The North of Vietnam : Hanoi and Bac Ha We took a bus for a 24 hour long ride, famously known on The Internet as the "South East Asian ride from hell". Well, long story short, it wasn't as terrible as planned. We were picked up from our hotel in Vientiane in the late afternoon and quickly arrived to the bus station where we discovered our bus. Nothing to really complain about actually. We found our seats/beds and got ourselves ready for the long trip. Around midnight, the bus arrived to the Vietnam border and parked. We had the wait for the opening of the border early the next morning. So the night was rather comfortable. It took more or less an hour to cross the border, walking under the rain, scanning the bags in the X-ray machines, and of course, the usual little one dollar bribe to the custom officer, etc. Back into the bus, we would drive until Hanoi where we would deserve a good night of sleep. What to say about Hanoi? Well first, for one of the very first times in our journey, we had to face rain every single day. Hence, it made the visit of the city difficult. We had a long stroll in the old district, observing the daily life of the locals and taking pictures. We sampled the local cuisines and specialty dishes. Very fresh and tasty! We visited some of the most famous parks, saw Ho Chi Minch mausoleum, etc! We also took enough time to compare the prices for the next activities planned on the following days. Given the poor weather, we decided not to go to Halong Bay, especially as we were told not to do it on cheap conditions. So we'll have to come back to Vietnam when we have enough on the bank account to properly splurge money on luxuries! :) Instead, we decided to head north, hoping for a better weather... But that is another story! After a lot of debates and reflections we finally chose to go to the North of Vietnam in order to meet ethnies. Furthermore we were hoping for a better weather. To do so, we took a night bus from Hanoi to Lao Cai and a very local mini bus to Bac Ha. On our way the mini bus stopped every five minutes to pick up locals who were heading to Bac Ha and especially to the weekly Sunday market which is very popular in the region. After a few kilometers we were squeezed among elderly, babies, bags of rice, chickens... After arriving, we directly went to the traditional markets. Ethnies are regrouped during a morning to sell their products from their villages. All the women were wearing traditional uniforms of their respective villages. During our walk into the market we unfortunately saw many products made in China destined to the tourists and therefore we did not buy any souvenirs as this famous market was loosing its interest. However, we have seen men buying tabacco from a stand and they were smoking directly on site in a typical kind of huge bamboo smoking instrument (see the picture). Also, we saw local foods, bamboos which were cuted on the floor and then eaten… The main attraction was really the clothes of the people : very colorful and well detailed. The day after we were woken up by the communist alarm clock of the city at 6 o’clock. Apparently it was providing local and latest news and, we guess, some communist speeches and propagandas. It did last for one hour, what a nightmare as we were heading two hours later to a hike around Bac Ha ! We left the city with a local woman guide in order to see the beautiful rice paddies. We asked a short hike of two hours as we knew that it would be difficult under a temperature of 30 degrees. However, we had a misunderstanding with her and instead, we did 18km in 6 hours. We were exhausted but very happy about what we had seen as well as the quality of the experience for the price paid: 10 dollars. It was not only about beautiful landscapes but we also visited a Hmonk House, saw many people working in the fields, children quitting school class and running after us just to say hello…. Have a look to the pictures and enjoy with us our souvenirs ! Elephant Conservation Centre The centre has been established in the province of Sayabouri homeland to over 360 registered domesticated elephants and the second largest population of wild elephants in Laos. The elephants at the centre are here to rest, either waiting to give birth or recovering from an exhausting life in logging or from mass tourism industries. The Asian elephants are smaller than the African Elephants. It ranges across a vast part of southern Asia living in the forests and on the grassy plains of Sri Lanka, India, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. They are gregarious roaming their territory in groups of 15 to 30 animals led by a mature female, the matriarch they are herbivores eating on average of 200 kg of leaves or bark per day. Normally they travel at around 6km/h but they are able to reach 40km/h when in charge. On dry ground elephant body weight is so call distributed on their four felted soles that they leave practically no trace. Threats: - Over population expansion of agricultural land, - Deforestation and industrial forest clearance - Poaching - Destruction of elephant migratory routes. Mahouts don’t want that their elephant bred because as said previously the gestation period is 20-22 months, then the new born has to stay three years with his/her mother to learn life and also it needs a training to become a working elephant. Therefore, in one year, for three births in Lao there are 10 deaths. We chose this centre because the treatment of elephant is one of the best in Asia and it is the only one hosting a hospital in Laos. They use tourism only to get founds and to make tourists aware of the dangers threatening elephants in modern times. 30% of the total amount of the experience is used for the elephants’ treatments and food. We really enjoyed our two day-stay because we knew and saw the happiness of the elephants and one of the most important factors for us was the simple use of tourism at the centre. No offer to have a walk on their back with the wooden cages. Indeed, it damages their back and therefore health. They drink around 100 litres of water a day and never stay to far from a source of water. They are viviparous animals meaning they give birth to well-developed young elephants. Gestation lasts for between 20-22 months. Female can bear three to four to four times in their lifetime and carry one at a time. A new born weights around 100 kg and an adult is around three to five tonnes. Tusks act as attack and defensive weapons and are also use to dig in the ground for tubers and roots. The value of ivory is largely responsible for the serious decrease of wild elephants herds (1kg of ivory = USD 200. Usually elephant life is around 70-80 years old, they die when they loose their teeth therefore they are no able to eat anymore. The trunk is used to put grass leaves and water into the mouth but also used as a trumpet to pull trees apart and tear off leaves to breath and throw dust or water (sun burn). It acts as a snorkel when crossing rivers or as a swat to drive away flies, smell to detect any suspicious food. The first day we arrived on the site through the lake. We got a very nice 20 minutes boat ride between hills and forests. We arrived at the centre where we discovered our lovely bungalow for two nights. It was made all of bamboo with a little terrace that was including a hammock with a magnificent view for sunset (picture). Then we had our fist meeting with the elephants at the pavilion camp. We learnt to ride with a walk of only five minutes in order not to scared and hurt the elephants. Then, it was the elephants bathing time. They have three baths a day in order to cool down, to put mud on their back to protect them from the sun and of course to drink the 150 litres they need per day. It was an intimate moment where we appreciated to see them playing, kissing and relaxing. The sun was starting to go down so we went back with three elephants to the forest where they would eat and sleep for the night. When we got back to the camp, we had the surprise to see Noi, the one year and 8 months old baby, taking his bath with his human nanny, as he is an orphan elephant. The second we started to go to the forest to look for elephants with the objective to bring them back to the camp. After a 30 minutes walk we started to spot them. During the night they are attached with chains in order to avoid them from escaping too far away. Back in the past, some escaped and were found in nearby farms (eating all bananas fields). If so the farmers can get very upset and hurt them and ask a lot of money. Also, it acts as protection from fire from deforestation. The centre is made on hectares so the elephants are attached to a different place every night and they have a chain of 30 meters that offer them to have a bit of liberty for eating. Back to the camp, we saw the bath of elephant once again and then we had our first Mahout lessons. So we went on our own on the oldest female elephant of the centre (around 60 years old) because she is the calmest but even with this information we were not so confident. We learnt the basic languages, words such as : - « Pai » : Go forward - « TOy » : Step Back - - « Kwa » : Turn Right - « Sai » : Turn left - « Haow » : Stop - Mep Long » : Go down from the elephant On the afternoon we went by boat to the nursery. On our way we saw the only male of the centre who is isolated because of the period of ruth (too dangerous). After arriving at our destination, we saw the three years old baby elephant beside his mother. What a relief to know that these young elephants will stay forever free and will never work for the tourism and logging industries. Furthermore, they may engenders others generations. Then we had the chance to take our own bathing time into the lake before assisting to the last elephant bath. By the way just David had the courage to do it as the water was freaking cold. On our last day we had our last Mahout lessons and test. Thankfully everyone passed successfully the test and we got our diplomas! Then we headed to the second nursery park where Noi was with his stepmother in order to learn how to survive. Then we were shown the way to the hospital in order to meet the vet of the centre. She explained us the creation and future of the centre and of course her daily job. Also, she mentioned the importance of the itinerary hospital truck throughout Laos. Then it was time to say goodbye to everyone and to continue our adventures in Vientiane! Vientiane Did you know that Laos is the most heavily bombed country per capita in history? By visiting the Cope Visitor Centre in Vientiane we have learned that over 2 million tons of ordinances were dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973. Therefore, Laos and his inhabitants especially farmers are dealing with bombs in their daily life by cropping. COPE, which stands for Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise, is a local organization that works with the Center of Medical Rehabilitation. Among other things COPE aims to provide prosthetics and mobility devices for people who require them free of charge if they cannot afford to pay for them. 2 Days on the MekongAfter crossing the border without difficulties we arrived in Huang Xai, the first city in Laos. We took the decision to take the boat option to join Luang Prabang. It took two days by boat trip on the Mekong River with a night break in Pakbeng (nothing special there). We boarded the long tail boat with many travellers (around 100) and we took place on our seats, which were very special. Indeed, ranges of buses or car seats were installed. We discovered the life along the Mekong by seeing local villages, fishing people… On our way we stopped several times to take local people from villages with their bags of rice. Despite the good weather and the beautiful landscapes, this trip has been long and not so different along the way. We were therefore very happy to arrive in Luang Prabang: a city about which we had heard lots of good comments. Luang Prabang: the relaxing city Until the communist takeover in 1975 it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. It is considered as the heart of the Laotian culture. The tiny town is encircled by mountains and rivers. More popular than Ventiane the capital city, Luang Prabang stands out for its temples, French architecture and shops and its natural beauty. We had a stroll everyday into the city and we could see monks at every corner of the city or temples. We remarked that monks a different colour outfit wear in this country: fluorescent orange. The reason is, it used to be the cheapest colour to buy for dying clothes. The French culture could be spotted everywhere in the city. As an example, local people were often playing at the petanque. The second day we went to the Kuang Si waterfalls. It is a single large cascade tumbles from the jungle feeding a series of falls and clear blue pools that make perfect swimming holes. We have also seen bears inside, held in captivity. It was not much of a great interest as we questioned the happiness of these animals. At night-time, we went to the night market. Every evening a kilometre-long stretch of road is closed to vehicle traffic and turned into a walking and shopping street while the market takes place. The market showcases an extensive variety of handicrafts made by local ethnic groups. On display are many types of textiles, ceramics, antiques, paintings, coffee and tea, very strong bottle alcohol with snakes or other unidentified animals… We did not buy any souvenir, as we were not sure as to where the items were all coming from. Probably from China as we have seen most of the products were in other city in Laos and even in Thailand. One of the major landmarks in the city is a large steep hill on which sits Wat Chom Si. We started our ascend of 15 minutes steep walk to the top in order to have a view on Luang Prabang. Every step reminded us of our trek in the Annapurna and we still wonder how we made it a few months ago. On our way and top we’ve seen several religious statues and temples. The panoramic view was worth the efforts nonetheless, and we enjoyed watching the sunset once there. |