Wandering in Laos

Wandering in Laos

Across Friendship Bridge Two the pace of life is slower and there are wondrous things to see

• Published: 17/10/2010 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: Brunch

Outside the north-eastern town of Mukdahan, Friendship Bridge Two reaches across the wide, muddy Mekong to the provincial capital of Savannakhet in central Laos, linking the busy highways of the Kingdom to those of the People's Democratic Republic. In Thailand people drive on the left, and in Laos they drive on the right, and there are many other points of difference _ most obviously, the pace of life.

Somnolent Savannakhet, now officially renamed after the late communist leader Kaysone Phomvihanh, sprawls along the banks of the Mekong. Its crumbling colonial villas and shophouses populate a flat landscape, punctuated by the spires of the Buddhist temples. Imagine Luang Prabang without the forested mountains, the royal palace or the smartly-renovated villas. Rain falls steadily and Talad Savanxai, the town's major produce market, becomes a sea of striped beach umbrellas. Diversions begin to seem few and far between.

One morning I chance upon Boun Hor Khao Salak, a Buddhist festival. Hundreds of people have dressed in their best, the women and children sitting or kneeling on mats throughout the grounds of Wat Sainyamungkhun. After prayers the men form into a long, snaking line through which the saffron-robed monks will pass, gathering so many offerings that others follow with laundry baskets to gather them up. Then the monks begin to move between the long lines of women, still collecting. Through the intervention of the monkhood, these offerings, I learn, will pass to deceased relatives. As darkness falls, people will again gather to light candles.

Dong Natad, the Sacred Forest of Savannakhet is not exactly the heart of darkness, but there are wondrous things to see _ or to avoid _ with the help of forest-wise guides.

One torrid afternoon I am hailed on the riverbank by a young man I had met earlier in the day at the provincial tourism bureau. Oudomxay Thongsavanth has ridden his motorcycle up and down the torpid streets, eager to find me again and capitalise on my expressed interest in "eco trek" day walks into the Dong Natad Protected Area outside Savannakhet _ a tract of tropical monsoon forest which has long been revered by local people. Now Oudomxay has snapped up two other takers, a young English pair, so the trip can go ahead. How could I not sign up?

With the help of a Dutch development aid organisation, short treks and cycling tours have been established in the provincial forest reserves (strictly speaking, National Biodiversity Conservation Areas) to stimulate local employment.

Early next morning we climb into a three-wheeled "skylab" _ the local variant of the tuk-tuk _ and sputter north up Route 9, the freshly-tarred national highway which has yet to attract much roadside development, although golden pyramids and life-sized dinosaurs enliven the new roundabouts on the outskirts of town. Cattle meander across at intervals. Just down a side road is Wat That Ing Hang, a centuries-old stupa that some believe marks a spot where the Buddha once paused. Worshippers come and go all day, clasping hands in prayer, depositing offerings and lighting incense sticks.

We three foreigners are to be escorted into the forest by the petite Sinakhone Sengphalichanh _ "you can call me Nicky" _ who works with Mr Oudomxay at the provincial tourism bureau, and Soda Chanla, a member of one of the local forest-dwelling minority peoples.

At the reserve entrance, a muddy road leads straight into a dense dipterocarp rainforest. The Lao Loum (lowland), we hear, gouge a wedge-shaped opening into one particular tree to collect a paraffin-like oil for torch light. Precarious ladders, just a series of single toe-holds, often scale the tree trunks and are used to collect honey. Another type of honeycomb is collected for use as a natural glue.

The deep red resin of one tree is collected for use as a tonic for nursing mothers who need to stimulate lactation after giving birth.

Soon the seemingly monotonous vista of forest stretching either side of a puddled track disaggregates into a medley of individual specks of life. To prove the point, Mr Soda grabs a passing scorpion and eats it _ live _ with gusto.

We learn that stick insects vary dramatically by gender: the males are black, the females bright green. Small, lively geckoes (or chameleons) will nip at your ear if you let them. Red ants stitch up certain leaves, forming sacs; certain edible berries are coloured a shiny pillar-box red; the wild ginger is equally recognisable.

Glutinous blobs of frog spawn appear on many of the puddles. When disturbed, "eyeball" fungi release a shower of fine dust. Large black-and-yellow beetles produce urine that can cause temporary blindness if it enters the human eye.

We halt for refreshments at the marshy Nong Lome Lake, picking and sampling the savoury grass and basil-like leaves which are used in salad dishes.

As the day fades, we pass cattle being driven home on dusty, sandy tracks towards Ban Phonsim, a large village. On this balmy evening, local men play petanque outside a weatherboard bar where the bar keeper has to slip out for more as soon as the first bottle of Beer Lao has been flipped open.

The English couple are continuing on for an overnight stay. I rather envy them, but have to split.

On the journey back to Savannakhet the heavens open and my skylab sputters to a halt. The driver improvises a fuel-system bypass which enlists me, the sole passenger, to nurse the patient's drip-feed in the form of a jerry-rigged fuel tank.

For more information visit: www.tourismlaos.org, www.laos.co.uk andwww.travelfish.org/sights/laos/southern_laos/savannakhet/savannakhet.

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