LAOS: MUANG NGOI

As we mentioned in our Luang Prabang post, it is very difficult to travel in Laos. We chose to do less things so we had time to enjoy them more. Based off a recommendation from someone we met in Thaton, Thailand, we chose Muang Ngoi as our off the beaten path Lao adventure. A 3-hour bus ride and 1-hour boat ride ended up taking up an entire day. It was well-worth the effort. Muang Ngoi is without a doubt the most beautiful place we have been. Accommodations were very basic (no hot water and electricity from 6:30 - 10:30 pm only). $5 a night.

At dinner on our first night, the family that ran our guesthouse introduced us to Jae. He is 20, speaks good english, and has recently started organizing "treks". We debated about what to do, but it was clear that he recommended one thing in particular - a day of fishing.

He picked us up with his uncle around 9 am. His uncle is 59 and fishes everyday, same way his father and grandfather fished - with nets in the Nam Ou river. We rode about an hour north through some absolutely beautiful mountains (hope the pictures remotely do it justice). While Jae's uncle and cousin got the fishing nets set up, he walked us through a hilltribe village that specializes in handmade silk products. Pretty cool. Sheri got some presents here.

We spent most of the morning fishing with the nets. They had about 5 different kinds, ranging from short throwing nets to some for the rapids that were over 200 yards long. Very fun and very interesting. Caught about 15 fish (about 5 different kinds). We pulled over to a bank and they started preparing our lunch. Started a fire, cleaned the fish, cut some river weeds and herbs from the side of the river, made bamboo skewers, put a soup on the fire (all river water), and grabbed a banana leaf for a table. The fish was delicious. We enjoyed it all. They even convinced us to try the catfish intestine and some fish eggs.

We relaxed by the river with the 3 of them and started pouring Lao Lao shots (oldest to youngest each round). Jae's uncle was the number 1 drinker in his village in his prime. Ended up drinking the whole bottle. Really interesting sharing a day of fishing, relaxing, and eating with them. Keep in mind - Laos is the most bombed country in the world. All at the hands of the United States. 9+ years of bombing, and many people Jae's uncle's age lived in caves for almost 10 years to stay safe. Pretty amazing to get to share some drinks, fishing, laughs, and food with his family. Unforgettable.

Nice tan!