I think this has to be the most overwhelming blog to be done. A lot, I mean A LOT has happened since I last wrote. I am sitting here, in a wee cafe in Auckland (New Zealand) trying to think back on all the things that have happened in the past 3 months. South East Asia happened and many a shananigan.
Maybe I'll start with Laos. I was so ready to get out of Chang Mai (northern thailand) after being there for a couple of weeks altogether. It's a nice enough city, but enough is enough. Especially when you are used to changing places every other day. We took a minibus 6 hours to the border, where I met some creepsters from Turkey who seemed nice enough at first but started to freak me out by the end. We spent the night in a cozy triple. "We" being me, Josie and her boyfriend. Cozy. Then we started the 2 day boat trip into Laos. 2 days, 12 hours. On a boat. The engine was so loud it vibrated into my soul, and the wooden bench was definitely not big enough to fit this badonkadonk. But we made it in one piece. Welcome to Luang Probang. A super cute, quaint, very French influenced town in northern Laos.
The hiking bit was the most memorable experience. Here's a passage I am going to insert directly from my journal, as I can't remember the fine details without it:
"I am sitting on a small wooden stool with Laosian men all around me. They are cooking bird and I am trying to use my small vocabulary I learned on the hike up to this small village to communicate with them. We hiked for about 4 hours today and arrived in this village which reminds me a lot of Nepal. We had dinner which our guide carried with us from Luang Probang. Buffalo meat, veggies, and top ramen. My favorite. For dessert? Fried dung beatles. Surprise, it was scrumptious! It tasted like pumpkin seeds. As we were walking, we came across a small hut. I wandered inside to see what anyone was up to and found platefuls of cow poop lined up on a table. Weirdest thing I've seen people eat, yes thos would have to be it. Poop with chiles. Gourmet goodness. Our guide was also telling us they eat bats, snakes, spiders, steamed ants, all sorts of poop, worms, bees, squirrels, etc. Oh and let's not forget the gatos and peros! Poor little guys. Everything but humans. We think.
Today I saw my first leech. Then a few minutes later I had one stuck on my leg. It wasn't sucking my blood yet, so I had a small panic attack and quickly removed it. At least they don't spread malaria. At least I don't think they do. We walked for another 6 hours and finally came upon the second village. Our guide found a chicken and we watched him slit its throat as the blood trickled into a silver bowl. I didn't want to watch but it was kind of like a car accident. You just have to. He then defeathered it and chopped all the different parts. Josie tried to the crown. Yum!
Last night we slept in a barn in which the villagers called a "guesthouse." Since the owners have a nother house, they gave theirs to us for the night. Sleep was the opposite of restful. At one point there was a gong going off, 2 babies crying, cat's meowing, and a rooster fight. Inside our "barn" there were dogs, cats, goats, and children. One of the babies decided to take a poo near the first, of course.. who wants to go outside where it's freezing? So he made a little poo poo then one of the puppies came along and licked it right up. It was a dog vacuum. A dogcuum. Free cleaning service provided.
Our guide told us the history of the Hmong people, coming from China. Well, more like they were forced out of China by the government then the Americans came and forced them to help fight in the Vietnam war. Then the Laos people "asked" them to help fight. By then, a lot of them fled to Thailand and eventually ended up in the high mountains of Loas where no one would bother them. Our guide (Sing) said that each village has at least one shaman (witch doctor) and a government that includes one chief that is voted for by the people of the village, based on their education and experience. Sing's father is a shaman. But now he lives in the bustling town of Luang Probang and drives a tuk tuk. A tuk tuk driving shaman. Old world meets new world. Who would have thought... If you could only see the way they live in these villages compared to Luang Probang. I bet it was a shocking adjustment. Sing told me that to become a shaman, the spirits choose YOU. THey enter your body and tell you its your duty. They are paid in animal heads and with the right arms of big animals only. Sometimes money but its not really useful in villages with no currency. The shamans then use the animals as offerings to the spirits and ask them to help in guiding the practice."
We made it back to Luang Probang in one piece, and without having to trade any arms with the shaman (most importantly). Then we went on our separate ways. Josie and Lo (her bf) off to Vietnam and I headed south for the winter. Like a bird. And it wasn't winter.
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