Laos Zipline Jungle Adventure Day 1

3-Day, 2-Night Zipline Adventure with Green Disovery Tours

In December 2013, DD and I took a monthlong trip to Southeast Asia. We spent the most time in Thailand, with shorter visits to Laos and Cambodia.

Thanks to our friend Adam, who also had relatives – his brother Dan and Dan’s then-girlfriend and now wife Katrina – visiting around the holidays, DD and I got to tag along on what was billed as a “zipline jungle tour adventure” with a stay in a “treetop hotel.” Sarah was unfortunately not able to come along because of a little one being due.

It was one of the most amazing experiences I’d ever had in my life and a definite highlight of our trip.

From Chiang Mai, DD and I hopped on one of the regional carriers – AirAsia, for a quick flight to Bangkok. The next day, we rose at 4:00am to head to Don Mueaang airport for our 6:05am Nok Air flights to Ubon Ratchathani. Dan and Katrina had just gotten in from Chicago(!) around 1am.

After a brief 1-hour flight, we had a shuttle and guide to take us from the Ubon airport to the border town of Chong Mek (another 2.5 hour drive) where we’d exit Thailand, and then walk across the border into Laos. At the border crossing, we’d need to procure and pay for our Visas. Cash only, US dollars.

Obtaining our Visas at Laos border

Visa Fees at Laos Border, Danny’s photo

Another guide/ driver meets us after visas are procured and we drive into the Pakse city centre to the Green Discovery Tours office. There, we meet our zipline guardian, Mr. Loy (who was fantastic and spoke excellent English as well as Lao and Thai), and loaded up into another van that brought us to the small village of Ban Nonluang, where we would start our trek.

Pretty Village

The ride to the village lasts around an hour, about half of it on bumpy, unpaved dirt roads. Ban Nonluang is a coffee-growing community, and we gathered at what appeared to be their general store.

Bon Nonluang General Store

We wandered around for a bit as our guides got our gear and lunch ready. We also got to use the potty.

Local Potty. Photo by Danny Dawson

Lao-Lao and Drinking Water. Danny’s photo.

Danny of course had to buy some of the local firewater – a clear “whiskey” called Lao-Lao distilled from rice. And of course, the Lao-Lao is stored in the same kinds of water bottles that we are given for hydration on the trail.

Tasty Lao Lunch

Finally, we sat down to a generous and tasty lunch: meat patties and some cured meat; a chicken dish that was utterly flavourful but filled with many, many chicken bones; hard boiled eggs, sitr-fried veggies, sticky rice, and dipping sauces (not at hot-spicy as Thailand).

Harnesses and Hand Brakes

After we had eaten, Mr. Loy proceeded to give us our individual gear kits: harnesses and carabiners and helmets; water.

Kitting up with our gear

Easy initial hike

And then we’re off! We trek for a little bit on easy, flat dirt road, past coffee fields and other farmland. I’m carrying about a week’s worth of stuff in my backpack. From Laos we journey to Siem Reap in Cambodia to see Ankor Wat, before returning to Bangkok for the New Year. If I were to do this trek again, I’d bring slightly more, but know that I’d be able to leave some luggage behind in the Green Discovery offices. The weather was fairly mild for Southeast Asia – sunny and dry, and not too warm or humid. I can see where some rain might have made our trek a little less comfortable.

River Crossing

Eventually we enter the jungle, and, there to greet us is our first obstacle — some wires strung across a river. We cross, one by one. I was a tad nervous during this one, despite its relative low height, and the shallowness of the river. Shortly after our crossing, and despite not having touched a bit of the river water, DD discovers a leech on his ankle!

Rooty, technical descent

The trail becomes quite technical and difficult, and there were times that I wished for something to hang on to. Our guides occasionally lent a helping hand. We had received advice to bring proper hiking boots; our guides wore simple Keds-like tennis shoes.

Ziplining Fun!

Finally, the ziplines. On the first day, these were short and sweet, and none too fast. I felt exhilirated and not at all scared. We rode about 6 ziplines that day.

Treetop Hotel Digs

We finally found ourselves at our hotel. The only way to enter our hotel “suite” — really, a large hut balanced around a huge Stangler fig tree — is to, of course, zipline into it. We’re not really supposed to enter and exit without a guide with us, so we deposit a few things, grab a few things (we plan to brave the showers) and plan to spend most of the remaining evening in the communal area. We even have a toilet in our suite! Since everything was open to the air, though, I was nervous about various critters we might encounter in the dead of night.

In the common area, there are showers, and a regular toilet. The showers, despite what the online brochures might have mentioned, are cold. I think the heater was not working quite well at that time, so, no choice but cold, cold water, open to the air (which, admittedly, was warmer than the water). We sucked it up, though, even DD.

Tiger Power = Strychnine Root

Our Lao-Lao infused with Tiger Power. Adam’s photo.

Our guide Loy came up and asked us whether we’d be interested in infusing our Lao-Lao with something to give us “Tiger Power.” He gives us a root, and procedes to shave some of it into our bottle of Lao-Lao. “Leave it there for 1/2 hour,” he says. It’s not until we return to the village on our last day that DD is able to have Loy type the name for “Tiger Power” into his iphone and translate it from the Thai Script to English. It means “Strychnine Root.”

First Dinner: roast marinated chicken, rice, potatoes, fresh veggies.

We sit around our table, and chat, and drink Lao-Lao until dinner arrives. There is a fire in the middle of the communal area, which makes the atmosphere a little smoky depending on which way the wind blows. Dinner is simple, but tasty. Mr. Loy made sure that we had enough to eat. There are also beers available for an extra fee.

Greetings from our Treetop Hotel Room!

I don’t remember when we eventually retire to our quarters for bedtime, but I do recall some walking in the dark — headlamps are handy — and ziplining (in the dark!) into our suite. There is a bit of a rush to get ready for bed, since all lights eventually go out in about half an hour. Dan and Katrina who had been traveling for some over 40 hours, were amazingly resilient! Perky and happy despite not having gotten much rest since Chicago. We even managed to get a little Edge service so I could send Sarah a quick photo and update from our treehouse.

So far, so good. It was a great first day adventure!

Useful Links

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Share