Jeffrey Donenfeld

Tag: kayaking

Trekking Into The Laotian Mountains To Live With The Hmong Hilltribes

While in Laos, I also did a bit of trekking in the mountains. Luang Prabang is a beautiful town, and is situated on the edge of the northern Laotian mountains, making it an excellent starting point for incredible trekking. I joined up with two friends, and together the three of us, as well as our local Hmong guide from White Elephant Adventures trekked up into the mountains.

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On the first day, the four of us hopped in the back of a covered pickup truck in Luang Prabang, and set off on the road to the mountains. About an hour into the drive, we were stopped temporarily by Laos

Finally walking after our truck ride. The walk into the mountains was beautiful, and we got to cross a few hand made, seasonal bamboo bridges. The bridges are only present during the dry season, and are swept away every year by the monsoon season floods.

As we passed through villages, we met lots of villagers and their kids. Although the people are very poor, they

Continuing on, we passed through a number of large rubber tree plantations.

The bark of the tree is cut in a diagonal pattern, and a tap is inserted at the base of the cut, funneling the rubber sap into a cup.

We passed through beautiful and rugged jungles, with steep cliffs looming overhead. The scenery here is incredible.

After an easy 7 hour hike, we made it to our stopping point for the evening, and immediately fell in with meeting the locals and relaxing.

I also helped feed the pigs!

In the evening, we sat around a single candle and discussed the locals way of life, and listened to the sounds of the surrounding jungle.

The next morning, an early wakeup in a beautiful setting, and then a quick 4 hour hike to the river.

At the river, we loaded our backpacks into kayaks, and set off down the river for a smooth arrival back in Luang Prabang.

At the river, we loaded our backpacks into kayaks, and set off down the river for a smooth arrival back in Luang Prabang.

Overal, the trip was way too short, but a great intro to the hill tribe life, given the time I had. White Elephant Tours did a great jobs, and I’d certainly recommend them for future travelers. Additionally, it’s worth noting that I took a few hours upon my return to sit with the White Elephant guide staff and give them a quick field medicine overview. I was happy to be teaching some of my W-EMT skills in Laos!

Next… Hanoi

2013-05-29
Kanchanaburi – Escape to the River Kwai

My intro to Bangkok was fantastic, and but after a few days, I was ready for a break from the city, but wasn’t quite done with Thailand. I was fortunate to meet two cool guys at my hostel in Bangkok, and the three of us decided to make the short bus trip out of Bangkok to the river town of Kanchanaburi.

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Our agenda was simple – two days of relaxing and kayaking.

Departing from Bangkok was relatively easy, and a two hour bus ride.

In Kanchanaburi, we stayed at the Jolly Frog, a great and relaxing hotel with a perfect riverside location. My room was on a floating raft, and the lapping of the water at night was very relaxing.

Sunset on the River Kwai. The three of us rented Kayaks, and made the float trip down the river to the famous Bridge over the River Kwai. On our way down, we encountered a number of huge party barges, with the drunken occupants waving and calling to us excitedly. Floating down the river was beautiful, and we arrived at the bridge just in time.
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Requisite late night drinks on Kanchanaburi’s main strip. We started off at the best bar in Kanchanaburi – 10 Bhat Bar. And then moved on to another few bars with a large group of girls who were there for a “hen party”.

The next day, I packed up and made the trip back to Bangkok, so that I could catch my flight to Myanmar…

2013-05-01
Kayaking on the San Miguel River

Sean and I took our Sea Eagle inflatable kayak, hiked through town, rode the rapids through town down the San Miguel River. Since it’s so early in the season and all the snow is melting high up in the mountains, the river is super high and fast. The ride took about two hours, and we ended up at the Society Turnoff, where we had parked my car, for the ride back.

2011-06-18