Kayaking In Laos

I mentioned to a guy I met through work that I was going kayaking before work one day and he asked if he could come along. Since then we've become friends so I was pretty stoked to have the company when I finally went this morning. I invited Peter Pan along too and he said yes, so it was a good group.

He spoke to a travel company next to our hotel a few days ago and got us a deal for 80,000 kip, roughly 10 bucks.  Great deal. I'd asked another outfitter to set me up and he quoted me $25. He had found out we were working on a film and figured we could afford it I guess. Little does he know...

We met our guide at 8am, 10 minutes later we were in the back of a truck travelling down beaten old roads surrounded by some of the most gorgeous scenery I've ever seen.  15 minutes later we put in. Our guide was a young guy with a good sense of humour. He asked if we could swim. There were no lifejackets anywhere but he asked anyway. He made a little safety harness for my glasses too. I asked if I was going to need that. He laughed and put my kayak in.

The ride started on a gentle stream. We passed goats with their kids playing on almost vertical banks. Cattle roamed in and around the water. The mountains pressed upward into the morning haze as the sun desperately tried to break through. Our guide pointed out things of interest; caves, wildlife, different buildings. Once in a while we'd hit some small rapids and get a bit of a charge out of the extra rush of water.

Our guide chatted with me along the way. We traded stories about our homelands. He asked if I'd ever eaten snake. I said I had. He told me a real man in Laos eats snake and dog. He looked a little sideways when I said I'd never had dog before.

After 4 k we took a bit of a break. Not that the trip so far was very strenuous, but most of us had been sitting in hotel chairs at computers 12 hours a day for the past 2 months.  The sun was shining now and we were really enjoying the morning. After about 10 minutes we put in again and went on our way.

We booked through a company that doesn't have a name but is directly beside the front stairs of the Silver Naga hotel.

Vang Vieng is known for tubing. The same river we were kayaking is used daily by hundreds of intoxicated foreigners to float past a gauntlet of bars, each eager to toss you a line and sell you a bucket of something. I'm not judging, I fully intend to be one of those intoxicated foreigners early next week. But this morning we were out before the festivites began. The launch area, where the bars, swings, beer pong, mud volleyball and ziplines live was calm. The water was glassy save a few long tails shuttling beer  to the thatched roof bars across the river. A few were playing dub step even at this early hour, but no one was really about.

Just past the tubing area I saw a water buffalo completely submersed save the top of his head and snout. Another was wading shoulder deep by the bank. They gave me a bit of a warning snort as I paddled out of my way toward them, so I gave them a wide berth. A few catfish swam by at one point and a flurry of bubbles surfaced at another time. My curiosity must have shown, somy guide told me not to worry, probably just a crocodile.

We arrived back at the Silver Naga hotel and pulled ashore. Our guide took care of all our gear for us and we were on our was. A fantastic way to start the day, I was in high gear all morning. I wasn't until about 3pm that I felt the need for a power nap. I love

Welcome to Laos - The Thing about Crickets is...

The coolest part about travelling is meeting new people. Spending the past 2 weeks in Laos I've made friends with a couple from Vang Tien. This evening after work they took us for some real Laos food just outside the main area of Vang Vieng.

The restaurant "Full Moon 2" (there are many bars restaurants and shops with 'moon' in the name here)  was brightly lit with thousands of Christmas lights. The kind of lights that are wrapped in a plastic tube so they look like rope. As we walked up several people sitting in the dining area looked up at us, then started to scramble. I realised we were the only customers, the other 15 people or so were staff.

Caught a cricket in chop sticks.
Take that Daniel-san!!

About 4 of them hung around as we attempted to order. Unfortunately for me and one other in our party, the menu was in Laos. My friend Vet began ordering in Laos for us. When she was done, the other westerner in our group asked us what she'd ordered.

"Chicken tendons, duck necks, prawns, soup, and deep fried crickets" At first I thought she was kidding, then she said "Oh and some french fries"

The chicken tendons came first, deep fried and served with a sweet sauce. Other than the unusual chewy, stringy texture, they were surprisingly good. Next the bad news came. No duck necks. Vet rambled something in Laos and the waitress (or waiter, I really couldn't tell) tottled off to the kitchen. Sweet N' Sour pork. Awsome!

Next came the prawns and the crickets. I don't like sea food so I opted for the crickets. To be fair Ana went first. She closed her eyes, pushed her shoulders up and made the strangest face as she chewed frantically. She said it tasted like prawns.

Great.

It took me 10 minutes of eating french fries and changing the subject to work up the courage. When I was finally ready to eat the damn thing my phone rang. Saved by the bell.  After dispatching my call I was immediately called out for taking so long. (Actually Ana called me a pussy)  My friend Peter was ready with his camera (His name is actually Peter Pan, I didn't believe him at first) I took a deep breath...tightened my grip on my chop sticks and popped Jimeney down the hatch. Crickets are not nearly as crunch as I thought they'd be, and that was somehow comforting. The poor little guy broke apart in my mouth. Mostly flavourless and about the same texture as the skin on a peanut, it really wasn't so bad.

I washed my latest snack down with some beer Laos and had another french fry.  The rest of the meal was fantastic and I have to say, I really like Laos cuisine.