Hiking, Vommiting and more, and rats

On the spur of the moment decided to go on a 7 day hike in the north of Laos.

Got a 10 hour bus to Luang Nam Tha, a nothing town in the middle of the country side. I had two days hiking, with Evan and american, and the local guide Thuang.

We hiked about 4-5 hours a day a lot of it up hill, in the heat, with about 8 kilos on our backs. It was great being out in the forest, it was forest rather than jungle, and bathing in streams, waling through bamboo forests, feeling like you are in the middle of no where. Stayed in a hut in the forest one night, used for trekking. The second night staying in an abandoned village. Many of the more remote villages have been moved by the governements to the roads over the last 10 years, so they can have access to electricity and get jobs. Well that is the catch cry any way! They people were still farming the site of the old village and living there for the harvest.....it sounds like a policy that is quite hollow.

So here we are, beautiful day hiking, swimming in rivers, etc. I am exhausted, and have dinner then go to bed. But what is this - "There are many Rats here" - says Thuang as we settle into the beds....those who know me will understand the impact of that statement. Oh and it was not an understatement............I heard them all night, very close inside and outside the hut.....hell! Well that would have been hellish in itself but at 7:30 my indigestion turned into vomitting, which turned into multiple vommiting and diahria, which lasted til 3am.

In the middle of no where, with rats.

This was not a fun night. It certainly was not fun for evan as we were under the same mosquito net....or Thuang who gallently did a few clean ups when I did not make it outside.

So with no sleep, dehydrated, I started the 3 our walk out. Was not drinking water as I suspected the boiled water was the cause(Later through polling to be proved correct). That was a fin walk in the heat mostly up hill! Meet a wonderful chap who was riding his bike to the harvest fields who gave me a lift part of the way there. He was my hero of the day, I was on the back of the scooter navigating the step hills and gravel roads holding on to the saw straped to the back of the bike.

Spent the next couple of days doing not much in Luang Nam Tha and Maung Sing.

Will go hiking with imodiem next time.