Gibbon Experience, Laos (Bokeo Nature Reserve)

We took a 2 day slow-boat along the Mekong to Huay Xai. Decent scenery along the way. Met a generous, alcoholic Burmese man who didn't quite grasp the fact that we didn't speak chinese. I tried my best, but, just couldn't get it.
Got to Huay Xai, slept and set off on Gibbons the next morn. The experience starts with a 3 hour car ride out into the jungle. About a half hour out our truck broke down.
So they sent another, which also broke down.
One more truck and we made. Just look at how happy T was to finally get there.
We set off into the jungle with our harnesses and before long we were zipping at roughly 50 clics, 150m off the ground.
First day was we just hiked and zipped 3 or 4 lines out to our tree-house for that evening.
View from the bathroom of the tree-house.
Dining room.
Tea room.
Day 2 we woke up at 5:30 to head out on a trek looking for the gibbons.
Like many before us, we didn't find them. Not to worry, twas a foggy sunrise, which made for cool zip-lining.
After breaky we head out towards a waterfall, near treehouses 4 and 6 where we would sleep that night. The waterfall didn't meet the standards of our blog. After lunch at the waterfall, the guides told us it was free time 'til dinner and we could use the zip-lines at our leisure. So we spent the next 3 hours doing exactly that, cruising and zip-lining through the jungle, essentially just the 3 of us. it was ridiculously fun.
That last pic there is of tree-house 4, the setting of an ominous tale. Our group was 8. 6 were to sleep in tree-house 6, and 2 to sleep in the seclusion of tree-house 4. There were 2 couples in the group, however for some reason neither wished to take the opportunity of a night alone in the jungle. Paul suspects hard-core religion, I think it was fear of intimacy, Dr. Phil taught me that. This gave Paul and I the chance to start spending some quality time together. So we have dinner at tree-house 6, head out and get to tree-house 4 just as it's getting dark. The wind picks up and the tree starts swaying. We had been informed in the opening video briefing that if the wind gets too strong, the guides will come evacuate you, but wait for the guides. Then swaying picks up. We call down to the guides on the ground about 200m away. They yell something back. This exchange happens a couple more times. Two massive trees across the valley fall and crash into the jungle. We decide to get the hell outta there. Upon arriving at the guides' huts they explained to us that they were yelling at us to come down. Apparently we were only in danger code orange, not red. In orange the danger is just enough to have weaker guests fearing for their lives, while the guides yell stuff at them in convoluted english, adding confusion to the fear and compounding the stress. We missed this part of the video briefing.

The wind calmed down and we returned to the hut. Already on edge I lay shaking in the fetal position. Just as I thought the sweet release of sleep would take me away, a tremor hit the jungle shaking the tree once more. I called to Paul in his mosquito net to see if he too needed a new pair of boxers. Groggily he told me to grow a pair and get back to sleep.

Luang Prabang, Laos

From Vang Vieng we bused to Luang Prabang, standard route. Luang Prabang is an old french colonial town so it's got plenty of cafes with patios lining the streets. in fact one might say an extreme number of cafes. once again, extreme, that's just how we roll. It's also got this restaurant with small fire pits in the middle of the tables. They pour coals in the pits and put a big metal saucer on top for you to cook some meat and veggies in.
Was pretty cool to do the cooking ourselves. good deal for the restaurant too, people paying to cook their own food. felt like I was painting a white fence.

The bars in Laos legally have to close at 11, outside Vang Vieng that is. Somehow this licensed bowlerama dodges that law so everyone goes for some late night pin striking. T draws his talent from multiple viewings of The Big Lebowski.

Luang Prabang is home to roughly 400 buddhist monks. We toured some of their establishments.
view from a hilltop temple.
Second day we bartered to get an elephant ride, kayaking and 20 minutes of internet in exchange for local currency. Me and Stampy...
Paul and T relishing their remaining time together, knowing all to well how quickly the sand was running out of that hourglass.
Third day we got a crew together and head out to some waterfalls an hour outside town. Just wouldn't be a blog post without topless Paul.
Damn that's 3 in a row. but who's still counting right?

The crew in front of the waterfall.
Well it's a waterfall, so T and I cozzied up. sorry Marieke, he's good.
At 5:30 every morn, people from the town gather along this one street to donate food to the monks, their only source of sustenance. We went to check it out our last day.
All 400 of 'em line single file and cruise down the street. This sight is made all the more authentic by tourists getting right up beside the monks for pics. despicable. hope you like the pics.

Vang Vieng, Laos

We got back to Hanoi, did some blogging and hopped on a 24-hr bus to Vientiane, Laos. The shuttle to the bus picked us up at our hostel. Other passengers of the shuttle held us up a half hour raising concerns of not getting seats on the bus - it's a local bus. Not to worry, it seems they wanted to ensure we'd make the bus in time and got us there 2 hours before departure. Looking to make the best of the situation we decided to kill some time tossing a disc in the bus station parking lot. We were told this was not allowed and that boredom was the only acceptable behaviour.

Continuing to stress excessive punctuation, we arrived at the Vietnam/Laos border 2 hours prior to opening. It opened. We crossed. The bus failed inspection due to leaking oil. A hefty bribe was negotiated. Apparently bribes are a negotiable transaction here.

We hit Vientiane, stayed the night and moved on to Vang Vieng. We set up shop at RiverSide Bungalows. T rented a bike and got into the spirit of the town..

The thing to do in Vang Vieng is tubing, down a river, surrounded by mountains, lined with bars, each sporting a rope swing, zip-line or other device to propel yourself into the water. that's how you support tourism.
After hitting the sauce for 2 nights and a day we took a breather on the second day. what to do? more frolf? more frolf.

having recouped it was back to the river.
one of the funny things to watch is people trying to manoeuvre themselves in their tubes over to the first bar. this is sometimes less than graceful.
more tubin
being a traveller hub it only made sense we should run into someone, that's Hannah from our Acacia tour.
Between my overly flexed skeletal right arm and T squeezing his breath I think it's clear we've been keeping in shape.
alcohol and high speed swinging on home-made contraptions. don't worry it was all supervised.
Paul making friends...