December 2020

TRUMP’ETS – COLD COMFORT – SEING STARS – OBSERVING PLANETS – SEASONAL FESTIVITIES – ROAD TRIP – INTO THE FUTURE

What in the world!

Hunter turned field guide and boatman on the NNNNS with his baby boy.

Never before has a cycle trip faded so quickly from my memory than my trip across Laos which ended late last month. Partly familiarity and partly the current workload of dumb ass chain-reporting and desk-based deadlines, but still I had hoped for some higher level of residual memory, energy and enthusiasm. Probably this has been compounded by the alarming situation around the world as my family and friends back in South Africa brace for a second round of lock down, but only now with an even more deadly COVID 19 strain of virus. Then there is Trump, running through the halls of American democracy and civil society with a flame thrower and a bunch of hand grenades while his handlers, to week or unprincipled to care for anyone beyond their own skin walk indifferently some distance behind him, or at worst, keeping him in steady supply of fuel, grenades.  

 Of course, beyond this rant, scenes and incidents of courage, humanity and compassion are played out daily, although largely escaping the media’s selective scrutiny. The large majority of people like yourselves and your friends, family and acquaintances, living their best life under difficult circumstances, caring about the things they say so as not to cause undo harm, finding meaning in honest work, sacrificing for those they love and generally wanting the best, even for those with whom they are mealy acquainted. The very least of these principles, values and deed’s, exceeding by far, the greatest evil concocted by men. Goodness and justice will prevail in the end.

 Winter mission to Nam Et Phou Louey.

Dinner spot on the Nam Nern Night Safari

I travelled up to Hiem by pick-up this time, which was great as I could load up my new “Hiem” MTB which will remain there for my monthly missions. Phonsavan, usually cooler than Vientiane due to its elevation was “better pack warm clothes” cold, colorful padded jackets enclosing rosy cheeked children shopping with mom and dad at the local market. The dry season made it possibly once again for us to use the short cut to Hiem, cutting a good few hours off the normal route time. Soon to be paved, a large section of the route had been upgraded and repaired, making for an even faster journey. 

Besides the normal management planning activities and work-related discussions, we managed to get in a trip on the Nam Nern Night Safari (NNNS) where we tried out a new birding route and investigated potential locations for camp sites on a two-night route option. It was a wonderful, so cold that its cold, trip upstream where instead of staying over in the cottages at the campsite, we chose to camp out on the sand bank normally used for the dinner spot. On this occasion, we were joined by a few of our staff who have not yet experienced the NNNS, always a privilege to share in the joy and excitement of first-time visitors, especially our Lao staff. Opting to try out a dawn safari instead of the traditional night safari, we recorded a disappointingly low observation count, only proving that a sample size of one is no sample at all. Our rangers assure us that dawn is the best time for viewing wildlife along the river. While we didn’t see much wildlife on this trip, the night sky was clear, its canopy heavily laden with stars, a spectacle seldom seen in the tropical areas due to the moisture laden air. 

 Back in Hiem, while walking back from Songphet’s restaurant one evening, I noticed something that seemed out of place in the clear night sky, high above the horizon. Later that evening after some internet searching, there it was, Saturn and Jupiter coming together for a once in 750-year kiss. So glad I caught this spectacle, as I clearly remember the nights of watching Halley’s, which showed up brightly above the oak tree at my parents’ home in the late 80’s. I suppose I could see it again, if I make it to 103, we shall see. 

 Tis the season……

Happy birthday

In the West, we have been handed down a rather thin variety of year end festivities, Christmas, New Year, and possibly thanksgiving if American. Here in Laos, we have first of all, the Hmong New Year celebrations, then Christmas for the benefit of the Falang’s (and retail), then international New Year for all, followed by Chinese and Vietnamese New Year celebrations in February and finally, Lao and Thai New Year celebrations in April. While up in hiem I was invited to celebrate, first one of our staff birthdays, followed by a Hmong family new Year celebration. While all this was all going on my own Lao family were attending a week-long family wedding in their home village far into the countryside, followed immediately afterwards by our own Christmas celebrations at home. Tis the season to be jolly all right! 

 Back on a highway

Vang Vieng -

A few days after Christmas we decided, rather spur of the moment, that a road trip for a few days would do us some good before the heavy lifting of 2021 begun in earnest. The trip really highlighted for me, the rapid development (in certain aspects) occurring in Laos. 

 Our first stop was the Nam Pien Yorla Pa resort located within the largely unmanaged Phou Khao Khouay NPA where we were met with a very organized and professionally run operation offering a range of outdoor activities. From tree top walkways, ziplines and a unique suspended cycling rail high up in the trees to more random activities such as BB gun shooting, a very steep downhill luge and the normal 4-wheeler track. They plan to provide accommodation and camping soon, and this should prove very popular among the rapidly emerging middle class within the country.  

 The next leg landed us at a very gross, stale cigarette reeking casino hotel, labeled as “Dansavanh Nam Ngum Resort”, close to, but strategically not actually on the banks or within a view of the Nam Ngum Dam (Lao ocean). The blue water stretching out beyond the patio size windowpanes I had seen on the website were in fact taken from the resort pier, located some way beyond the windowless, nicotine-stained room we actually spent the night in. Weaving a teenage daughter and 6-year-old boy between one arm bandits and scowling Chinese to the lift up to our room was in itself a walk of shame and fair punishment for not looking more closely at the fine print.

 Our final destination the familiar Vang Vieng, although the way there was anything but. Having been used to the pothole strewn broken road, crisscrossed by cows and herds of goats heading for the fields on each side, trucks and minivans in a chaotic slow procession, dusty, hot and very very dangerous, the prospect of using the new Lao expressway, sounded somewhat over optimistic. We entered the expressway at Phonhong, and what a surprise and a pleasure. Dual carriageways perfectly surfaced and well signed complete with tunnel, offramps and modern toll systems. 20 minutes was all it took to deposit us, relaxed and smiling on the main road of Vang Vieng town. Wow, thanks very much China, I’ll take one of those any day of the week. It really does make a massive difference to a trip of this nature and returning back into Vientiane was only an hour’s drive. (I won’t bother to mention the additional 50 minutes needed to drive the final 12km’s from the exit through town to our home.)

 Vang Vieng proved a subdued version of its former self due to COVID 19, which was not a bad thing really. The mountains, rivers and fields remain the same, quite beautiful and inviting. Two days of swimming, walking and eating was good for us all and provided some welcome relief from the traffic and rush of Vientiane City. As a result, we were happy to bid goodnight to 2020 at a reasonable hour, been woken, pleasantly so, at the appointed hour by a crescendo of fireworks from right next door to well beyond the far bank of the Mekong in Thailand. We murmured good wishes through puffy eyes and drifted back into dreamland.

Tomorrow, yet another year, no doubt.