The Jungle - Bokeo Province - Northern Laos
Sadly, it is the dry season and all the farmers are doing the yearly slash and burn of the fields, so the atmosphere in Northern Thailand and Laos has been quite gray/hazy vs. what I had imagined it would look like.
Undeterred, I've just spent the last two days trekking and zipping through the jungles of Northern Laos. And, despite the heat, it was incredible. Massive trees, groves of bamboo, little critters running around all over the place and no sounds other than those of the wind and the jungle. Oh, and ziplines. Everywhere...
I was on the "Gibbon Experience". And, even though we didn't see anything other than squirrels (*yawn*), lizards and spiders the size of a salad plate, it was pretty amazing.
You trek into the jungle for a few hours, eventually hitting a network of ziplines that will take you to your treehouse.
This is where you sleep and eat your meals, while zipping around the jungle in your spare time. The best part about the treehouse though was the outdoor shower.
The lines are anywhere from 100 - 700ms long and from 25m to 150ms above the ground.
I've got to say popping out of the jungle on a wire suspended 500 feet in the air is quite the experience.
It wasn't all fun and games (ok, it mainly was). The program is a conservation effort, so all proceeds go to the cause of protecting the jungle and the Gibbons. But, we also had an conversational English lesson with our Lao (by the way, it is pronounced La-ow - not La-owse) guides and then they taught us some Lao in return.
One of our guides just started speaking English less than a year ago and I was quite impressed how far he had come. I guess if the tables were turned, and speaking Lao meant I got a better job than lugging wood/food/etc into the jungle several hours, then I'd learn Lao pretty darn quick too!
Pageviews are down due to my lack of posting the last couple of weeks, but hopefully this brings you back (Sorry for the lack of Gibbons!) and I can post more as I travel down the Mekong.
Right now, I'm writing from a guesthouse on the banks of the Mekong and I can see Thailand from here.
Tomorrow, I'll take the "slow boat" towards Luang Prabang and check in again from there. Hopefully...
A zipping video to really give a flavor for the experience - WATCH IT!
Sadly, it is the dry season and all the farmers are doing the yearly slash and burn of the fields, so the atmosphere in Northern Thailand and Laos has been quite gray/hazy vs. what I had imagined it would look like.
Undeterred, I've just spent the last two days trekking and zipping through the jungles of Northern Laos. And, despite the heat, it was incredible. Massive trees, groves of bamboo, little critters running around all over the place and no sounds other than those of the wind and the jungle. Oh, and ziplines. Everywhere...
I was on the "Gibbon Experience". And, even though we didn't see anything other than squirrels (*yawn*), lizards and spiders the size of a salad plate, it was pretty amazing.
This is where you sleep and eat your meals, while zipping around the jungle in your spare time. The best part about the treehouse though was the outdoor shower.
View from the Shower
The lines are anywhere from 100 - 700ms long and from 25m to 150ms above the ground.
I've got to say popping out of the jungle on a wire suspended 500 feet in the air is quite the experience.
It wasn't all fun and games (ok, it mainly was). The program is a conservation effort, so all proceeds go to the cause of protecting the jungle and the Gibbons. But, we also had an conversational English lesson with our Lao (by the way, it is pronounced La-ow - not La-owse) guides and then they taught us some Lao in return.
One of our guides just started speaking English less than a year ago and I was quite impressed how far he had come. I guess if the tables were turned, and speaking Lao meant I got a better job than lugging wood/food/etc into the jungle several hours, then I'd learn Lao pretty darn quick too!
Our Trekking Crew!
This is as close to a Gibbon as I can get. Peter Gibbons, in a meeting with "the Bobs".
Right now, I'm writing from a guesthouse on the banks of the Mekong and I can see Thailand from here.
Say "HI" to Thailand (even with the gloomy sky)!
Tomorrow, I'll take the "slow boat" towards Luang Prabang and check in again from there. Hopefully...
pageviews might be down because we are reading them in our emails! Just sayin'
ReplyDeleteDoes Zipline-ing get any less scary as you keep doing it? I mean that just sounds terrifying. What if some cool monkey was sitting on the line!?!?!?
I thought it'd be much more freaky than it was. Just hitch on to the line and go. Once you've done your first couple, you'll be fine. Go ZIP!
ReplyDelete