Have You Ever Stayed In A Remote Mekong Village?......

[lovelaos]

Blether

Brilliant pics, hope you enjoy north Laos! This is my backyard - I live in Nong Khiaw 3 hours minibus drive NE of Luang Prabang. If you enjoyed the Mekong slowboat down from Houayxai for the nature and sights I can HIGHLY recommend the Nam Ou boat ride from Nong Khiaw to Muang Khua or otherway round. Simply stunning nature, mountains, jungle, isolated Hmong & Khamu villages on the river, even more isolated Akha villages inland. No organised tourism, the real deal...just find the village headman and ask to stay. Ofcourse they'll think you're absolutely mad because no one has ever visited them before, so you'll be centre of attraction :-). 6 hour boat ride town-to-town....one of the last treasures left in this part of the world.

I will be up there this year

[itchybum]

sure then you get sick and closest hospital is 5 hour away by boat..

An adventurous spirit you have ney.

and...5 hours is nothing.

Remote villages ... Yep ... once upon a time over 40 years ago. With the U.S. Army Special Forces conducting recon and civic action patrols, we often walked jungle trails for most of a week to reach some little Isaan Ban Nok. The Hill People were very accepting of our presence but they looked at us like we were from the moon. The old ladies would wave their hands in front of my eyes to see if I was blind as the only people they knew with blue eye were old people with cataracts. We were told that we were the first Caucasians they had ever seen. The villagers went all out for us ... bringing in fish from the river, brought out special foods (some a bit too special - another story). We handed out cigars to the village elders and drank their rice wine - sitting in a circle around a fire. They invited us to sleep in the small wooden Wat in the center of the tiny village. The 'facilities' were two out houses suspended over a creek down stream from the village. This story could go on for pages but suffice it to say it was quite an experience.

Then the following morning, US jets napalmed em.

I must be twisted, but I larfed n larfed.

[JDGRUEN]

Remote villages ... Yep ... once upon a time over 40 years ago. With the U.S. Army Special Forces conducting recon and civic action patrols, we often walked jungle trails for most of a week to reach some little Isaan Ban Nok. The Hill People were very accepting of our presence but they looked at us like we were from the moon. The old ladies would wave their hands in front of my eyes to see if I was blind as the only people they knew with blue eye were old people with cataracts. We were told that we were the first Caucasians they had ever seen. The villagers went all out for us ... bringing in fish from the river, brought out special foods (some a bit too special - another story). We handed out cigars to the village elders and drank their rice wine - sitting in a circle around a fire. They invited us to sleep in the small wooden Wat in the center of the tiny village. The 'facilities' were two out houses suspended over a creek down stream from the village. This story could go on for pages but suffice it to say it was quite an experience.

Then the following morning, US jets napalmed em.

No as a matter of fact krisb... over time the villagers came to our base camp dispensary walking over many kilometers ... bringing very sick fellow villagers - which we treated or evacuated to Sakon Nakhon, Khon Kaen or other places,. We were constantly rewarded with various heart felt gifts from each village. Our team engineers went back to the villages and built bridges, dug wells, widened trails into roads and performed other other actions. On a happier side we established well mother and well baby clinics - then later a tuberculosis clinic which became known through out the region. I recall helping one young girl - late teenager who was afflicted with an awful keloid tumor that had attached to her earlobe and neck. I removed it and the girl was able to straighten her head and neck for the first time in years. My reward was the look on the faces of her parents. Then there were the kids with cobra bites - we never lost a snake bite patient ... The hardest part was when a child died in my arms from pneumonia or cholera. But I wasn't going to go into all that until you posted your asinine remark. I plan on visiting those villages later this year...

Edited June 5, 2013 by JDGRUEN

[TexasRanger]

sure then you get sick and closest hospital is 5 hour away by boat..

 

An adventurous spirit you have ney.

 

and...5 hours is nothing.

 

Remote villages ... Yep ... once upon a time over 40 years ago.  With the U.S. Army Special Forces conducting recon and civic action patrols, we often walked jungle trails for most of a week to reach some little Isaan Ban Nok.  The Hill People were very accepting of our presence but they looked at us like we were from the moon.  The old ladies would wave their hands in front of my eyes to see if I was blind as the only people they knew with blue eye were old people with cataracts. We were told that we were the first Caucasians they had ever seen.  The villagers went all out for us ... bringing in fish from the river, brought out special foods (some a bit too special - another story).  We handed out cigars to the village elders and drank their rice wine - sitting in a circle around a fire.   They invited us to sleep in the small wooden Wat in the center of the tiny village.  The 'facilities' were two out houses suspended over a creek down stream from the village.  This story could go on for pages but suffice it to say it was quite an experience.   

Then the following morning, US jets napalmed em.

 

I must be twisted, but I larfed n larfed.

Yeah, Napalm, hilarious.

[villagefarang]

Depending on whether you took the 1174 or the 1020 to Chiang Khong, you could have driven right past our house along the way. How one views these things often comes down to where one is coming from.

For example during the same timeframe, we made a little trip to Chiang Mai. Coming from Phaya Mengrai it felt like we were visiting a major urban metropolis but the many foreign visitors we saw while there, probably had a very different take on the place.

Those little grass shacks in your photos make for lovely memories but I for one would not like to live like that, maybe back in my twenties but not now.

[rene123]

Remote villages ... Yep ... once upon a time over 40 years ago. With the U.S. Army Special Forces conducting recon and civic action patrols, we often walked jungle trails for most of a week to reach some little Isaan Ban Nok. The Hill People were very accepting of our presence but they looked at us like we were from the moon. The old ladies would wave their hands in front of my eyes to see if I was blind as the only people they knew with blue eye were old people with cataracts. We were told that we were the first Caucasians they had ever seen. The villagers went all out for us ... bringing in fish from the river, brought out special foods (some a bit too special - another story). We handed out cigars to the village elders and drank their rice wine - sitting in a circle around a fire. They invited us to sleep in the small wooden Wat in the center of the tiny village. The 'facilities' were two out houses suspended over a creek down stream from the village. This story could go on for pages but suffice it to say it was quite an experience.

Then the following morning, US jets napalmed em.

No as a matter of fact krisb... over time the villagers came to our base camp dispensary walking over many kilometers ... bringing very sick fellow villagers - which we treated or evacuated to Sakon Nakhon, Khon Kaen or other places,. We were constantly rewarded with various heart felt gifts from each village. Our team engineers went back to the villages and built bridges, dug wells, widened trails into roads and performed other other actions. On a happier side we established well mother and well baby clinics - then later a tuberculosis clinic which became known through out the region. I recall helping one young girl - late teenager who was afflicted with an awful keloid tumor that had attached to her earlobe and neck. I removed it and the girl was able to straighten her head and neck for the first time in years. My reward was the look on the faces of her parents. Then there were the kids with cobra bites - we never lost a snake bite patient ... The hardest part was when a child died in my arms from pneumonia or cholera. But I wasn't going to go into all that until you posted your asinine remark. I plan on visiting those villages later this year...

Thank you for that story. I had tears in my eyes after reading it. My experiences in the villages have all been rewarding and the main reason why I'm trying to learn some Thai language.

[lovelaos]

Remote villages ... Yep ... once upon a time over 40 years ago. With the U.S. Army Special Forces conducting recon and civic action patrols, we often walked jungle trails for most of a week to reach some little Isaan Ban Nok. The Hill People were very accepting of our presence but they looked at us like we were from the moon. The old ladies would wave their hands in front of my eyes to see if I was blind as the only people they knew with blue eye were old people with cataracts. We were told that we were the first Caucasians they had ever seen. The villagers went all out for us ... bringing in fish from the river, brought out special foods (some a bit too special - another story). We handed out cigars to the village elders and drank their rice wine - sitting in a circle around a fire. They invited us to sleep in the small wooden Wat in the center of the tiny village. The 'facilities' were two out houses suspended over a creek down stream from the village. This story could go on for pages but suffice it to say it was quite an experience.

Then the following morning, US jets napalmed em.

No as a matter of fact krisb... over time the villagers came to our base camp dispensary walking over many kilometers ... bringing very sick fellow villagers - which we treated or evacuated to Sakon Nakhon, Khon Kaen or other places,. We were constantly rewarded with various heart felt gifts from each village. Our team engineers went back to the villages and built bridges, dug wells, widened trails into roads and performed other other actions. On a happier side we established well mother and well baby clinics - then later a tuberculosis clinic which became known through out the region. I recall helping one young girl - late teenager who was afflicted with an awful keloid tumor that had attached to her earlobe and neck. I removed it and the girl was able to straighten her head and neck for the first time in years. My reward was the look on the faces of her parents. Then there were the kids with cobra bites - we never lost a snake bite patient ... The hardest part was when a child died in my arms from pneumonia or cholera. But I wasn't going to go into all that until you posted your asinine remark. I plan on visiting those villages later this year...

Perhaps you would also like to pay a visit to the UXO museum in Vientiane, Laos to see how other countries are clearing up the mess that is still today causing casualties in Laos

[watcharacters]

Well it might be nice to cruise by sites like this, but what do imagine yourself doing, if you stopped for a few days? I've been to a few places like this, bigger than this actually, some houseboats and things, and some small villages, and couldn't wait to leave, after about 10 mintues!!! And I literally mean 10 minutes! I stayed once for about 3-4 days at some village near BKK, I don't even know the name, but it was about an hour from the old airport, and seemed like Issan to me, although I have never been to Issan. What I imagine Issan is like. It was some of the worst days/nights of my life! I was supposed to stay much longer, like 10 days, and the reason I know how far the airport was, is because I wisely chose to leave early and fly home! But maybe blether you will enjoy it, but somehow, I doubt it! Or it might just be me, who is unable to cope with such boredom? In a place like this, I am looking for UBC and some aircon!

.

it's your right to be bored and not like something.

Some may disapprove of that however.

[watcharacters]

Remote villages ... Yep ... once upon a time over 40 years ago. With the U.S. Army Special Forces conducting recon and civic action patrols, we often walked jungle trails for most of a week to reach some little Isaan Ban Nok. The Hill People were very accepting of our presence but they looked at us like we were from the moon. The old ladies would wave their hands in front of my eyes to see if I was blind as the only people they knew with blue eye were old people with cataracts. We were told that we were the first Caucasians they had ever seen. The villagers went all out for us ... bringing in fish from the river, brought out special foods (some a bit too special - another story). We handed out cigars to the village elders and drank their rice wine - sitting in a circle around a fire. They invited us to sleep in the small wooden Wat in the center of the tiny village. The 'facilities' were two out houses suspended over a creek down stream from the village. This story could go on for pages but suffice it to say it was quite an experience.

Then the following morning, US jets napalmed em.

.

Were you there?

[krisb]

sure then you get sick and closest hospital is 5 hour away by boat..

 

An adventurous spirit you have ney.

 

and...5 hours is nothing.

 

Remote villages ... Yep ... once upon a time over 40 years ago.  With the U.S. Army Special Forces conducting recon and civic action patrols, we often walked jungle trails for most of a week to reach some little Isaan Ban Nok.  The Hill People were very accepting of our presence but they looked at us like we were from the moon.  The old ladies would wave their hands in front of my eyes to see if I was blind as the only people they knew with blue eye were old people with cataracts. We were told that we were the first Caucasians they had ever seen.  The villagers went all out for us ... bringing in fish from the river, brought out special foods (some a bit too special - another story).  We handed out cigars to the village elders and drank their rice wine - sitting in a circle around a fire.   They invited us to sleep in the small wooden Wat in the center of the tiny village.  The 'facilities' were two out houses suspended over a creek down stream from the village.  This story could go on for pages but suffice it to say it was quite an experience.   

Then the following morning, US jets napalmed em.

 

I must be twisted, but I larfed n larfed.

Yeah, Napalm, hilarious.

Jeez lighten up guys. I was only joking ok. Perhaps it was in poor taste and for that I do apologize ok. Wrong country, it was Vietnam not Laos.

Sent from my LG-E612 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[sunlong]

sure then you get sick and closest hospital is 5 hour away by boat..

Crikeys if I ever get so decrepit that I let my decisions be dictated by how long it takes to get to "civilized" health care, please put me down then and there.

If you want to design your life around eliminating risks might as well book yourself into the nursing home now, let the bingo and balloon volleyball be the high points of the rest of your life.

[LuukKoeyKorat]

Blether

Brilliant pics, hope you enjoy north Laos! This is my backyard - I live in Nong Khiaw 3 hours minibus drive NE of Luang Prabang. If you enjoyed the Mekong slowboat down from Houayxai for the nature and sights I can HIGHLY recommend the Nam Ou boat ride from Nong Khiaw to Muang Khua or otherway round. Simply stunning nature, mountains, jungle, isolated Hmong & Khamu villages on the river, even more isolated Akha villages inland. No organised tourism, the real deal...just find the village headman and ask to stay. Ofcourse they'll think you're absolutely mad because no one has ever visited them before, so you'll be centre of attraction :-). 6 hour boat ride town-to-town....one of the last treasures left in this part of the world.

I will be up there this year

Great! make sure you pop in and have a beer!

[LuukKoeyKorat]

Remote villages ... Yep ... once upon a time over 40 years ago. With the U.S. Army Special Forces conducting recon and civic action patrols, we often walked jungle trails for most of a week to reach some little Isaan Ban Nok. The Hill People were very accepting of our presence but they looked at us like we were from the moon. The old ladies would wave their hands in front of my eyes to see if I was blind as the only people they knew with blue eye were old people with cataracts. We were told that we were the first Caucasians they had ever seen. The villagers went all out for us ... bringing in fish from the river, brought out special foods (some a bit too special - another story). We handed out cigars to the village elders and drank their rice wine - sitting in a circle around a fire. They invited us to sleep in the small wooden Wat in the center of the tiny village. The 'facilities' were two out houses suspended over a creek down stream from the village. This story could go on for pages but suffice it to say it was quite an experience.

Then the following morning, US jets napalmed em.

No as a matter of fact krisb... over time the villagers came to our base camp dispensary walking over many kilometers ... bringing very sick fellow villagers - which we treated or evacuated to Sakon Nakhon, Khon Kaen or other places,. We were constantly rewarded with various heart felt gifts from each village. Our team engineers went back to the villages and built bridges, dug wells, widened trails into roads and performed other other actions. On a happier side we established well mother and well baby clinics - then later a tuberculosis clinic which became known through out the region. I recall helping one young girl - late teenager who was afflicted with an awful keloid tumor that had attached to her earlobe and neck. I removed it and the girl was able to straighten her head and neck for the first time in years. My reward was the look on the faces of her parents. Then there were the kids with cobra bites - we never lost a snake bite patient ... The hardest part was when a child died in my arms from pneumonia or cholera. But I wasn't going to go into all that until you posted your asinine remark. I plan on visiting those villages later this year...

Perhaps you would also like to pay a visit to the UXO museum in Vientiane, Laos to see how other countries are clearing up the mess that is still today causing casualtiesfee tables to se in Laos

Or come along with the local UXO Laos unit here in Nong Khiaw - each Nov after the rains dozens of unexploded freefall bombs & cluster 'bombies' are defused or exploded. Along with lots of cluster bomb casings. I've got half a dozen - turned them into glass topped coffee tables for sale :-)

[theblether]

Eh, I'm not wanting to get in to the war aspect in Laos on this thread except to say that JDGRUEN said that his unit provided medical assistance to the villagers and that in of itself is a story worth telling. I would like to hear more of it.

That's an excellent tip LuukKoeyKorat, and one I'll keep in mind. I can see me starting my next long stay in Laos and living with the Akha or Khmer for a few days would be a lifetime experience.

I was going to Penang on a visa run and I walked into the travel agents to book the tickets, sat down, and noticed the advert for the Slow Boat to Luang Prabang on the wall. The minibus driver that drove me to and from the wedding I went to in Isaan last month told me it was an excellent trip. So I booked the slow boat instead, and looked forward to seeing the White Temple up close for the first time, getting to see more of the scenery beyond Chiang Rai up to the Laos border, and best of all, seeing the Mekong for the first time. To be honest I didn't have high expectations of Luang Prabang or even Laos for that matter, how wrong can a man be? I told one of my friends where I was going and he insisted that I visit the Kuangsi Waterfalls by Luang Prabang. Here's a few more pics of the trip........

White Temple, Chiang Rai.

Kuangsi Waterfalls, Luang Prabang, Laos.

Pak Ou Cave, on the Mekong, by Luang Prabang

Nam Khan River, Luang Prabang.

I've got loads more photos, this trip has been amazing. It's made me hungry to learn more about the Mekong and the people's that rely on it. A truly fantastic experience.

[sunlong]

Gorgeous pics man, thanks a lot!

[JDGRUEN]

I have a friend named Tom who resides in Sakon Nakhon. Tom is a consummate explorer of North East Thailand and has been for many years. He goes by the moniker 'Tom Isaan'. Tom has a website where he chronicles his many years of exploring the greater Issan area in and around Udon thani over to Nakhon Phanom, Sakon Nakhon ... down to Khon Kaen and Kalasin including the adjacent Mekong River basin area. It seems that Tom has been to nearly every nook and cranny in this part of Isaan. The subjects Tom researches, explores and documents includes Seri Thai - the 'Free Thai' populist resistance to the Japanese occupation of Thailand in WWII. This includes old paramilitary camps and airstrips. Tom also documents Thai Historical sites and Buddhist shrines and monuments. Recently Tom has helped document the location of my old Army camp in the Phu Phan area. Many GPS coordinates for the rfegion have been recorded. If you are exploring out of the way places in this area of the Isaan region - then you might want to contact Tom via his website - perhaps arrange a visit in Sakon Nakhon. Tom also has an explorer buddy named Larry who lives in Khon Kaen.

http://isaan-live.com/non-muang-chumpae-khon-kaen-isaan-thailand-2/

http://isaan-live.com/prae-pan-and-the-handicraft-center-for-northeastern-women-developmentkhon-kaenthailand/

http://isaan-live.com/khrong-chandawong-memorialsawang-daen-din-sakon-nakhonthailand/

http://isaan-live.com/what-happened-on-28-january-1945-in-sakon-nakhonthailand/

http://isaan-live.com/sites-of-historical-military-significance-in-northeast-thailandf/

If any of you have a Thai spouse and children - then you might find that Tom's collection of Thai Historic information to be a valuable aid in the children's education about the history of their country.

[theblether]

Absolutely superb JDGRUEN, thanks very much .

[StreetCowboy]

I have a friend named Tom who resides in Sakon Nakhon. Tom is a consummate explorer of North East Thailand and has been for many years. He goes by the moniker 'Tom Isaan'. Tom has a website where he chronicles his many years of exploring the greater Issan area in and around Udon thani over to Nakhon Phanom, Sakon Nakhon ... down to Khon Kaen and Kalasin including the adjacent Mekong River basin area. It seems that Tom has been to nearly every nook and cranny in this part of Isaan. The subjects Tom researches, explores and documents includes Seri Thai - the 'Free Thai' populist resistance to the Japanese occupation of Thailand in WWII. This includes old paramilitary camps and airstrips. Tom also documents Thai Historical sites and Buddhist shrines and monuments. Recently Tom has helped document the location of my old Army camp in the Phu Phan area. Many GPS coordinates for the rfegion have been recorded. If you are exploring out of the way places in this area of the Isaan region - then you might want to contact Tom via his website - perhaps arrange a visit in Sakon Nakhon. Tom also has an explorer buddy named Larry who lives in Khon Kaen.

http://isaan-live.com/non-muang-chumpae-khon-kaen-isaan-thailand-2/

http://isaan-live.com/prae-pan-and-the-handicraft-center-for-northeastern-women-developmentkhon-kaenthailand/

http://isaan-live.com/khrong-chandawong-memorialsawang-daen-din-sakon-nakhonthailand/

http://isaan-live.com/what-happened-on-28-january-1945-in-sakon-nakhonthailand/

http://isaan-live.com/sites-of-historical-military-significance-in-northeast-thailandf/

If any of you have a Thai spouse and children - then you might find that Tom's collection of Thai Historic information to be a valuable aid in the children's education about the history of their country.

To what extent do Thais have a consistent history? I was taught history at school, and the history I was taught was subtly different from that taught to my English compatriots beyond the Tweed. To what extent can the regions of Thailand teach their own history? One can't rreally criticise the Thais for having their own history, until one has thoroughly deconstructed one's own,

SC

[rene123]

Absolutely superb JDGRUEN, thanks very much .

x2

This has been one of the nicer threads I've read on this forum... very informative.

[krisb]

Your quite a good photographer Blether. Are they just off your phone?

[theblether]

Your quite a good photographer Blether. Are they just off your phone?

Truthfully I'm a rank amateur, I use a Samsung bridge camera ( I think that's what it's called ) 26x zoom and I think it's 16.5 pix. I don't know how to use it correctly, I'll need to sit down and study it.

These days digital cameras can make us all look good, I've seen some incredible work by other members here on Thaivisa. I recommend people to go have a look at the photography sub forum, or have a look at Chiang Rai images 2013, and others. Villagefarang, SamuiiJimmy, FabianFred, Kan Win and others are masters.

You will be gobsmacked when you see many of their photo's.

[geriatrickid]

Gorgeous pics man, thanks a lot!

The photos hit me for a loop. They're something. I was awed by the waterfall. Very beautiful.

Thank you for sharing. They are better than the usual postcard, although you could have posed in your thong to add perspective.....

Anyway, wow.

[theblether]

I'm heading for my flight to Chiang Mai in 5 minutes ( Laos Airlines, Luang Prabang-CNX $155.00 ). I'll do a trip report back in CM and post it in the SE forum later today. In the meantime another couple of pics of the waterfall...,

Edited June 6, 2013 by theblether

[joeaverage]

TexasRanger, on 05 Jun 2013 - 11:28, said:

itchybum, on 05 Jun 2013 - 10:03, said:

falkan, on 04 Jun 2013 - 23:13, said:

sure then you get sick and closest hospital is 5 hour away by boat..

An adventurous spirit you have ney.

and...5 hours is nothing.

krisb, on 05 Jun 2013 - 08:41, said:

JDGRUEN, on 05 Jun 2013 - 00:37, said:

Remote villages ... Yep ... once upon a time over 40 years ago. With the U.S. Army Special Forces conducting recon and civic action patrols, we often walked jungle trails for most of a week to reach some little Isaan Ban Nok. The Hill People were very accepting of our presence but they looked at us like we were from the moon. The old ladies would wave their hands in front of my eyes to see if I was blind as the only people they knew with blue eye were old people with cataracts. We were told that we were the first Caucasians they had ever seen. The villagers went all out for us ... bringing in fish from the river, brought out special foods (some a bit too special - another story). We handed out cigars to the village elders and drank their rice wine - sitting in a circle around a fire. They invited us to sleep in the small wooden Wat in the center of the tiny village. The 'facilities' were two out houses suspended over a creek down stream from the village. This story could go on for pages but suffice it to say it was quite an experience.

Then the following morning, US jets napalmed em.

I must be twisted, but I larfed n larfed.

Yeah, Napalm, hilarious.

ah, a man who thinks black humour only makes negroes laugh

[joeaverage]

Your quite a good photographer Blether. Are they just off your phone?

are you sure you aren't talking about wins photos?

[krisb]

Perhaps I missed it in the thread but how do you get to the waterfalls? Can you swim in them?

[krisb]

Your quite a good photographer Blether. Are they just off your phone?

are you sure you aren't talking about wins photos?

Sorry, who's wins?

[muythai2013]

Great pics, have started a photography coarse in my limited spare time, to much written work.

You should trade the digital for an SLR, will make you even better, you have a good eye blether.

[lovelaos]

Perhaps I missed it in the thread but how do you get to the waterfalls? Can you swim in them?

Motorbike, car, minibus, bicycle......

You used to be able to swim there but I think they tried to stop people doing so some years ago.

The waterfall pictured isn't exactly a secret. Nice place though. They also have a bear sanctuary at the same place.

[theblether]

Perhaps I missed it in the thread but how do you get to the waterfalls? Can you swim in them?

yes you can swim in them, I'll do a trip report in the SE Asia forum and pm you when it's up.