Hanging with the Hmong

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Our first day in Luang Prabang was pretty relaxed. We had breakfast with Matt and his traveling buddies, then shopped around town with Elvina and Guilluame for a trek. We ended up going with a company called White Elephant that promised a genuine village experience and kayaking to boot. Caz and I arranged a flight to Hanoi for the coming Monday. Then we went temple hopping with Elvina and Stina, followed by a wander around the night market. Luang Prabang lends itself to a slow pace, and we fully embraced it.

The next day, the four trekkers headed out into the jungle. Joined by Barney and Sandra, a couple from London, we were led by two guides named Thong (pronounced 'tong') and Shaolee. The first day started with an easygoing hike through the midlands. We crossed creek after creek and passed fields of hops and rice, passing hill people along the way. We had plenty of food, and it was quite pleasant to amble through bamboo groves and harvested terraces.

We reached the first Hmong village in the afternoon. It was a small place, comprised of only 30-someodd families. There were animals and children all over the place. Everywhere you looked were fat, snuffling pigs and bobbing chickens and kids in states of half-dress. Thong, a Hmong himself, taught us a little about these highland people, and then we were allowed to wander. We took pictures of the kids, who found it endlessly entertaining; they would stand perfectly still and solemn while the shots were taken, then giggle and shriek when showed the photos. We bought some handmade bracelets to support their school, and then it was goodbye to continue our trek.

The second half of the hike was quite a bit harder, as it was mostly uphill. Even Thong, the more experienced of our guides, had to call for a break. We reached the next Hmong village about an hour or so after the first. This one was a bit bigger with 50 families. We got a tour of the old shaman's house and watched a younger shaman bless a sick man's home. Then we were shown to the house were we'd be staying, a simple affair of raised platforms with blankets and mosquito netting. Left to our own devices until dinner, we all split up and checked out the village. Caz and I took pictures of the many animals and watched the kids play all sorts of games. While trying to interact with one small girl, I ended up playing Pictionary in the dirt with a handful of kids, which led to them teaching me the names of body parts in Hmong. Even some of the older ladies joined in, although it was clear by all the laughter that my pronunciation was atrocious.

Back at our homestay, Shaolee started us a fire. It was a hit with the kids as well, and we all huddled around it to stave off the chilly mountain wind. Girls as young as five were carrying their younger siblings on their pack, showing immense strength and care. Little boys wearing no pants shrugged off the cold like it was a warm spring day. They were really tough, these children. They were shy with us at first, but by the end of the night we were exchanging vocabulary lessons and fart noises like old friends.

In the dark kitchen of the homestay, lit only by the fire they cooked over, our guides made us an amazing dinner. We ate our fill and more, then rejoined the fire. The kids put us to shame when they were still bursting with energy when we all crashed at 9pm. Our hosts were incredibly gracious and made us lovely beds, but sleep was still piecemeal, broken by the surprisingly cold temperature, crowing roosters, and the early motions of the village.

We were ready to move by 8am the next morning, after a delicious breakfast again supplied by our guides. We said goodbye ("she jee dua") and thank you ("ua jao") to the village and headed off. Our next stop wasn't far off: it was the Khmu area of the same village. The Khmu speak a different language, build different houses, and come from a different background from the Hmong, but they live together amiably. We quickly learned hello in Khmu ("smile luh"), only to be confused when we were told that a few families of Hmong also lived in this section (so it was "your jong" for them!). 

After a quick tour of the Khmu village, we trekked back down to the road to meet the driver. Then it was a 20 minute ride to the river for the kayaking part of the journey. It was my first kayaking experience, but luckily I had Captain Caz to lead the way! She directed me with skill and ease, and we cut smoothly through the water with out trouble. We didn't even flip when we hit the rapids! (Can't say the same for Elvina and Guillaume though; sorry Frenchies!) The scenery was stunning: green mountains towered on either side of us, and the river curved gracefully around rocks and trees. It felt pretty amazing to be a part of it.

The ride was full of fun detours. We had a few splash wars, Sandra and Barney got boarded and flipped by a gang of Laotian kids, and we stopped on the side of the river to see a gold panning operation. By the time we reached our destination, my arms were ready to fall off and be left behind. It was great fun, an amazing experience, and a much needed workout, though, and definitely one of the highlights of our trip so far.

We all took a much needed rest after we got back into town, then met up in the evening for a drink at Utopia to toast our awesome trekking experience. Ua jao, Thong and Shaolee!