The Mengla-NamTha bus took us from the Chinese border check point to the Laos entry point, where we all had to pile off again. I was one of the first off the bus, but was the only person needing "visa on arrival". After all the formalities, I was the last person back to the bus. Nam Tha was only two more hours away.

From the bus station, I headed to the same guest house as last trip, but found no familiar faces. Appears the Chinese have purchased most of the buildings at this end of town. The first night there was rather noisy, so decided to change guest houses the next day. Quite a lot of rain overnight. Also found the temperatures rather cool, so kept the sweat shirt handy.

Next morning headed over to an eco-tourist office to see what kind of trips were in the making. Settled on a one-day trek, because most of the path was similar to a two-day trek, less the overnight stay in a minority village. With the rain and cold, I was not sure my clothing was sufficient for an overnight stay without the blankets offered in my guest house.

Three gals from Ireland, Sweden, and England needed one more trekker to meet the minimum requirement for a one day trek. I was happy to be the forth. The guide made the trip interesting. His keen eyes picked up things we would have missed otherwise. The guide pointed out a small flower that he encouraged us to eat. This tiny flower head had an enormous effect. First the taste was a little bitter. Than that flavor was replaced with a more pleasant tingling sensation, followed by a powerful salty sensation. I wanted to try it again, but was not sure I would recognize the plant, as there seems to be so many similar flowers with different leaves. Saw snake, beetle, frog, centipede, and walking stick wildlife. Not what you go for, but just what you should expect on a walk in the woods.

The next day I rented a bike and just headed out of town. To my surprise, I find a reference to Lompoc, CA at a temple/stupa off a small path on a side of a hill amongst the rice fields. I still was not sure until climbing nearly 200 steps and seeing "USA" next to another reference to Lompoc. Another most enjoyable day with lots of pictures, and a little more liquid sunshine.

Next town visited was Nong Khiaw, on the Nam Ou river, about 8 hours after bus connections. I'll save that for the next Trav-E-Log.

Enjoy,

Bill