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Paddle the Lao-Vietnam Borderlands
| Days: |
5 days |
| Location: |
Laos |
| Activities: |
Kayaking (Class 1; two days of hard paddling), hiking, exploring a picturesque old town |
| Dates: |
December 8-12 (Thurs-Mon), 2005.
For Thailand residents, Dec. 12th is a compensatory holiday for Constitution Day on Dec. 10. |
BRIEFLY
We are heading for a river only 1.5 km. from the Vietnamese border. Its population is a mix of tribal peoples, lowland Laos, and Vietnamese who have resided there for generations, and who still cross back and forth to trade and log the forests.
Our objective is a four-km. natural tunnel through a limestone mountain. After a spirit propitiation ceremony, we'll paddle upriver from the tunnel mouth, explore side rooms and hidden pools, and then talk with the villagers.
We then move downstream to an area inhabited by a different type of Laos, and then explore the charming old town of Powa Tai which offers beautiful photo opportunities. Back in Thailand, we'll visit the house where Ho Chi Minh lived for six years as he plotted his revolution,
and the most famous stupa in Thailand's Northeast. We'll spend four nights in village houses.
ITINERARY
Day 1 (Dec. 8, Thursday):
Fly to the Lao border. Cross the Mekong and drive to a famed plateau near the border. Paddle to the cave mouth. Dine and sleep in a village that uses old Vietnam War bomb casings as planters.
Day 2 (Dec. 9, Friday):
Paddle in your own inflatable kayak as far up the tunnel as the current will allow us. Bathe in the river, sleep in the village. Talk with an elderly Pathet Lao soldier. Join villagers hunting frogs or bats.
Day 3 (Dec. 10, Saturday):
Paddle farther downriver and hike in a rainforest. Ride a longboat to overnight in an old riverside village.
Day 4 (Dec. 11, Sunday):
Paddle a beautiful gorge to a weaving village where we spend the night. Talk with villagers about the potential impact of a planned new dam on their lives.
Day 5 (Dec. 12, Monday):
Drive through beautiful limestone valleys to an old town with a lovely old monastery and houses. Drive to Tha Khaek for lunch, cross to Thailand, and visit Ho Chi Minh's old house. Drive to the stupa and then to the airport for a late evening flight back to Bangkok.
For more information and prices, e-mail +662 653 9712 and +6681 450 5340 noting your country of departure. |
