Okay, I'm in Luang Prabang, Laos, now, but I need to go back a bit and fill in some blanks. Chiang Mai is a wonderful city, pretty laid back, plenty of comforts but also lots for the do-it-yourselfer.
I met my friend Jeremy's cousin Josh, who has been living there for 2 1/2 years, and speaks excellent Thai, a strange and difficult language. Joshua is a vegetarian, and took me to a great restaurant that serves fresh, healthy foods. Then he took me to the mountain overlooking the city on his motorbike, where we hiked along a trail to a lovely waterfall. Then back into town for more food and a casual tennis practice. I haven't played in years, but my serve is still pretty good. My aim, however, has much to account for. That evening, we went to a Thai club which I have sworn to keep secret, because Josh doesn't want it becoming touristy, and we know how much influence this blog has.
Thanks, Josh, for your excellent hospitality, warmth, and generosity.
The next evening, I met my tour group: Rich and Carol from California; John from Colorado; Lori, a friend of John's in Colorado, but now living in Sudan working for the US government; Jonathan from Seattle; and Bob, my roommate, from New York. We have a lovely Thai dinner, then gather in the morning for a busride north, to Chiang Khong, on the bank of the Mekong, across the river from Laos.
We stayed at a beautiful guesthouse, The Boathouse, overlooking the river, and in the morning, we boarded a longboat and crossed into the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
Lots of bumpy, dusty, highway-still-under-construction later, we arrive in Luang Nam Tha, where we get just enough food and rest to prepare us for a 7 hour trek (!) through rather intense hills, and dinner, sleep, and a 58 km bike ride (!) of which I completed about 45. There was one section of about 13 km that was almost constant ascent, for which Lori and I gratefully made use of our vehicle support. At the top of the climb, we got back on the bikes for a lovely downhill and flat approach into our next city, (which I'll have to get the name of at a later time, since my memory is unable to grasp at the moment.)
Next day, another hard trek, this one about 9 km, through the hills and 5 Akha villages. The Akha are the native hill dwellers of this land, and have managed to maintain much of their village lifestyle, despite many changes in the country and economy over the years. We stayed overnight in one village, in an ecolodge built in the Lao style, on stilts and rattan roofed. We were fed dinner and entertained by villagers with music, dance, and laolao, the homemade rice whiskey they brew. Not bad, but man was I sick the next day of travel.
Now I am in Luang Prabang, the "Jewel of Indochina", basking in the comforts of our swanky hotel, in a former Royal Palace. It is named for a statue of the buddha which was presented to the city as a gift. It is said to have been cast in Sri Lanka in the 1st century AD. Today, we saw the Prabang when we visited the National Museum, and climbed to a beautiful stupa built high on a rock in the center of the city with astounding views of the mountains and rivers which surround us. My appetite has returned, and my sense of humor, too.
Thank you, Luang Prabang.
