The other day I decided to go on a long hike crossing the Nam Song River heading west of the town of Vang Vieng where I have been staying. Planing on hiking along side of the road, I had no idea what I would encounter or how my day would turn out. My only plan was to leave early with plenty of water and my map.
I leave my hotel just before dawn around 5:45. I cross the Nam Song River and head away from town. The morning fog is settled over the nearby mountains.
There's a group of young children playing as they walk down the street. The boy in blue has a little trigger action fishing spear. I soon enter a small village. You can see how they live in the details of these photos.
I come to a fork in the road. Do I go right towards Blue Lagoon One or head 4.5 kilometers left towards Blue Lagoon Utopia! I decide to go to Utopia as I visited Blue Lagoon One a week prior with a friend I made from Switzerland.
The road suddenly is no longer paved and the following section is wet clay mud! I try to find the best way across. I struggle not to mess up my nice sneakers.
A farmer carrying a couple sacks of rice offers to give me a ride as he sees me having difficulty with the sneaker mud combination. I hop in his wooden carriage. I hold on tight as there were endless pot holes. I had no idea how far he'd take me or where to exactly.
We pass a beautiful lush rice field.
Suddenly we stop maybe he took me up the road two kilometers. We enter a village and what looks like a possible fork in the road. I'm not sure where I am. I try to show my map on my phone to the farmer, he speaks no English but points in a direction. I tipped him 10,000 Lao Kip, which is about a $1.25. He was very happy. I continue in the direction he pointed. It was getting hotter. I could feel the temperature rising along with the sun. It's now about 8am.
I cross a 25 ton bridge and see if it's marked on my map, it is. I know my location. Still on track to Blue Lagoon Utopia!
Let's find Utopia! In part two tomorrow.
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Real Life Captured #1: Luang Prabang Laos, Part One (15 photos and historic description)
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