The other side of the Mekong

I mentioned that I was forcing myself to leave Thailand and go to Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, right?

Well, a few days ago I crossed the Mekong river from Thailand into Laos. It's beautiful here. The people are just as friendly as in Thailand, the food is similar (though not *quite* as good!), it's actually cheaper, and there are absolutely breathtaking places. 

(Sunset over the Mekong, looking onto Thailand on the other side)

Why didn't I come here sooner!? :) 

From the border town of Houay Xai, I took a local bus to Luang Namtha, a place close to a beautiful National Park of 96% protected forest. 

I met some people on the way, Sam from Spain and Pauline from France. We all wanted to do some trekking, so we decided to look for something and book together. 

The first day, after we booked our 3-day trip, we rented motorbikes and went out exploring. We were riding on this tiny road going up the mountains and passing by lots of little villages. 

Our lunch spot, by a little creek, high up in the mountains... 

Then back to town, shower and dinner. 

The next day, we started our tour at 9am. The first day was kayaking down the Namtha river.

(Sam and I on the kayak)

At first it was a little slow going, we had to paddle a lot and I was tired... Then we stopped for lunch and I got some more energy. 

In the afternoon the river was flowing faster, and we had quite a few rapids! It was a lot more fun, and a lot less work... :) 

Then we got to the village where we were going to spend the night and leave the kayaks. The people are cery friendly, and even though we can't really communicate with them, we tried to interact and somehow always understand each other... 

I was pretty exhausted, hadn't slept much at all the night before, so I went to bed early. 

The next day, the trekking was pretty tough. It was uphill most of the way, and I mean straight up, through the tropical jungle. But we made it, and the view from the top was incredible!! 

(Arriving at the top!!)

(Sunset panorama)

After sunset, Tanoi (our guide) cooked us dinner, and then we went back to the viewpoint to look at the stars for a while. Absolutely incredible!! I've been really lucky in this trip, with lots of opportunities to be in the middle of nowhere, with no light polution, no electricity, no internet, nothing. A chance to disconnect, look at the stars, and see the beauty of this world... 

On the third day we trekked back to the village, completely downhill, at knee-busting angles. Finished with a swim, and playing with the little kids from the village. 

(Namtha river)

(Adorable giggling girls spinning around)

Then back to Luang Nam Tha for a looong shower, dinner and bed!

My first 5 days in Laos have been amazing... :)