Stuck In A Moment

Remove the engine from your automobile, strap it on the deck of a boat, shoehorn 30 passengers shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee, on hard wooden planks, then speed downriver, avoiding protruding rocks and stopping at occasional local villages to cram even more bodies and material into non-existent space – this is river travel in Laos. Those in the front get wet, those in the back go deaf, and those middle souls get a little of both.

 

We had returned from Muong Ngoi, scalloped from the surrounding mountains and located at a fortuitous bend in the river Nam Ou, one hour north of Nong Khiaw by boat only. The

further north one goes in Laos, the more dramatic the scenery becomes. Here, in this humble village, there is no electricity (except from 7-10 PM daily), no phone service, no banks, no internet, no motorized vehicles, and no medical services. Instead, there is a smattering of guesthouses that range in price from $2 - $10, that allow you to live amongst the people of a Lao village. For the more adventuresome, you can continue north for another 8 hours to really get off the beaten track, and in fact, can travel all the way to China if you have the time.

 

I loved this little village the moment I stepped off the boat and walked up the 6 block dusty

strip that is the main street. Here locals sat on their stoops watching life go by, chickens pecked for their daily sustenance, and dogs snoozed in the dusty shadows.

 

In our haste to secure accommodations, we paid $8 for a room we liked, then walked next door and found a room we liked even better for $10. Sheepishly, we moved our gear while I explained as best I could to the owner, that she could keep the money, but we were moving.

 

Because there’s no electricity, locals go to bed at sunset and rise at sunrise. Since accommodations are embedded in the village proper, it’s unlikely you’ll sleep late due to all the roosters and early morning activities. One day we passed a bungalow that was crowded with kids, including many looking in from the outside. Curiously, I poked my head in to see what the commotion was, and realized this person had the only TV in town.

 

From here you can undertake 2-3 day treks to indigenous hill tribes, kayak down the river, explore local caves, or simply close your eyes, breathe slowly and appreciate the sounds

of Laos. Many people come here for a day and stay for a week – it’s just so peaceful and dramatic.

 

In the evening the power comes on at 7:00 PM using a village generator, and travelers and locals congregate on decks overlooking the river. Kao, a local kid, spoke pretty decent English, so we were able to expand our Lao vocabulary. Curiously, he hadn’t heard of U2, yet loved music, so I offered to burn a CD for him when I returned home. Unfortunately, the concept of post office was foreign to him, despite our attempts to explain how mail is sent.

 

One day we hiked an hour into the interior to visit the small village of Ban An and drop off some books for the local school. We continue to be shocked by the number of small children living in these villages. We also took a boat upriver to a village where they make textiles and ended up buying quite a few which we’ll send home.

 

The weather has turned chilly since coming up to the mountains, and in a day or two, we’ll go back down the river to Nong Khiaw, where we left some bags at our previous guesthouse.

 

Sitting on the deck and watching boats come and go, bamboo being unloaded, the locals

building a boat, the sun setting behind the purple hills, we realize this little slice of the world is stuck in a moment, a moment we’re thankful we had the opportunity to sample. A simple life that has always been this way and fortunately always will be. Muong Ngoi is a definite contender, for me at least, of favorite places on this trip.