I just got back from the Gibbon Experience, it was…interesting. Before I start this rant I should say that in the dry season my experience would probably have been much better but in the rainy season it was pretty much a complete waste of $200.
We arrived at the office in the morning and were kept waiting until after we were meant to leave for somebody to actually open the place up. The short safety video that we watched was not exactly what you might call comprehensive considering the activities we would actually be doing, then again this is Laos so I guess it could have been a lot worse – at least they had a safety video! The lady in the office was moody as hell and did not seem interested in any questions that we had.
We loaded up the truck and drove for 2 hours towards the reserve. This is where the problems started. There were a couple of small notices in the office informing anybody who accidentally stumbled upon them that in the rainy season the truck may not be able to cross the river, in which case participants would be required to walk for 5-7 hours to reach the camp. Fair enough you might say – they have warned us about the possibility. The problem is that they just don’t tell you exactly what this walk will entail. It took us 5 hours to reach the village just outside the main part of the jungle along a road that anybody not of decent fitness would have seriously struggled. So we reach the village, rest up for 10 minutes and then have another 1 and a half hour trek across the fields and through the jungle to the first treehouse, by this time it was 4.30pm and we had been walking/trekking for over 5 hours. Awesome we are here everyone thought; alas we had another 2 and a half hours to go following what we supposed to be a track though it was impossible to tell.By the time we had got there just before 8pm everybody was shot to pieces, I had absolutely nothing left to give. There was no warning of just how hard the trekking would be, we had some fit people in our group and they were in the same position as me. Everybody fell over at least 5 times and towards the end in the dark it was a miracle that nobody was seriously injured, if they had been then I have no idea what we would have done to get them out. After showering (if you can call it that) and generally tidying ourselves up we opened up the Tiffin box containing our dinner for 8 people. The first night consisted of cabbage, rice, boiled cucumbers, something else cabbage like with a few chunks of potentially rat meat and carrots. After 9 hours of walking with only a crappy sandwich provided by the company that was what we were meant to eat to replace our energy, oh sorry I forgot we also had green tea and ovaltine. On first sight there was barely enough food there for 4 people let alone 8 adults who had spent a day like we had, it turned out that the lack of food was not that much of a problem as its complete blandness/awfulness did not exactly encourage people to have seconds. I ate a packet of Oreos I had bought with me.
We did a couple of zip lines on that first day in between long stretches of jungle walking. It is a pretty cool way to get around it must be said but the first time was a slightly nerve racking experience! Clip the safety line onto the cable followed by the roller and very rudimentary braking system and basically just run off the edge the platform! Before you know it you are flying at a brisk pace with the canopy below you and the odd tree branch smacking you in the face, it gives you a great buzz. The zip lines on the first day were pretty good but by the end it was dark and zipping in the dark is not quite so much fun…..incidentally it was also the only thing the safety video was clear you shouldn’t do.
The second day was more like what we had expected, even though breakfast consisted of exactly what we had for dinner the night before. We had a 2 hour walk through the jungle interspersed with one or two zip lines before arriving at a waterfall and natural swimming pool. The swim was gratefully received and one of the few times we felt just about normal for the entire three days. Some suitable calls of ‘CANNONBALL’ from the rocks meant that when we went for lunch everyone was feeling good. Then lunch arrived, one again it was cabbage, cabbage, a few boiled potatoes and some rice. We did however find a chili plant growing nearby so we plucked them off and chopped them into everything we had to give it at least some flavor. Boy are freshly picked birds eye chilies hot!
A bit more walking led us to the best part of the three days, 3 long zip lines with only a 10 minute walk between them, this was quite simply incredible. If you can imagine yourself flying about 150m from the floor over the canopy for 300 meters or so then would be just about there. Nothing to stop you from falling apart from your safety rope if the roller somehow became disconnected, to the right and left were endless trees shrouded in mist with the odd treehouse just in view. Over those 3 zips the Tarzan call and I became firm friends! This was a lot more like it; the first day almost seemed worth going through to do this. The group of 8 had split at this point as our treehouse only had room for 6. So 2 people ended up in a small treehouse a fair while away, not actually that bad a thing for them considering they were a couple and it was the girls birthday – “Hey son, did your mother and I ever tell you about where you were conceived?” Anyway the treehouse the rest of us had had the most amazing view, absolutely stunning. Unfortunately it also had a population of spiders rivaling that of your local zoo, along with a couple of rats who popped up now and then, big jungle cockroaches and something that looked like a grasshopper on steroids with 3 sets of wings. Certain members of the group did not sleep that well! The discovery these creatures of the night came just after it began to pour down with rain and we resigned ourselves to another long, long walk back to the main road in the morning, all in all not a good half an hour!
Our fears were confirmed the next morning when we were told we would be walking the 8 hours or so back to the main road. It was actually easier than on the first day, maybe because we expected it but mostly because we stuck to the dirt track and didn’t have to spend so much time inside the jungle I think. Anyway we trudged on through the rain, waist high rivers and Glastonbury style mud before eventually getting back to the road around 5pm. All in all the experience was not worth the $200 that we all paid for it. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the place to someone in the dry season but at this time of year the effort of getting there and around outweighs the fun aspect of the trip. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the company provided a bit more information about the trekking aspect, discounted the price during the low season to take into account the day that you lose inside the camp itself or was just a bit more organised. Still it was good fun at times.
Caught a two day boat from Huay Xai down to Luang Prabang down the Mekong. Not the most relaxing of journeys thanks to being jammed into the long boat like a pack of sardines but this was at least partly offset by the stunning scenery we had for the entire trip. Completely forrested hills on either side of the river interspersed with small villages and lone huts. We had an overnight stop in a random village where I was enlisted by a restaurant guy to write a sign in english telling people why they should come to his restaurant. After eating the food I wish I hadn’t been so complimentery but at least I got a free bottle of lao-lao out of it. Weather and boat were both much better on the second day the only thing that spoiled it was the rather large loudmouthed girl with an absolutely hideous Dublin accent sitting just behind me. Sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it!
Luang Prabang is pretty nice, really quiet and peaceful for the most part and with loads and loads of Wats (temples) to explore. Not that I have the patience for any old temple after all this time but some of them have turned out to be pretty nice. Will stay here a couple of days and then head down to Vientiene for a bit before *hopefully* going to Cambodia for a couple of days to look around Angkor Wat before heading back to Bangkok around the 24th to catch my flight to Hong Kong. But I will be sure to write something before then so don’t despair!
x
Chris's Travels 2008 