Snapshots: Houei Xay and the Gibbon Experience ...

We arrived at the fast boat terminal a few kms out of town and after yet another stair climb managed to get a lift into town in a van driven by a Lao "John Wayne" wannabe who had an alsatian dog sitting in the back ... having had the thai dog experience I then had to negotiate the Lao dog, she just sat there and ignored us which was quite interesting.

We found a guest house in Houei Xay which was quite adequate and we thought would be quiet as it was just off the main road where all the Songkam festivities were going on. Songkam being Lao New Year which lasts over 4 days and put simply is a water festival during which time there's an open licence to wet as many people as possible!! Well the hotel was fine apart from what seemed like a cockerel resident on the window sill! The local cockerels crowed all night, seemingly sending messages round town and we really thought that our cockerel was instigating it all!

After not such a good night's sleep we met up with other Gibbon Experience participants and along with a couple of tribespeople crammed into the back of a very old and very dilapidated landcruiser. Bonnet was up before we left so alarm bells rang ... a few kms out of town we stopped at a local garage where some welding took place, apparently to the alternator! Off we went again to stop a little later to fill up with fuel and there the nozzle fell out of the petrol tank spewing petrol across the forecourt - what next!

60kms later passing through some striking countryside and small villages we stopped at a small shop come restaurant where we picked up 2 more participants and headed off on a track through a river and up a hill ... well we tried to go up the hill but as we ground our way up there was an almighty clunk and the truck stopped and refused to continue... managed to turn round and get back to the restaurant where we all jumped out and after much hammering with spanners our driver discovered that the rear differential had snapped in two. Okay, so he just stuffed the hole up with a plastic bag, summoned another car, split us up and off we went! We made it to the village where we all got out and set off on our trek to the tree houses.

A good hour later we reached the first kitchen where we donned our zip line gear and, after a very crude instruction "course", headed off further into the rainforest ... definitely not having the best head for heights, my adrenalin started rushing but I was determined not to let the zip lines beat me! First one ok, 2nd one ok until I landed on at the end of it and wondered where the rest of the team were ... then true reality hit - I had to manoeuvre myself around the tree trunk and zip off again, no option, it had to be done but I arrived on the other side shaking like a leaf! A further trek and final zip to the tree house and we were there. Hhhmmm ... definite doubts about this but, to cut a long story short we had the most amazing experience. The best view in the world from the shower, spectacular view across and down the valley, gibbon sightings on both days, monkeys, amazing birds including prehistoric hornbills flying down the valley, treks through the jungle, more zip lining for the enthusiasts, an almost overhead electrical storm in the middle of the night, food prepared and cooked by the local tribespeople and sharing of stories with fellow participants. I could go on forever but you'll all get bored!

Eggs in the truck