Chiang Kong to Luang Namtha to Nong Khiaw to Luang Prabang

I left Chiang Mai Thailand midday Friday the 16th, i was sad to see it go, it's a really wonderful city. I took a six hour bus ride to Chiang Kong Thailand, and i met a guy from the Netherlands on the bus , sharing our likes and dislikes about John Grisham (he was reading) and Tom Clancy (which i was reading). Villim and I checked into a hostel when we got there, Great place overlooking the Mekong river and Laos. i sat and wondered what the Communists would be like, how scary they would be in the garb and utter distaste for western culture. It was in this hostel i met the only deadhead i have met yet. Richard from California had seen over 300 shows, since 72'. Jealous was i of course. We also met another guy from Holland and a guy from Greece and after two days in Chiang Kong, we had played it out, features included, giant catfish, 4 feet plus long, a Thai Elvis and Micheal Jackson impersonator/ performer/ air guitarist, and the second most spicy meal i have ever had, green curry fried rice. I was forced to sweat through that whole meal. The four of us decided to team up for the next few days and took a pickup ride to the Thai boarder crossing with (in total) 2 Dutch, 1 Spaniard, 1 Lithuanian, 2 South Africans, 1 Greek and 2  from the Czech Republic, with a Thai driver and 1 American keeping track of it all, amazing to meet so many people from so many places in one place. Crossed the boarder and luckily, because everyone needed US currency, i went right to the front of the line, then straight to the back because i forgot to fill out my exit card, damn! had to pay for my visa in Laos, with US dollars, thought that interesting and odd. "Can i pay for this in Kip", Laotian currency, fingers pointing to the sign and a disgruntled look, "30 US dollars",  he had been through it for the last 10 years ever since Laos opened its boarders. Here is where he had been sent to work, taking that finger out and pointing at the US Dollar sign to every confused foreigner, day in and day out. He looked beyond board and frustrated, and i don't blame him, they taught him to point but not how to say "US dollars only". Boarders aside, which are never fun, no matter where you go, so far Laos has been a trip, starting the first morning when Georgio the Greek went on and on about his fish breakfast that no one else had eaten, convincing me even that i would have loved fish for breakfast. His joy didn't last too long as he lost his breakfast in the mini van on the way to Laung Namtha, four times. Quite curvy as it turns out, the Lao mountains are. A new Spaniard, David, joined us for the ride and we have spent, the five of us, three days together. Hitting the streets of Luang Namtha the first day, exploring Laos by mountain bike the second day and by motor bike the third. We mountain biked for 4 hours, we had a late start as someone hopped on one of our bikes and took off for an hour, still am not sure why or who did it but the bike owner came riding back to us with it. No one speaks much English here and getting  a round is certainly more difficult yet more interesting too. The scenery was beautiful, hills, huts, pigs, cows, temples, rice paddies and jungle lined dirt roads. We stopped to take a picture and noticed a homemade rice whiskey still, nothing like a fresh from the tap shot of hot rice whiskey to start the day and then again on the way back to end it. The next day I got a 125cc Susuki moped, Villim the Dutch was apprehensive and rightfully so, he dumped his bike over .4  seconds after getting on it. He was fine after some minor first aid. After a trip to the repair shop we got the bill for the damage, 120,000... Kip about 30 usd, I am currently a kip millionaire, no big deal. we headed to an Aka village, the long way. The day before we had tried to mountain bike it there, then trying to walk it, then finally quitting it, darkness started to fall as rapidly as the temp which reached to a low of 34 degrees. So the next day we were determined to reach the village, this time we brought some fire power, we road the long road through the mountains to the distant Aka black Thai village. I had such an amazing experience in this small hill top village. We were like five aliens landing on a foreign planet, the children came running out to great us, women and men stood with big smiles. I, in front of about 30 villagers, preformed my only magic trick an got a lot of ohhs and ahhs and was subsequently asked to do it again 10 more times. We all drove home that night, five metal steads charging into the sunset with wide grins. The next day, Villium and Arian and I decided to head to Nong Khiaw Laos, An amazing little town nestled in a valley connected by a long bridge, I had a bungalow with a porch and hammock over looking the Nam uh River, It was a fantastic spot. i spent three days there, hiking to caves used by the pathet Lao government during the Indochina wars , i hiked my way to waterfalls and two villages where i was greeted with smiles and a sat in a hut and shared fresh oranges with some of the locals, none of who could speak more than one word of English. The communist flag hangs high in this town but you would never know it. Life with or without the flag changes nothing for these people. i was in awe of the beauty and simplicity of it all as i sat by the river over looking fisherman and children splashing around in the water in there respective ways. I grabbed a boat back to town and was able to see the mountains from a whole new angle. The limestone Karats were formed 250 million years ago when tectonic plates smashed into one another, pushed these mountains from the earth. Over the years slowly they have been eaten away by monsoons and have formed the most beautiful shapes, they look like a rock climbers paradise. In contrast to how old they are, the Himalayas are only 50 million years old, crazy right? Villium and i decided to head to Luang Prabang yesterday, leaving Arian. We were once 5, now only two but as we checked into a guest house, looking at the client list, we had found Georgio, who we had left 5 days before in Luang Namtha. Just dumb luck, so last night we drank some BeerLao, sat and took in all the excitement that was Christmas eve here, not so much for the locals but the foreign contingent is the highest here than anywhere since Chaing Mia Thailand so it was a blast. Woke this am, looking at our xmas tree ( i found a 14 foot bamboo pole in the jungle and have carried it for 4 days so we can decorate it for xmas) so by tonight, a few BeerLao cans and some other junk will be hanging off it, which with be hanging off our balcony overlooking the main street. I am pumped. I had to bribe the slow boat driver who took us down the Mekong yesterday to take it with us but it was worth it. Everyone seems pretty jealous of our tree, because they stared at me carrying it for the last 4 days, i know those looks, Villim swears they were looks of bewilderment but i know better. Soon every house in Laos with have one for the 25th. Well, that's the news that's fit to print. I miss you all on this day, as everyday, but i hope you have a wonderful Christmas and you stay safe and happy. Much love, Jah bless and a Merry Christmas. 

the 4 horsemen 

Villagers amazed at Davids hair, they all wanted to touch it. too great

the face of the communist threat in Laos, keep your guard up

a life unchanged

the bside of the bridge, we would make our way in a small wooden boat for 6 hours don this river to the Mekong

Sunset from the best side of the bridge in Laos. Villim and i sat here three nights in a row and marveled till the sun went down. we watched as couples held hands, so we held beers and our bamboo pole, we were just as happy. we are not gay, not that there is anything wrong with it