Tribasia Blog

(Picture by Californian Em/Flickr)
We hope you got a great start to this new year :))
2010 started for us with well-worn shoes and wide-opened eyes. We just spent 6 days in the province of Phongsali, the northernmost corner of Laos. We could not keep up with the number of ethnic groups (Akha, Hor and Lue) and their sub-groups (Akha Meuo, Akha Pixor, Akha Nuquoy and more) we met as there were so many.

We went trekking really REALLY far and wide this time. We trekked jungle paths where we could not see much ahead of us except a maze of greenness. We got our heads and feet entangled in creepers, creeping plants of all kinds and first view on weird creepy crawlies. We crossed streams and creeks, climbed steep and narrow paths and enjoyed wonderful views of pristine jungle.

On our last day, we even ended up walking two hours in the dark back to Ban Phonsa-At where we were staying. On the plus side, we could enjoy an unspoiled view of the Orion constellation and wished upon a few shooting stars. On the down side, we had to go up a dusty and windy mountainous road that seemed to never end and we always got a tad-too-warm welcome from dogs in the rare hamlets we came across.

It was all worth it in the end. We better understood the diversity and differences among Akha people. We spent time with these ethnic groups in their natural setting.

We are now in Luang Nam Tha province. We will post further news shortly to tell you about this new 'tribal' chapter ;0)

Labels: Akha, Hor, jungle, Laos, Lue, Phongsali, Trekking