Trekking in the Luang Nam Tha NPA
While we were in the Vieng Poukha area, we did three days of trekking. The first day was a daytrip while the second and third days included backpacking and an overnight in an Akha village.
Our trekking was in the Luang Nam Tha NPA, which is a fairly recent development conservation-wise and just opened up to trekking a few years ago. On our first day, we hiked through old-growth rainforest and visited Kaorao Cave. We had local guides who showed us different medicinal plants-- one with roots good for treating malaria, another to make pregnant women stronger. According to a Khmu myth, one plant, which is highly poisonous, was once used as a poultice for the python's venom. As a result of its potency, the python lost its poison and the plant became poisonous in its place. During the day, we visited three caves and climbed over stunning limestone formations, picking leeches off our toes and hiking around huge strangler figs.
Kaorao Cave is so named because once three men went into the cave, and only Kaorao came back alive. It's said that a spirit haunts the cave-- this spirit has the ability to make one lose their sense of direction. As a result, we knelt before a small altar at the entrance and our guides said prayers to this spirit. We hiked several kilometers into the cathedral-like cave. It was full of fantastic stalactites and in places the walls shone with quartz. Bats flapped around overhead and there were strange bugs that lived in complete darkness.
As wonderful as our first day was, the second and third day were absolutely amazing. We hiked along an Akha footpath into the Luang Nam Tha NPA. These aren't well-designed trails like in the U.S. They go directly from Point A to Point B, and involve many steep ascents and descents. Since the rainy season is just beginning, we were slipping and sliding in the mud.
Over the three days of trekking, I had about a dozen leeches. More than once I'd find my sock soaked with blood or an oozing wound on my foot. In fact, on the third day, Akha villagers prepared a pungent poison which we'd paint on the leaches as they crawled eagerly towards us.
We spent the night in an Akha village high in the hills. The setting was absolutely beautiful. We were treated to a sizable amount of Akha moonshine, which it is considered impolite to refuse. This resulted in having shots of whiskey with the blacksmith at 7 am on our third day. One of my concerns about trekking is the gradual erosion of hill tribe culture, and I was worried that we might be contributing to alcoholism in the villages. Unfortunately, many hill tribesmen drink a considerable amount regardless.
I spent a lot of time thinking about the effects of conservation versus ecotourism, as well as the balance between culture and environment. The NPA is a patchwork of untouched forest and swidden fields (slash and burn agriculture). As a result of becoming an NPA, the slash and burn is being phased out, resulting in a major cultural change for hill tribes. Ecotourism is a potentially sustainable way to conserve the area and also pay the bills, but I wonder how positive our presence really is in these nearly "untouched" villages.
All the same, we both enjoyed both the cultural and natural aspects of the trip. Whether it was getting caught in a downpour, sweating profusely, or bathing in the same stream as Akha women, it truly felt like a rainforest. We forded rivers, heard the distinctive woodpecker-like sound of the 'tilok', and learned about many different species of mushrooms such as the aptly named 'dog penis'. Most of all, it was a small opportunity to see into a very different way of life. The trail was gruelling, and I can only imagine what it's like in the height of the rainy season. Akha women hike these trails everyday, often walking 30 kilometers or more into town with heavy baskets on their backs.
Our trekking was in the Luang Nam Tha NPA, which is a fairly recent development conservation-wise and just opened up to trekking a few years ago. On our first day, we hiked through old-growth rainforest and visited Kaorao Cave. We had local guides who showed us different medicinal plants-- one with roots good for treating malaria, another to make pregnant women stronger. According to a Khmu myth, one plant, which is highly poisonous, was once used as a poultice for the python's venom. As a result of its potency, the python lost its poison and the plant became poisonous in its place. During the day, we visited three caves and climbed over stunning limestone formations, picking leeches off our toes and hiking around huge strangler figs.
Kaorao Cave is so named because once three men went into the cave, and only Kaorao came back alive. It's said that a spirit haunts the cave-- this spirit has the ability to make one lose their sense of direction. As a result, we knelt before a small altar at the entrance and our guides said prayers to this spirit. We hiked several kilometers into the cathedral-like cave. It was full of fantastic stalactites and in places the walls shone with quartz. Bats flapped around overhead and there were strange bugs that lived in complete darkness.
As wonderful as our first day was, the second and third day were absolutely amazing. We hiked along an Akha footpath into the Luang Nam Tha NPA. These aren't well-designed trails like in the U.S. They go directly from Point A to Point B, and involve many steep ascents and descents. Since the rainy season is just beginning, we were slipping and sliding in the mud.
Over the three days of trekking, I had about a dozen leeches. More than once I'd find my sock soaked with blood or an oozing wound on my foot. In fact, on the third day, Akha villagers prepared a pungent poison which we'd paint on the leaches as they crawled eagerly towards us.
We spent the night in an Akha village high in the hills. The setting was absolutely beautiful. We were treated to a sizable amount of Akha moonshine, which it is considered impolite to refuse. This resulted in having shots of whiskey with the blacksmith at 7 am on our third day. One of my concerns about trekking is the gradual erosion of hill tribe culture, and I was worried that we might be contributing to alcoholism in the villages. Unfortunately, many hill tribesmen drink a considerable amount regardless.
I spent a lot of time thinking about the effects of conservation versus ecotourism, as well as the balance between culture and environment. The NPA is a patchwork of untouched forest and swidden fields (slash and burn agriculture). As a result of becoming an NPA, the slash and burn is being phased out, resulting in a major cultural change for hill tribes. Ecotourism is a potentially sustainable way to conserve the area and also pay the bills, but I wonder how positive our presence really is in these nearly "untouched" villages.
All the same, we both enjoyed both the cultural and natural aspects of the trip. Whether it was getting caught in a downpour, sweating profusely, or bathing in the same stream as Akha women, it truly felt like a rainforest. We forded rivers, heard the distinctive woodpecker-like sound of the 'tilok', and learned about many different species of mushrooms such as the aptly named 'dog penis'. Most of all, it was a small opportunity to see into a very different way of life. The trail was gruelling, and I can only imagine what it's like in the height of the rainy season. Akha women hike these trails everyday, often walking 30 kilometers or more into town with heavy baskets on their backs.
posted by Franz K at 4:20 AM
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