The Raw Side of Laos: How 5 miles might as well be 50

     John and I try as much as possible to be do-it-yourselfers.  We feel like we get a better appreciation of the culture by taking the local bus with the chickens and cargo in the aisles, by going to the restaurant full of locals, and by meandering through the markets and parts of town off of the beaten track.  Some of our richest experiences have happened this way.
     Nestled in the jungle covered mountains of Northwest Laos near the border of China and Myanmar is the Nam Ha National Protected area.  One of the first and largest national parks in Laos.  Perfect countryside for biking, rafting/kayaking, and trekking.  We decided to go out of our usual routine and hire a local Lao hill tribe guide for one day of kayaking followed by a two day trek.  Here we discovered that to have the deepest cultural experience it was best to be part of the tourist infrastructure for a variety of reasons: 

• The only way a National Park can stay viable and protected is if it has the support of the local people.  Many hill tribe villages had to be relocated out of the park when it was created.  By seeing an income stream from the tourists visiting, the villagers have incentive not to illegally poach and log.

Lantan hill tribe traditional dress- from growing cotton to natural dies, entirely made within the village                                

• The jungle is crossed by a network of trails that the hill tribes have used for centuries.  However, there are no maps or signs marking the way so without local knowledge it is impossible to know where to go.

Trekking in the Nam Ha NPA                        

• This area of Laos (even though it was nowhere near Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh trail) was pounded with bombs during America's Secret War (1964-1973) so the area still has unexploded ordinance.  It is best not to go wandering off on your own in some places.
• But most important of all, (besides #1) having a local with us gave us the connection we were really seeking-- to better understand the culture. I'm fascinated by hill tribe people and their ancient culture and roots.  

   Ouan (from the Khmu tribe) was our local hire and his 14 year old friend Phonsee (from the Lantan tribe) joined us. As we trekked Ouan showed us different plants that were used for food, medicine, and building.  He found wild cardamom from which he made a tea later.  He showed us a seed that is a test for malaria.  If it tastes sweet then it implies you have malaria; luckily it tasted bitter to both of us.  On the second day we were attacked by a swarm of bees receiving about 25 stings between the four of us.  I tend to have severe localized reactions and swelling, but he put a tincture of natural tiger balm (from a tree bark) and whiskey that stopped the swelling almost immediately.
   Ouan explained some of the animistic beliefs and religion that most of the hill tribe people believe in.  He showed us spirit trees and explained how sacrifices are performed to ensure the favor of the spirits.  Ghosts and spirits are a very real element in their lives.  Both the use of jungle medicine and animistic beliefs helped us understand what would happen later as you will see below. 

One of several spirit trees we passed                        

   We stayed in homestays in the two villages we slept at - Ban Sopsinh and Ban Nam Kon. 

Ban Sopsinh                                            

   After we arrived at each village the villagers would discuss whose turn it was.  It is an easy way for the villagers to make supplemental income and we had the satisfaction of knowing the money is going directly to a family that needs it. 

Our first homestay house 

                          

We lived like they do.  The accommodations are basically a mat on the floor with some blankets and a mosquito net.  Cooking is done over an open fire, often within the house. A very smoky affair!

Downstairs cooking area at 2nd homestay

   We found the villagers to be very welcoming, and having Ouan translate helped us better explain to them who we were and to learn more about them.  At the first village we were invited to drink rice whiskey with them. 

Sipping rice whiskey with the locals

                                  

 Kids trying on our Ultraspire Fastpacks

                      

Lantan family. The little ones have no crotch in their pants; diapers are not used      

            

   The second village was a little more sobering as we saw how difficult their lives can be.  The Lantan tribe is entirely self sufficient.  They make all their own cloth and clothes, grow and raise all their food, and build their houses of natural materials from the jungle. 

These plants are turned into brooms which are sold in China

   Phonsee was excited to take us to his village of Ban Nam Kon where he had been born and raised.  He was very proud to show us his house and to introduce us to his Aunt and Uncle (his parents died when he was 8).  The house was bamboo with a thatched roof.  It had a dirt floor with a campfire in one corner.  There was a small raised wooden platform for sleeping, a few low stools for sitting around the fire, and in a corner was a curtained off spirit house.  Both John and I got misty eyed from how poor and simple it was, yet Phonsee was so proud. It was moving.

Trying to spin yarn at Phonsee's house with corn drying above and bags of rice behind

   That night at 2am Phonsee came to the house we were at and asked Ouan if he could borrow 50,000 kip ($6.25) to buy a chicken for a sacrifice.  His Uncle had started to have a nosebleed so once he got the chicken he hiked into the forest to a spirit tree and did this.  By morning though, his Uncle was still bleeding and both Ouan and Phonsee looked worried.  John is a veterinarian so they asked him to look.  It turned out to not just be a nosebleed.  He was hemorrhaging.  His nose was packed with a herb that stops bleeding which had the worst of the nostril flow stopped but he was spitting out large amounts of blood constantly.  It was enough blood that Ouan got sick to his stomach and had to leave.  They had also wrapped cotton strings around his forehead to help with the spirits.  We went and found two French doctors we had met the night before to get them to have a look.  Everyone agreed that with that amount of blood and no medical supplies that he needed to go to the hospital.  However, it had rained for 2 hours that morning which had turned the clay mud road into a skating rink.  Despite being only 5 miles from the hospital there was no way to get him there.  We were dumbfounded to think that someone could potentially die from a nosebleed due to lack of access to medical care.  Luckily it is the dry season and the sun came out at 11am and they were able to get him to town on a tractor later that day.  During the rainy season that may have not been the case.  Without having Ouan with us translating we would never have seen the Lao life in such a true and raw form.  These 3 days are the heart of why we are on this voyage.  To experience, learn, and hopefully grow from it. 

Phonsee and Ouan with us

            

   John and I have loved Laos but the area in the north around Luang Namtha has been our favorite.  We would encourage anyone interested in this part of the world to come visit Luang Namtha Province.  Beautiful landscape, incredibly hospitable people, culturally rich, and an eye opening experience on several different levels.