Hmong Hill Tribe Village

We left Muang Ngoi to visit a Hmong hill tribe village on an overnight trek.  We reached the village after a brutal, six-hour uphill hike.  The village consisted of 10-12 huts and was overrun with cute, but filthy, kids (and dogs), playing on the dusty mountaintop among chickens and pigs.  The villagers, especially the kids, looked at us like we were aliens.   Despite their initial apprehensiveness, our digital cameras, friendly cries of “Sabaidee!” (hello), and our judicious use of a laser pointer warmed them up.

The village kids were fascinated by our ability to point some device at them, and then immediately show them their digital image (I’m not sure if they have mirrors in the village).

This particular village is not like the touristy Chiang Mai ones-this one is so remote they see Westerners only around once a month.  That makes sense, as to see them, you have to: 1) make it to Muang Ngoi (the six hour boat ride from Luang Prabang was beautiful, but pretty painful by the end); 2) stay in Muang Ngoi (you’re definitely “roughing it” once you’re there); and 3) survive a pretty strenuous hike.

From left to right (picture below), the group consisted of: Prash: A 20-year old Brit who just graduated high school, and who was expected to go directly to medical school (it starts earlier in Britain) and soon thereafter go through with an arranged marriage.  Much to his family’s consternation, he’s instead taking a year or two off to travel, after which point he’ll start medical school and at least consider the arranged marriage.  Great guy. The village chief (in whose hut we slept) with his daughter.   Peter: A San Francisco free lance computer programmer who has been traveling for just over a year, and is going home soon.  Fun guy.  Went out with him the next two nights in Muang Ngoi and Luang Prabang). Wayne: A Brit who got a two-year leave of absence from his job at the water company (near London) to travel.  Absolutely hilarious guy. Marie:  An Estonian-born Canadian who teaches English in Seoul.  Next to the five of us guys, somewhat misplaced. KongKeo:  The guide.

Once the sun went down, the laser pointer came out, and hilarity ensued with the twenty kids who were hovering around us.  First, they vainly tried to chase and “catch” the laser pointer's red dot, which kept everyone thoroughly amused.  At some point, the game changed, and they desperately tried to keep the red dot away from them.  You could scatter the gleefully screaming children with the flick of the wrist, you could herd them with well aimed shots, and--Keith’s favorite-- you could make a child run completely out of the village with persistent and accurate laser pointer aim.  All of us (except Marie) were literally doubled over we were laughing so hard.

Eventually, the kids went to bed, we received some food (chicken, sticky rice, and squirrel).  After drinking some homemade whisky with the chief (and giving him the laser pointer as a gift), it was time for all of us to crash on the chief’s floor (and apparently suffer through my snoring).

Aside from the water-buffalo blockade, the hike back was a lot easier.

Left--Wayne and Prash posing by a U.S. bomb casing.  As host to a secret war between the USA and Vietnam, Laos became the most bombed country in the history of modern warfare.  As a result, you have to be careful of UXO (unexploded ordinance), and you will see vast numbers of US bombs and shells lying around the countryside.   The Laotians have put many of these shells and casings to good use as landscaping and building materials.