Hell on wheels

Feb 15th.
So today Matt and I, along with 9 other travelers took off for the North of Laos, Namtha. This is the “eco-tourism” capital of Laos, and I was excited to get out of a city for a few days. Namtha is situated on Nam Ha NPA (National protected area). The bus ride was supposed to be 7 hours, but since this IS Laos, it took at least 10. Hellish. Hours. Let me tell you about Laos’ major highway. It is a)through mountains, so curvy and up and down and not a pleasant road and b) UN. PAVED most of the way. That’s right people. We’re on a dirt path through the mountains for far too long. We got to Namtha though, checked into a hotel and went for dinner in a tiny market in a town that makes Norwich look poppin’. Curfew: 10:30. Things to do after 9? Nonexistent. We debated what to do before running into a girl on the bus who suggested we get our asses in gear and sign up for a trek. We picked the “lahu authentic experience” from Jungle Eco-adventures, and tried to recruit others, as the more people on the trek, the cheaper it is. This is mainly unsuccessful, save one other girl from the bus. Happy with our choices we went to bed as there was nothing else to do. Welcome to Laos.
Things I like about Namtha: Coconut Sticky Rice in Bamboo. Simply Delish!