After setting of from Huay Xai it's about 3 hours drive, the last up a dirt road and through a river, to the village where we disembark. We were doing the "waterfall" experience and a group of 8 of us set out trekking for a couple of hours into the jungle, including through some quite strong rivers, before we were introduced to our harnesses and started zipping through the trees. The zip lines are higher and longer than I expected, and I'm sure wouldn't get passed health and safety in the uk! I got a wire burn behind my ear from trying to avoid an encounter with a tree but that was the worst of it! The accommodation was in treehouses a hundred feet up in the trees. Who wouldn't be excited about zipping in to your treehouse?!? You will probably understand more when I put up some photos and maybe a video!
Our group consisted of Kelly and Bret (another nice Canadian couple), Kate with brother Charlie and boyfriend Andy and also Adonis (from North London) and Simon (from Liverpool).
On the first afternoon after some zipping and close encounters with leeches we reached the eponymous waterfall and had a much needed and very refreshing swim. Then we headed to our treehouse where we had some fruit and tea (including the extremely popular pineapple) before dinner proper came later on. The treehouse was quite comfy, with running water (potable) and a bathroom on a lower level. The sides were open but each bed came with a mosquito net (more of a tent really). Dark soon came and paranoia about insects and other creatures set in. Simon had kindly brought some Thai whisky, though the organisers were not providing any beer lao, which was quite wise given the height of the treehouse. Despite the occasional insect attack everyone eventually slept, and the next day it was back on the trail again where we were to swap treehouses with another group. It took all morning, a few zip slides and many leeches to reach the other treehouse. The afternoon was free to do what we wanted, including use all the zips, but we were getting pretty tired by this point and most contented themselves with playing cards riotously and trying to chase the wasps out of the bathroom.
The second treehouse seemed to have a bit more of a problem with insects, and as soon as it got dark and we lit some candles flying beetles were flinging themselves into the flames. As the pile of immolated beetles grew someone noticed a massive spider underneath someones chair. After mass panic and two gentlemen who will remain unnamed cowering on top of stools like schoolgirls attempts were made to sweep the spider off. It ran under a shelf and appeared again rather too quickly, which was when we discovered there were two. One disappeared, reassuringly, into the bathroom, the other to the kitchen, we found a third still hanging from the roof. At this point people decided to retreat to there mosquito nets. I was up on the top level through a trap door with Simon. Unfortunately that night I was sick, having to run down and hurl over the edge, spiders be damned. However, I was nowhere near as sick as Charlie who was up puking half the night. Kelly was later sick on the bus out so it was probably something we ate. The next morning after very little sleep we rose in the dark, to go on a wild Gibbon chase. Charlie and I had to take it pretty slow and I was too busy thinking about surviving the zips rather than enjoying them. We did hear the Gibbons though, and those who went on ahead had their guide run off with a camera to try to get a photo - he came back with a shot of an indistinct black smudge in the distance. The idea however, is not that you experience gibbons, but that you experience living like a gibbon!
By lunchtime we got to the village again, and our group were completely worn out by the trekking (with luggage), early start and bad sleep. By the time we got back to Huay Xai we had certainly had an experience, with every muscle hurting and me still a bit sick. I found a Guest House and checked in and went straight to the shower and then to bed. A very enjoyable trip but hard work and I need a few days to recover! The next morning It was a very quick and easy border crossing over the river to Thailand and out of Laos.
Me on a zip line.
Zipping to a tree house.
Crossing a river.
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