A few days before we were invited for an 'aperitif' with a friend in Condom, but this turned into an impromptu birthday party with cake and bubbly - lovely surprise.
Went away for a long weekend walking, eating and drinking. Great walking country around here. Birthday was blisteringly hot but managed a morning walk followed by a 2-hour lunch in a village bistro. Very nice lady who served us wanted to talk so good practice.
Had a quiet birthday evening but with bubbly, a good wine and even a cake! The postman had found our postbox so thanks for the cards.
As far as the house is (not) going, we're all waiting for the company to put the piles in. They keep giving a date and then delaying. So house may not go up till August.
We do have water, electricity and a phone line in the barn and should have the internet running shortly. Will post more news when there is any.
Well, here we are in France living in the caravan about 2.5km from our plot. Hope you like our version of 'Le petit dejeuner sur l'herbe'.
The second weekend in May is Bandas time and the town (Condom) is in festival mode - shops boarded up, no drinks served after 4am (!), hundreds camping in the park. Spent Sunday there listening to the bandas - Spanish tradition - lots of brass bands with percussion from all over southwest France, even Spain and Belgium. Great fun, but this being France, even the music stopped for a 2-hour lunch!
Things are moving with the construction, and we have water and electricity in the barn. This is where we store everything and is our second home-from-home. Hopefully we'll get a phone connection too next week. Big drought here, but hope it stays dry for building!
Spent a day climbing Khao Luang, 3 hours 30 minutes up and half that back down. Haven't sweated so much, but there were water buckets fed by a spring every so often so dunked our heads to keep cool.
Then a long bus ride south to Ayuthaya, resting the legs. This place, about 80km north of Bangkok, is also full of ruins as it was once the capital. The town is built around the ruins and the main sights were packed with Thai tourists. But some places we had to ourselves.
Thai new year (Sangkron) is 13-15 April so we'll just miss it. Surprising the things we didn't know when we planned this trip.
Managed a last beer at our favourite riverside bar.
So here we are in tourist-town Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. After Laos everything seems so easy - nice hotel, proper plumbing, more English spoken and people vying for your custom, rather than having to be woken up. Everything laid on for the easy life.
Chiang Mai has lots of temples, but without the bright paintings of Cambodia and Laos. Packed with places to stay, eat and drink and lots of places wanting to arrange treks/trips. And a fair scattering if girlie bars and massage parlours.
Spent a day at an elephant camp and learned a few words of mahout: go, turn, back and stop. Then had to take an elephant round a figure-of-eight course. Went on a short ride in the afternoon, but not sure who was in charge! Then had to wash and scrub the elephant - bigger than a car. Spent the night there. Great experience.
Next day played in a waterfall, did a bit of not-very white-water rafting then floated down on a bamboo raft. Ended in a touristy village of long-necked Karen tribe women - bizarre!
Ambling around the back streets in search of somewhere not touristy to eat, came across a fantastic Yunnanese (SW China) restaurant - yum! Best food in Chiang Mai.
Then south to Sukhothai, a small town with an old ruined 14th century city nearby. Found a good guesthouse with pool (35C here). Old city much bigger and better than expected, really on a grand scale with buildings mostly of small bricks. Needed cycles to get around and even then didn't see it all, just the best bits.
Spent next two days on a motorbike touring around, first north to Si Satchanalai, another ruined town, slightly smaller but still amazing, and only a couple of other tourists. Very little infrastructure for foreigners here. Lovely textiles made here. Found the only guesthouse in the new town and managed to eat.
Amazing second day there! Heard about a possible monk ordination on elephant-back. Hung around the wat (temple) where monks were being dressed in superb costumes. Wandered down the main street and elephants were arriving. We had the T-shirts and got grabbed by the red-and-white team who insisted we join them dancing down the street to their band and being plied with Thai whisky. After all had arrived we had another grand procession in the afternoon, more dancing, drinking and the added bonus of regular drenching with water!
Hired a motorbike after our last not-disastrous experience and followed the Nam Tha downriver on a dirt road. Thick jungle on alongside the river. Passed a few villages and when we stopped in one to look for something to eat the only English-speaker, a 15-year old boy, gave us a guided tour. Found a lovely spot for a picnic by the river, but didn't have a picnic! Normally carry food with us but find plenty of food en route - this time the villages were too small. Still, a great ride and the chocolate pancakes back in Luang Namtha tasted even better!
Moved 60km west to a small town Vieng Phouka passing through some lovely countryside. Stayed in a guesthouse with very basic bamboo huts with lean-to loo! Went trekking next day and visited one small cave and one enormous one. Nowhere to hire bikes or motorbikes here, just a few guesthouses and places to eat and two trekking operators. But the countryside around is a great mix of limestone mountains, jungle and rice fields, some bright green, others waiting to be planted. Weather has been cool and grey for a few days with some rain. Preparing us for home?
Another 120km west to Houay Xay on the Mekong and a border town with Thailand. The road wound through the mountains with spectacular views of forest-clad hills in places. We passed villages, the remains of a rolled-over coach and, at the bottom of one long descent, a lorry and trailer on its side. Found a cheap hotel with hot water and enjoyed a long shower. Bought some Thai baht and a bus ticket to Chiang Mai in 2 days time, just before our visa runs out.
Failed to rent a motorbike so passed a gentle day strolling paths and tracks. Getting brighter and warmer (the weather, that is). Across the Mekong to Thailand tomorrow, the beginning of the end of our odessy.
First thing we noticed is how different the food is up here, spicier and lots of bamboo, so a nice change. Lots of ethnic variations.
Luang Namtha is supposed to be the Eco-trekking centre of Laos and there are lots of places offering choices. They all do different things so that tourists and their money get spread around the villages. So a bit of leg-work involved in finding the options.
We chose Ethnic Travel (not the same as Hanoi!) because while we were dithering in their office 3 people came back and said what a great time they'd just had. So, next morning after buying our supplies at the market (well, the guide did) we headed into the hills. We'd decided that villages and people were the main focus for this trek. We had read that there are still some "authentic" experiences to be had but details were quite vague.
Our first overnight stop in Ngue Bong after about 3-4 hours walking was at a village of 8 families mostly from the Yao ethnic group in the heart of the forest. No water, no toilet, no electricity, lots of pigs and chickens, and very shy children. After a quick look around and an invitation into other homes we took a shower with a scoop from the stream. Dinner was cooked on a one-burner wood fire. Bed was a sleeping platform shared with our guide - only just room for three. Don't think we got the sanitised version this time. Last foreigners came about 6 weeks ago.
Next morning our guide decided he wanted one of the puppies from where we had stayed, so we set off with a 2-month old puppy that walked most of the way. A 4-5 hour walk through the forest (shady) to another village Phu Luang on a steep hillside. People here were Hmong and seemed a bit better off.
Villagers had built a separate hut for visitors, fortunately in this heat no metal roof which some of the others had. Also the one squat toilet with scoop flush in the village, but not sure where it drained. Had a scoop shower in the one trickle of water watched by sundry kids. This time shared 6-man sleeping platform. Next morning had musical interlude with village men but given our lack of success with european instruments, didn't stand much chance with these. And Hmong women seem determined to try and sell you "handicrafts" wherever you are.
Third day was very long - we had been warned. Mostly in shady forest, but long steep bits. Sun appeared after lunch and we got very hot. Stopped briefly in a Lantan village Namla of 7 families - they were very friendly and wore traditional dress. A long hot walk then back to our last village then tuk-tuk back to town.
Our three top tips if we did this again would be:
Take some simple indestructible toys (ball, frisbee, etc) to help you play with the kids and to leave behind;
Try to be in the villages Friday, Saturday, Sunday because the school-age kids (8 plus) go to the city school all week and stay there;
Given the huge number of ethnic groups, the Hmong (women) were our least favourite.
Enjoyed a hot shower and meal that wasn't all rice. Bed early and the earth moved - we felt the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand. Everyone came out of their rooms and then the electricity went off.
Next day on bikes around the Namtha valley, a bit flat area surrounded by hills. What a contrast from the mountain villages. Everyone has water for irrigation and fresh veg, whereas in the mountains no water for anything - a real hungry gap. Visited stupas and temples and got escorted onto the right track by a very nice girl in one village. Watched women spinning local cotton and weaving cloth in another - lots of Lao women were also sitting around, as usual, so one working, ten not is quite normal.
Our first full day here started with pouring rain. We treated ourselves to a long lunch in a fantastic Italian restaurant. Buffet lunch was, in Judy's words, "exquisite". Every dish had its distinctive flavour, and the desserts - to die for. First non-local food of the trip. The La Scala is highly recommended (by us) with a real Italian chef. Sat and thought about what to do next.
Decided to skip the tourist hotspots of Vang Vienh and Luang Prabang and head straight for the heart of the far north-west. Choice of long cheap buses or short expensive flight - gave in and booked flight. Did lots of other organizational things too, then went off with Vientiane Bush Hash House Harriers - interesting to say the least!
Hot and sunny again so after visiting the national monument, a huge gold stupa, we retired for another long Chinese buffet lunch. Not a lot to do in Vientiane, so eating passes the time.
Quite a lot of French influence still with many French restaurants and wine shops.
Heading for the hills tomorrow, not sure when the next post will be possible. Have to leave Laos by 2nd April.
Strange to think we'll be back in a few weeks!
