We hadn't planned to go to Laos. But while we were waiting at DFW for our flight to Tokyo a few weeks ago, a feature on CNN appeared: the world's highest treehouses, zip lining, and wildlife. Sounded like something we might want to do. I checked the map and it didn't seem too far away (relatively) from where we'd be in Chiang Mai. So, we booked it.
Getting there turned out to be a little more complicated than we expected. Several buses, tuk tuks, a migraine, and a border crossing shakedown later, we made it to Huay Xai, Laos, where the adventure would begin.
We weren't there yet. In Huay Xai, we were packed into pick-up trucks and driven another 3 hours (1hr off road, through a river) to a small village. We were grateful to have snagged a seat inside the truck rather than in the pickup bed. On arrival to the village we meet some people who had just finished the 3 day trek. The assured us it was amazing and gave us a recommendation for the best treehouse.
From the village we hiked up and up and up… we stopped in a small encampment to pick up our harnesses and further up we went until finally we reached the ziplines.
I had been nervous about this endeavor, especially since it was clear that safely and hygiene are not huge priorities in southeast Asia. (Mom, Cheryl, and Twyla: you would be horrified at some of our modes of transport this month. I promise we're staying as safe as we can!) But, the equipment, oversight, and rigging for the ziplines seemed as reliable as what we'd used in California a few months earlier, from what I could tell.
After all the worrying and travel to get this far, it paid off. The ziplines were exhilarating and the views gorgeous. We didn't get our first choice treehouse, but we got the one with the best sunsets.
Though we never spotted any gibbons on the trip, we got to watch a family of smaller monkeys munching on some leaves. And a strange looking squirrel, which I was sure was dinner kind of monkey. We heard the gibbons on the second morning—their call is an eerie, high pitched, almost birdlike but beautiful song.
We shared our treehouse with a retired French couple and a lone Dutchman who was on a trip to reflect on his pending divorce. Ours was the oldest group of the three houses but we were relieved to not have been paid with the younger, gap-year backpackers who would surely be up late partying. (Lao “happy water” was shared with each of the houses.)
The accommodations were a little nicer than camping but still somewhat primitive. We slept on hard mattresses on the floor, surrounded by mosquito netting to keep out both bugs and tree rats (ew) who we could hear scrabbling around the house in the middle of the night. The bathroom had a shower with a gorgeous view, but much to Kyle's disappointment, no hot water. The toilet was our first unavoidable encounter with a squat toilet. I'm sure Kyle will have more to say about this...
Despite the rough lodging, we had so much fun hiking and zipping though the jungle, searching for wildlife and attempting to communicate with our Lao guides and European housemates.
