Trecking in Luang Namtha Protected Area - Part 2

I carry the net to the river. A new friend, I met a day before, decides to try it first; he is from China and his name is Fong. When I arrive to the river, the others are either swimming or have already finished. I watch intently as our guide teaches Fong the technique. It turns out to be not too difficult; you first fold the middle of the net a few times, put a peace of it over your shoulder; then you gather a part of it, about half, in your right hand and finally grab the rest with your left. Next comes the throw; you gather your strength and push it as far up in the air, targeting your spot on the river. The net rises gently, as if it had wings of its own, it moves through the air swiftly and lands on the river covering a rectangular area. I would be lucky to catch a fish with this thing; in fact it may take a miracle!

While Fong plays with the net, the kids from the school rush into the water like a herd of wildebeests. They just in and splash each other with big smiles on their faces; and more and more of them keep coming it. I suppose it is that time of the day for a shower after school and they seem to enjoy it and don't mind the cameras that we all have pulled out, even posing for them at times. It's been some 30 minutes since Fong started, and by now he is tired and with no success he decides to quit. I quickly jump at the opportunity and change for the fishing trial.

I give it a try, it is not as easy as it looks, but I figure it out and I walk the river to find a good spot where fish may lie. I make my throws as best I can to hit the area; I reach out to pick up the net and I find nothing but leaves and stones. At this point, I no longer care for proper placing, I just enjoy playing with this fishing net, practicing the technique and throwing it. It's quite amazing to me that the locals catch anything on that thing. While I play around with the rope, our guide is in the water with a mask and an arrow shooting device. Amazingly enough, he has caught some 5 fish in a span of 15 minutes; what is more amazing is that he caught one with his bare hands!!!

As the evening approaches, we get a chance to do another tour of the village and also chat with the head of the village. I ask him some serious questions about how the village has changes since the arrival of the tourists and whether the people here like to have the tourists around. He replied saying that they did like to have the tourists and that the villages changed in terms of what the materials they are now able to afford compared to before and a little store that they opened, selling bear, mostly for tourists. I ask if we can see his house; he invites us over and as we sit down, he asks us some questions about where we are from and what we do in life. I later as him about the religion of the people in this village; they are animistic and belief in spirits (spirit of the house, village, ancestors, etc). There is a sacrificial alter just outside of the village, where they sacrifice an animal for the spirits every year.

There are many women in this village smoking tobacco that they grow themselves; they use pipes, and it is not uncommon to see old women smoking in the company of others. As I walk through the village, I see all the little kids, now playing marbles; we stop to observe them and try to figure out the rules. The girls are quite good at this and it is happening so fast that at times they seem like the animals in the village running around everywhere. I decide to join them. It is fun to participate and I'm lucky to win one of the games.

The animals of the village are free to wonder the grounds and so there is dynamic chaos everywhere with chickens, pigs and piglets, ducks and dogs running around everywhere trying to get food or resting by the fire somewhere; it is beautiful, yet somewhat hard to follow with all the commotion. We have tremendous dinner with some pumpkin dish as the main course; it is delicious and the local hostess pushes us all to drink the Lao Lao (rice wine); we go in circle and everyone has at least 3 shots of this terrible drink.

At night, we sit and chat by the fire as it becomes colder outside. It is after 10pm and at a moments notice, our guide decides to go fishing in the river. At first we think it is all a joke, but he goes off with a flashlight and his mask; we can see the flashlight shine underwater at a distance. He is back perhaps 45 minutes later with a bag full of fish. We waste no time and BBQ them on the fire; with a touch of salt, they are a delicious snack at night. Once we finish the fish, it is time for bed.

The next morning I wake up early with the intention to go watch our breakfast hostess prepare our meal. The morning mist fills the river, like a cloud hovering in the sky, as I wash my face in it. The trees in the jungle accross the river are consumed by the Myst as well; I enjoy the morning beauty with every splash I take from the river. At our host's, once again, at my request, they are making pumpkin today; I watch intently and learn all the details. I look forward to cooking it myself one day.

After breakfast, we are off to our next destination. We walk on the banks of the river through the bamboo forests, crossing custom made bridges and observe as the water flow down stream. In a couple of hours, we've reached our next village; here the Lulu people live. They are all dressed traditionally and are descendants of Chinese people: it is very evident from their writing, as the characters are the same, but the meaning is not. We stop over here for lunch and relax a bit with a little nap afterward. Before we move on, the local people make a little market for us to buy traditional, hand made, goods.

We continue on our path, which takes us deep into the forest, up and down hills, following a stream that flows at the bottom into the river. We hike for several hours; it is not an easy hike like the others, but it is rewarding. We pass trees covered in monkey vines, with roots reaching from the sky into the ground, curling up like a snake in the air. We pass palm trees that have gathered in an area with big leaves reaching for the stars. We pass large trees that could hide some 10 people behind it; they are full of little spiders that go up and down the tree, always moving with a goal unknown to me. I stand amazed by this beauty of the forest and try to observe their behaviour. We walk on the water, through the stream. We walk up the mountains, outside of the forest and into the cotton fields. We climb up to catch a glimpse of a beautiful view of the land in the distance; it is Luang Nam Tha.

This took place in North of Laos