list.

Luang Namtha has a UNESCO controlled Namtha National Biodiversity and Conservation Area. The group was going to do a full-day walk through this area.

After a really good breakfast of wonderful toasted French baguettes, omelettes and coffee, we walked to Nam Ha Ecotourism Office to look at the local trekking maps, posters… and get information from their guides. It would be an opportunity to learn about village lifestyles, silk weaving and the distilling of Lao Lao (rice whiskey).
Our trek would lead through rice paddies, fields and forested foothills, visit three minority villages, have lunch in one and return back to Luang Namtha at the end of the day. Once the day warmed up, it would be hot and Sue recommended lots of sunscreen, carry water, wear a hat, and bring Tevas, flip-flops or sandals along for the river crossings.

day trek map

Into some tuk-tuks for a 15-minute ride to the trail head where we visited a local school to drop off supplies. … At the school, three university students asked to walk with us to practice their English skills. The walk started along the rice terraces through the paddies. Several of our group managing to slip off the terraces and fall into the paddies (not a big drop – just embarrassing) — it’s usually uncoordinated me who does something like that, but not today…

on the rice terraces

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Sunday, November 23, 2008

Off for a three day forest trek in the Luang Namtha National Park in northern Laos. The guides did a wonderful job providing us with local cuisine for lunch.

The guides were also meant to give us information about the “bush tucker” that could be found in the forest. But when Kelly tried to eat fruit they had to tell her it was poisonous!

Talking a bit more they told us they made pillows out of this spiky stuff – really?

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A detailed trekking tour in Luang Namtha is told in this entry

Saturday, Nov 15, 2008

The trip from Pai Thailand to Luang Namtha, Laos was anything but “Easy, easy.” The minibus to the border left from the tourist agency in Pai at around 8:30 pm. A few minutes prior, I was sitting in the office waiting for the bus when I was approached by a man who might be described as the lost Thai cowboy from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. As luck would have it, this was the minibus driver. After an extended episode of Thai vs. English communication failure, he pronounced “I already love you and I will take care of you.” I was terrified. Terrified, that is, until he made it clear that his love came with a big perk: the coveted front seat on a Thai minibus. I happily accepted.

Even with the front seat, the 7+ hour drive from Pai to the border was probably the worst transportation experience of my life. The trip took us through windy mountain roads and the temperature inside the car was subzero – Celsius and Fahrenheit. At 4 AM we arrived at a guest house in an undisclosed location (I forget the name of the town) where we were to stay until the border opened at 8 AM. I was assigned to share a double bed with a total stranger. The next morning we crossed the Mekong by boat. I was the only person in the group traveling on to Luang Namtha and by the time I received my visa, I was informed that my minibus had already left and I would need to take a local bus. I think it was the word “local” that pushed me over the edge. I refused to accept anything other than a minibus and eventually one materialized. After another 3 hours I finally arrived in Luang Namtha. It took me more than 48 hours to recover from the carsickness.

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Saturday, 8 November 2008

It was in the early hours that I regretted not bringing my sleeping bag liner….I had been bitten all over by bed bugs….”Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite”…..yeah right…too late now!
We headed off early to continue our trek.  Today’s walk was easier going than the day before, as we trekked through the jungle, following the local villager’s tracks and streams, trying to avoid being bitten by Leeches. And yes in addition to bedbug bites, I  did have leech bite to add to the collection!

om trekking road

We reached a river where we were to cross using a local raft, but it appeared that someone had taken it.  We had to wade across with our backpacks held high in our underwear. Personally I reckon there was no raft at all, and it was the doing of the guide to see the girls in their underwear.

After a few more hours and another river crossing (This time with a boat) we got our bus back to the Luang Nam Tha.  Later went out with the group for several Beerlao.

Memorable Points:  River Crossing, Spending the night in a local village (Lantern Tribe), Trekking in the a**e end of nowhere.

Source: Justin’s blog – From WorldNormads

The author shared her trekking tour in Luang Namtha.

Luang Namtha, Laos
11/05/08 – 13/05/08

Laos is one of the most bombed places in the world. During the civil war in Laos the amount of bombs dropped in Laos is more than the total amount dropped all over Europe during WWII!

Luang Namtha is one of the northern most provinces of Laos, bordering Myanmar and China; in fact there are daily buses to China. Luang namtha province supposedly is home to 39 minorities, but i wasnt too sure because i went trekking and mountain biking solo -

Wanted to sign up for a guided bike tour, as i’m quite whacky when it comes to cycling. However after inquiring at several tour offices, none had a one day cycling/trekking trip and i’m not about to fork out >30USD for a guided one day trek. This guy in the office told me to cycle about 7km to the airport, turn left for a village, turn left for another village, turn left, and turn left. just turn left?

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Thursday, 10 January 2008

December 25th (Christmas Day!)

Buddha in a cave

I’m sitting in a cafe with my laptop. I have a cinnamon bun, a bowl full of fruit, yoghurt and cereal, a coffee with some sort of caramel thing going on. I’m surrounded by people you might alternately call farang, falang, or “whitefullas”. There are waiters and waitresses wearing santa hats.

It’s Christmas day. I’m in Luang Prabang in Laos, but I could be anywhere.

Anyone who caught my motivation whinge of a week or so ago will be pleased to know that it has returned, and not just for breakfast. I can now reliably count on it to get me out of bed at seven, (approximately fifteen minutes after every single dog, rooster and Lao gets up to bark, crow and hoik, respectively.) seek out a caffeinated beverage and lead me places to do touristy things which elicit comments from others like “ooh, seems like you’ve really been packing it in!”
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Friday, Sep 14, 2007  

We woke up before our 7:30 alarm call, covered in bites, not from the mosquito from which were were protected, but from ants & whatever else must have been kept INSIDE the mosquito nets ! Wonderful…

We stretched our legs, used the now clean(er) toilets – THAT must have been a fun job to do in pitch black the night before – and put the heavy walking boots back on.

Our guide was given a kitten to take back into town for his family, which we christened “Meow Meow” because apparently that is what the tribes call cats in their language. I hate to think what they call a toilet…

Breakfast was omelette & the omnipresent pumpkin, and off we set.

Today’s walk was clearly going to be an absolute killer, as the guide refused to even discuss it the night before because he knew that we found the first day quite hard, which was probably a wise move.

We did get it out of him that it would be 4 hours walk until lunch, then up a “very big hill” as part of the second 4 hour session.

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