(Dad's words, not mine!) I can't remember the exact context of the conversation we were having but Dad came out with this reference to himself and Colette, I nearly wet myself laughing and thought it was the perfect title of this blog entry.
The adventures in Laos have been amazing to say the least. The country has many similarities to Cambodia but also many differences. I loved being out of Cambodia for a while, spending time with Dad and Colette on holiday and comparing Laos with the country that has become my home. We started out in Vientiane, Laos' second largest city where we enjoyed a walking tour, did some sight-seeing and ate very well!
Next stop was the North-West of the country and a province called Luang Namtha which is where the country shares its border with China. The scenery here was beautiful with mountainous landscapes very different to what I'm used to in Cambodia. We stayed in an eco-lodge in a lovely garden setting overlooking the River Namtha and enthusiastically read about the many treks, kayaking and cycling tours available to visit local ethnic tribes of the area and get out about in the countryside. After exhaustively researching each trip we settled on a one day trek to the Ban Sida village in the mountains, sensibly deciding that we were staying long enough to enjoy a second one-day trip if we fancied! I think we really enjoyed the trek, although there were times when I was worrying for my own coronary health, let alone my father's, and one or two moments through the steep uphill jungle climb when I found myself wondering what the point of this self-torturous exercise was. This was heightened by the fact that when our guide announced our arrival at the top of the mountain, the amazing view of the surrounding area that I had thought would make the trek and my sweat drenched aching body worth it was hidden behind all the blinking trees! On the other hand, I was put to complete shame when we passed local women in flipflops on their way home with baskets of bamboo shoots in a basket tied to their heads and backs.
Next stop was the North-West of the country and a province called Luang Namtha which is where the country shares its border with China. The scenery here was beautiful with mountainous landscapes very different to what I'm used to in Cambodia. We stayed in an eco-lodge in a lovely garden setting overlooking the River Namtha and enthusiastically read about the many treks, kayaking and cycling tours available to visit local ethnic tribes of the area and get out about in the countryside. After exhaustively researching each trip we settled on a one day trek to the Ban Sida village in the mountains, sensibly deciding that we were staying long enough to enjoy a second one-day trip if we fancied! I think we really enjoyed the trek, although there were times when I was worrying for my own coronary health, let alone my father's, and one or two moments through the steep uphill jungle climb when I found myself wondering what the point of this self-torturous exercise was. This was heightened by the fact that when our guide announced our arrival at the top of the mountain, the amazing view of the surrounding area that I had thought would make the trek and my sweat drenched aching body worth it was hidden behind all the blinking trees! On the other hand, I was put to complete shame when we passed local women in flipflops on their way home with baskets of bamboo shoots in a basket tied to their heads and backs.
It was worth it however when we reached the Sida village, although I swear there was a quicker way there from the road! We were just in time to join a family's ceremony at a house there and were promptly invited in. About 250 people inhabit this small ethnic village containing one school, living together, keeping chickens and pigs and foraging for anything else they need in the nearby forest. This particular house had had its roof blown off in a recent storm and being the only home to suffer was cause to believe that the house spirit was unhappy. We learnt that the family were sacrificing one of their dogs to appease the house spirit and we were invited to join the after party. As in Cambodia, a great deal of hard liquor is consumed by the guests at these sort of functions so we were offered an eggcup or 3 of the local brew, a fermented rice wine.
I was glad we had missed the actual killing of the family pet, although a small pool of blood was evident in the main room of the house where it had taken place with a fresh trail leading to the fireplace. The head and legs would be cut and offered to the spirits while the rest of the body would be eaten by the guests at the advice of the village shaman. We were invited to stay to eat but politely declined and moved on to explore the rest of the village. Dad and Colette were persuaded to do some cool down exercises back at our room to help prevent our muscles from aching too much the next day which they thoroughly appreciated.
Our journey continued with a bus ride to Huay Xai, Laos' border crossing to Thailand where we made a quick pit stop and continued with an amazing 2 day boat trip down the mighty River Mekong. The scenery was very special with the river meandering through large mountains and past small villages. We stopped in one where another party was taking place, this time to celebrate the birth of a new baby. We were coerced into more alcohol drinking, blessing the child by tying string round its wrists and leaving some money and we stayed one night half way down the river at Pak Beng. It was a very relaxed 2 days, staring at beautiful scenery which my camera doesn't do justice and as well as stopping at a village we also visited the caves of Pak Ou which are beautiful caves of limestone crammed full of Buddha images. We arrived at Luang Prabang finally and stepped into a very welcoming and comfortable hotel, Bel Air Resort. As the final destination of our tour of northern Laos it has been perfect. From here we have toured the city, a beautifully preserved World Heritage Site full of interesting Wats and architecture from the French colonial period. Here we have chilled out before our journey back to Cambodia, visited the city's highlights and eaten well (again!). 
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