06122010 : Trekking in Phongsaly, Phou Den Din national protected area

Arrived in Phongsaly after a gruelling 10 hr bus ride on a local bus up over the mountains on impossible rocky dirt roads. It's a real good test of your patience and tolerance especially when the driver is blasting Lao folk music and you have people puking in the aisle of the bus from getting bus sick. Had a guy who hauled up a huge rodent and another a pair of freshly amputated goat trotters when the bus stopped at one of the villages.

our rickety bus

1/4 into the journey.

2hrs later. btw we did not change any tyres

freaking huge rodent

they were auctioning for the pair of goat trotters which was in the bucket

Lazed around town before arranging our trek at the tourism office. It was also the night i had a fever of 38.8 which recurred during the trek and it was really hell and spoilt the experience for me. But still the Akha village we went to was really hospitable and they gave us a really good massage. while the rest got ladies, i got an old man who had a little too much lao lao. For a few moments i was really worried he was going to break my back into 2.

view of the town of phongsaly from the guesthouse

sprawling rice fields