Hey all,
I will keep this relatively brief, being I'm on a very slow connection (this message may take half an hour to post) but very thankful to have a connection at all. I'm with three others (Italian and German guys, English girl) in Phongsali, Laos. It's about as northern Laos as you can get, miles and miles off the path often traveled by tourists. It's definitely not a path I would have chosen if I was traveling solo, but it's an incredible journey to take in the company of others. In a nutshell, here's the happenings since my last post:
*Traveled two days worth of bus trips to Phongsali, where we arrived last night
*The 12-hr bus trip yesterday was over 230 kilometers, 2/3 of which were on low-maintenance, muddy roads through the mountains of Northern Laos
*The trip was a bumpy, slippy-slidy ride through unbelievably scenic territory. We met only one other bus on the route, which my German colleague and myself helped to push out of the muddy slop when it became stuck.
*We blew a tire, which the bus driver and other Lao people replaced with bamboo-leveraged wrenches.
*A local 23-yr old monk from Phongsali (one of three monks in this village) accompanied us to the top of the town's mountain, where we had an incredible view of the village and valley below. He later gave us a tour of his monastery and blessed us on our travels, speaking fairly decent English all the while.
And that take us to the present... Tomorrow we will depart on a 8-hr boat ride to the south and stay an evening in yet another Northern Lao village. I still will hold true to my conclusion earlier: Lao children are the most beautiful children on the planet. And they all still greet us with either a wave, a blowing kiss, or a warm "Sabaai-dee". I don't think Phongsali gets many Westerners here, so it's fun to receive the hospitality provided!
Pictures to come later...but for the next 5 or 6 days, I'll be lucky to find an Internet connection. Phongsali, for example, only has power/electricity between 6pm and 8pm in the evening!!
All is well on our end--I hope everyone is well back home. From the path less traveled in Northern Laos, I'm checking out!
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5 comments:
what a adventure you are having..I'm not sure I'd done it 39 yrs. ago----guess not you were a baby hahha, that was a better deal for me. stay safe but do have FUN. mom
think I need to go back to school--my math in the last email was crazy--maybe should have read 26 yrs. ago--even tho I think I would be a chicken hahha. mom
We enjoy reading your blogs. Continue with your safe travels and we look forward to all of your pix. Love you much!!
Travis, Carrie, and Brooks
Great stuff, Cole - - and I like the low maintenance do! Me and another guy at work really look forward to your blogs . . . keep them coming. I can't wait to hear the full story when you return. Have fun - stay safe! --Pooter
Looks/sounds like you are having quite an experience. Keep the blogs coming when you can, I enjoy checking it out...you know, living vicariously through you. Have fun, be safe, Ursher dance off when you get home. -Dustin Simmerman
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