The problem with farms… Roosters ! One of them was very confused waking us at 3am. We crawled out from under our mozzie net around 7 and after a quick breakfast (more sticky rice) said our goodbyes to the family (BTW. They are of the Thai Dam people).

Mr Phong was to be our local guide for the day and he led us 20 minutes to the closest village (Ban Nam Khon). The village was what you may expect with a population of 150. Less pristine than the farm (which had an immaculate loo) but still relatively unspoilt. The most impressive thing was that we were able to walk through without causing interruption to the lives of the locals. We were greeted politely and politely ignored (nobody begging or trying to sell us trinkets). At the primary school we were to hand over the books and pens. V and I did not really like the idea – we would have preferred to have remained anonymous but Alack insisted and I ended up in front of the class feeling decidedly uncomfortable – V cleverly hid outside 🙂

Then it was back into the jungle. Thicker and wetter than yesterday with persistent rain we climbed up down more hills. Without the benefit of rivers to wade through we ended up with a few kgs of clay under and around our strops. Wet clay should be used as an industrial lubricant – I ended up on my back in the mud a number of times as V managed to skate elegantly by in a state of partially controlled chaos. After climbing a large hill we arrived at the top to find Mr Phong laying out lunch for us. The plan was to forage for fruits and insects and cook a lunch on an open fire but again the rain meant we had a pack lunch prepared by Mr P’s wife and carried by this 50 something year old all morning (at least we would not have to try crickets and millipedes – phew !).

As we squatted eating lunch under our umbrellas we noticed the area was infested with leeches. Lunch was short. We said goodbye to Mr Phong and headed off. The trail got very steep and far more slippery making it slow going. We had to use our bamboo poles to control every step and that was only half the fun. The leeches were having an absolute feast on us. We felt like big buffet lunches for the parasites. Stopping every few minutes to pull off the latest guests of varying sizes was at first a novelty but soon became a pest. When they bite (which you can normally feel) they inject an anti-coagulant so the blood flows when you pull them off making it look much worse than it is. V ended up with one on her stomach somehow and I had a monster trying to drain me through my ankle in addition to the dozens on our feet over the afternoon. We did get skilled at removing them though. Forget squashing them, it’s like trying to squash a rubber band. Fun 🙂 And they are fast ! Fick one off and it seems to sprint back towards you at impressive speed.

It was a strenuous hike made harder by the wet. Six hours after starting off we arrived at a river which we crossed (and used to take a quick bath) before walking out to the road and a waiting minibus. The guest house with its hot water and shower never looked so good.

It was an incredible experience for us and we highly recommend it. What struck us most was the way we were received by the local people. We didn’t feel like we were the first westerners ever to visit the place but at the same time were not treated as an annoyance or a potential customer. It was the most perfectly executed example of ‘sustainable’ tourism we have seen. I think a lot of work has gone into setting these tours up and convincing the locals to play along – they are definitely worth the cost. The company we used was Luang Namtha Travel (www.luangnamthatravel.com) but Luang Namtha is lined with companies that offer similar packages.

Thank you LN Travel, Alack and the Phong Family for a truly unforgettable two days.

[Pictures: Leech !!! And the view as we left the jungle]

– Posted from my iPhone via Wifi