35. Huay Bo village

Having arrived in Mung Noi I decided to pass through and walk to the Khamu hill tribe village of Huay Bo about an hour and a half away, and stay there the night.... What a different world! The road that I started my walk along was the new one to Nong Khiaw... An hour by boat but 4 hours by road along a dusty track that winds through the hills. It was only built 10 months ago.... So for the moment the boat is secure as a means of transport. 

I looked in some caves, then crossed a ford, where there was a local traffic jam... There is also a new bamboo footbridge now

Past these.... Not dried leaves but beautiful butterflies, hundreds of them... 

I was unsure which way to go, but then along came a lovely lady and her two children, also going to Huay Bo. So I went with them... We turned off the road onto a path

And went over a bridge.... The women do most of the heavy carrying round here. This huge sack she carried easily for ages with a scarf tied round her head and then round the sack..... And their balance over the bridge was impeccable, but I needed a hand! 

We eventually arrived in Huay Bo having crossed two streams, numerous rice fields, a couple of herds of water buffalo, and seen some spectacular scenery. 

There is still no road to the village, although it does go nearby through the next village. This is Huay Bo...

And the lady showed me to the one guesthouse, below. Mine was the second room on the left, the shared squat toilet is the hut to the left. 10,000 kip a night, about 80p.... Just a double mattress on the floor and a mosquito net, pillows and a duvet as it gets cool at night. There was pétanque in front of the rooms... Laos still has a strong French influence and many Lao people speak French, particularly the older people. 

This was the guest house restaurant where I ate that night with two young French couples who were also staying there. 4 French and one English and a Lao, and we all spoke in English... Put me to shame.... 

This was the shower... Fabulous! All the village use it

It was so cool and refreshing

They do have electricity in the village, but the amount depends on the season. It's hydro electricity.... They dam the streams and then fix a metal rod and propellor which turns and creates the electricity. There is then a series of wires that transports the power to the village.

When I was there it was the dry season so there were only two light bulbs in the village, in the restaurant where we were and another one that was full of locals. Everyone walked around with torches, and there were small fires by some houses. But apparently in the wet season even the guest house rooms have a light bulb! I didn't have that luxury.... And of course no wifi or phone signal either!

I met some of the locals

They do have stand pipes in the village...

The next morning one of the French couple had arranged to go hunting with the locals, to shoot birds and squirrels in the jungle. 

By 9.30 they had left with all the men and their dogs to go hunting, and the village was deserted except for the women, children  and old men. 

I left too, walking to the next village with one of the French couples.

In this village some of the girls were having their hair cut, watched by many onlookers.

They were actually having their hair thinned, and the hair that was being cut off was kept carefully by the hairdresser.... To sell for wigs. The girls got a piece of material for a skirt as payment....

And so I returned to Mung Noi....