Vientianne to Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw
Nong Khiaw to Muang Gnoi Neau
As you hop from one place to another (like stepping stones in a raging river) you are slowly but surely heading into deepest darkest Indochina - the 'Heart of Darkness'
Here in Nong Khiaw life has a pace of its own. People sleep when it gets dark and wake up when it gets light - their diurnal rhythm determined solely by natures moods. Nong Khiaw squats precariously beside the sluggish muddy Nam Ou river. It's a small village community back-dropped by towering limestone mountains coddled every morning by a blanket of light mist. The soundtrack during the day is that of crooning Cuckoos, shrieking children splashing in the river and the splutter of fishing-boat engines. All these are carried to your ears as you dawdle in the hammock strung out on your balcony.
At night the bleating of the cicadas, the rustlings of the immense jungle, the heaviness of the night and the thickness of the air oppress you and you lock your doors and cower into your room - into your bedsheets. It is your only shelter from the savagery of the jungle outside. But you have your laptop! And you have mobile-phone internet access! And you send this report from under the cover of your bedsheets. You tap away on the keys; your eyes clouded by the sweat on your brow as the mosquitoes buzz around you in sorties. There's a strange scratching sound outside your door. The scratching gets quicker. Shriller. The cicadas get bolder. Louder. The spiders crawl out of their holes and you can see their red eyes watching you. And it's only 7pm and the night is young. You await whatever faith has in store...
Next morning you wake up refreshed! Next stop Muang Gnoi Neau, an even remoter village accessible by boat only. This is the real Laos experience.
Be afraid....Be very afraid.
