The boat chugs up the Nam Ou through picturesque scenery. Small villages with wooden houses, children playing in the river, limestone mountains covered with dense forest… The engine struggles in the rapids, now and then a gush of water enters the boat. In one rapid, our propeller shatters on a rock and we are pushed against the rocky shore by the current, unable to manoeuvre. We have to jump into the belly-deep water to push the boat back. A new propeller is then fitted at a calm spot and we continue on to a small, beautifully situated village, 9 hours by boat north of Luang Prabang. It’s amazing how many people meet again here: “This is …” – “Yes, I know, we met in Luang Prabang …”. Another hammock paradise… For a change we paddle a kayak a bit upstream, crawl through a cave once again or a walk to the nearby villages…
The pretty wooden houses can still be seen everywhere in Laos. Pigs and chickens run around freely in the village, there are a few cows and water buffalo in the (now dry) fields. No power lines cutting through the land, hardly any roads. But the country is starting to change fast: roads are being paved, power lines are being built, and stone houses are slowly starting to replace wooden houses. Laos is still like Thailand 20 years ago, but for how much longer? Some Europeans complain that the culture is being lost, they want the people to continue living as they do now. But it is understandable that Laotians don’t want to miss the advantages of running water and water-proof roofs. And TV provides a view (albeit distorted) of the rest of the world. At home, hardly anyone here lives in an old Black Forest farmhouse, do they? Despite the culture. Anyway, it’s nice to have been here while it’s still the old way.