This was a four-day whitewater rafting/kayaking trip down the Nam Ha River in Laos…each day, we stayed in a different hilltribe village. The cast of characters was varied and quite hilarious…there were eight of us on the trip, and seven even made it to Thailand. 😉 (The eighth left us after the second day.)
Credits: About half the photos on this page were taken by Michelle, one of my fellow rafters. In particular, all the good shots of people were taken by Michelle.
Click here for Hilltribe Visits, Part 2
Click here for Hilltribe Visits, Part 3
...while I curled up and went to sleep. (Sadly, my metabolism does not allow for drinking...I have the fast-flush gene in spades, so anything over one drink makes me acutely ill.)
The next morning, while my compatriots were groaning with hangovers, I got up and started negotiating for the exquisite local weaving.
First it was just a few women offering to sell me their goods....
....then it turned into a mob scene. At one point I counted thirty women trying to sell me their weaving!!
Fortunately, it was all quite good-natured...
As we left this village, some monks arrived in a longtail boat...very pretty.
I forgot to include this earlier...but I got to see an impromptu cockfight. Here they're trying to stare each other down...
....and here are some water buffalo, carefully protecting their calves from the weird strangers.
Finally, too soon, we came to Hoi Sai, and the Thai border. Here's the re-entry to Thailand...
...and the beginning of a new adventure. (This is the way to the Akha village, where I met the silversmith...but that, as they say, is another story. :-) )
Click here for Hilltribe Visits, Part 2
Click here for Hilltribe Visits, Part 3
