From Peace and Tranquillity to Mr Rainbow on a lawnmower

We headed north into the more remote areas of Laos to the village of Nong Khiaw, nestled in between more of the karst topography we had missed in China and the Nam Ou River.  On the four hour journey north we met the most perfectly stereotypical Frenchman imaginable (minus a baguette and onions), Clemont and his Russian girlfriend, Katya.  Sporting a beard Santa would have been jealous of we spent the next couple of days with them, having a great time exploring the local villages (with two other French lads), trekking to a waterfall through the jungle and kayaking on the river.  Our guide, Ded, was completing his final year of his law qualification ‘volunteering’ with the government (it is enforced to become fully accredited) and taught us about the local minorities and the role of the village elder in keeping the law.  His own family had paid for his degree by selling their Oxen (worth $1300 each) and explained what a huge sacrifice it had been as the money from one Oxen could have sustained a whole family for around 4-5 years!  The huts in the village were made of expertly woven bamboo and it had a small but basic school for the 30 or so families that lived there.  Despite the beautiful surroundings however it was easy to see why Laos ranks among the poorest countries outside of Africa worldwide.  

We left the village behind and began walking between the recently harvested paddy fields, ascending through the jungle as the karst hills rose away from the river side.  Crossing backwards and forwards across the stream and scrabbling up steep rocks we broke into a small, picturesque clearing where a waterfall plunged into a small pool.  Wasting no time Clemont stripped stark naked, changed and dived straight into the pool.  He was followed closely by the rest of us but in a slightly more reserved, English manner! Having had a dip in the freezing water we ate sticky rice and after Ded had recovered from seeing a naked Frenchman defecate on his serene jungle clearing we headed back down to the river to kayak home.   If we had realised how long this would take I doubt we would have made it to the end (at one point Hannah and Katya held on desperately to the boat for a lift) whilst me and Clemont struggled to the village, swearing loudly around every bend that did not reveal Nong Khiaw.  Despite the long kayak home the scenery was everything we had hoped to see in Laos and we even got to swim with some water buffalo in the river before we eventually made it back to the village.

Unfortunately travelling does not always go as planned and my cough that we had hoped to get seen to in Bangkok deteriorated quickly.  We therefore had to cut short our stay In Laos and head south towards Thailand early to get antibiotics and a check-up.  This was not as easy as we had first hoped, due in part to my insistence that we take the long route out via western Laos but largely as our bus was about as noisy, comfortable and fast as a lawnmower!  Meeting a German couple, Jurgen and Maria, we travelled west along a newly constructed mountain pass that ran through the isolated villages perched on top of high ridges in the clouds.  The road was still being built in places and progress was often slow and bumpy.  We were frequently stopped by people holding long bamboo shoots with green and red carrier bags tied to their end acting as makeshift traffic lights as we wound through the mountains.  As the giant red sun set on the villages the rolling green hills were dotted with bonfires and candlelight’s (there is limited electricity in the villages) which capped a long day of travelling with the most idyllic of finishes.  The following morning we headed south to the border at break neck speed, again with Jurgen and Maria for company.  Travelling at less than 30 km an hour in the blistering heat we were seated alongside an old women wearing a knitted woollen hat and heavy coat to keep warm in the harsh climate of Laos’ winter!  I was disappointed to leave Laos so early, particularly because 3 more Chinese dams and a high speed rail line are scheduled for construction next year, potentially changing the peaceful nature of the country for ever. We reached a deserted border crossing and after being given a generous 30 day VISA for free we stopped at the city of Chang Rai to rest before the final push to Bangkok.

To my shock we discovered a Boots Pharmacy near our hotel in Chang Rai and having purchased some antibiotics we were able to recover for a few nights rather than ploughing on, catching up with job applications and general life.  It turned out to be a baptism of fire into Thailand as it lived up to some of my preconceived ideas about the country within hours.  Chang Rai was unfortunately full of overweight, balding cockneys with young Thai girlfriends but as disheartening as this was I was introduced in spectacular fashion to the vibrant and colourful Thai culture.  Having finished dinner in the night bazaar (which was full of the same identical Chinese imports we had seen in Laos) we turned a corner and encountered a mini version of the Rio Festival which turned out was a huge parade of lady boys, punctuated by Mr Rainbow 2015 himself.  Three hosts (think three burly builders in drag who sounded like Mr Chow from The Hangover) flamboyantly introduced each of the flotillas of dancing queens into the huge central area which had been covered in one of the most colourful displays of flowers we have seen anywhere in the world.  The atmosphere was great fun although in an increasing state of bewilderment Hannah gently guided me away as I got a wink from Mr Rainbow 2015 himself!