Travelheidi: December 2005

Back in Bangkok once again! Spent about 10 days at the beach, on Ko Wai, the little island where I also was last year.

The island is still as beautiful as last year and so were the beaches. The weather wasn't as good as last year though. Although we had sun pretty much every day, it was also cloudy parts of the day and most of the time quite windy so I didn't get the tan that I was hoping to get.

I had a good time again though. Met some nice people to hang around with and chilled a lot, mainly in my hammock with some good books: The time traveler's wife, The Kite Runner. Both great books!

I did have some less fortunate times too though. Like when my ear got infected, and still is recovering, and also when I fell, head first, from a 1.5 m high balcony, straight with my head and shoulder on rocks. No, it was not because of alcohol or anything of that kind, it was due to weak wood!

That's it for this year's traveling again. This afternoon I start to travel home. It'll be a long flight again, Bankok - Singapore - Brussels - Frankfurt. Damn, why can't I never get a direct flight!!!

So, when I get back home I might post some more pictures and then the next post will be from BRASIL in Februari! YEEEEEEEEHA!!!

So, where was I? I didn't check when I wrote the last time but I guess that it was in Luang Prabang, so I'll start there.

After a few days in Luang Prabang we took the boat up to Nong Kiaw, to continue the next day by bus to Luang Nam Tha, the place where we go trekking to hilltribe villages.
The trekking itself isn't that long or exceptional or anything but the village itself, an Akha village, is very nice. We got there early and we had lots of time to socialise with the Akha people. It't not that easy to communicate cause they don't speak a word English and most people don't speak that much Lao either. They speak Akha.
It is quite funny though. The way to ask someone how many children they have for example is by just shaking a breast. Then they understand.
I brought many pictures with me that I took last year of the people in the village and once again that was a big success. It's hilarious to see the peoples reaction when they seen themselves on a photo.

After the trekking we drove to Muang Sing where we went on a day trip to more Akha villages and some Yao/Mien villages. That treking I guide myself and I managed to loose two people for a while. I had no idea where they went to but after a while the villagers told me that they went all the way back over the hill. The only choice I had was to send the rest of the group back to the guesthouse on an easier route and basically run all the way on the mountain again to find the two people. I managed to catch up with them and they were very relieved to see me, and I was extremely happy to see them again too. Afterwards we were talking so much that we managed to get lost again but after some more running up and down the hills again I managed to find the path back and we all got back to the guesthouse just before dark.

The day after we traveled by truck and speedboat to the border and yesterday they all left to go home from Bangkok airport.

Last night then I met up with some friends from Gent/Holland and we drank way too much. They had been traveling in Myamnar and with their leftover money they had bough a bottle of champagne. So, we finished that and then moved on to some buckets of Mai Tai. After the whole trip I was really tired so I was quite drunk last night.

Tomorrow I'll head to Ko Wai, a very small island. My plan is to swim, snorkel, lie in my hammock and read books for the next 10 days or so. On Dec 15 I'll fly home again.

Below some more pictures from the last week!