We go zip!

After an extra day in rainy, gray Huay Xai to recharge our batteries and update the blog--which is, incidentally, several weeks behind--we head out with a small group on The Gibbon Experience. As part of a conservation project in Bokeo National Reserve in northwest Laos, The Gibbon Experience bills itself as a great example of responsible ecotourism. The guides are all from local villages in or around the reserve, and A good portion of the income generated by our trip goes toward reforestation projects (many of the local farmers still practice slash and burn agriculture which is terribly inefficient and leads to erosion) and protecting the forest wildlife from poachers. The namesake of our adventure is a monkey that lives mostly in the forest canopy, swinging great distances from tree to tree in search of a life-long mate.

In keeping with the gibbon's airborne, treetop existence, we spend the bulk of our two days riding zip lines high above the forest canopy and trekking through dense jungle. It's both breath-taking and exhausting, with some zip lines crossing 6-700 meters from one high point on the ridge to another.

All geared up.

Zipping to the tree house.

In the mid-afternoon of the first day we reach our accommodation for the night--a three-story tree house built 200ft. up around a massive old tree. The tree house is beautiful, comfortably sleeps eight people with soft mattresses, warm blankets and mosquito nets.  It even has running water and electricity! Here, perched above the forest canopy, we have an amazing view of the surrounding landscapes. The bathroom is perhaps the most amazing part of the whole place, with an open 180°+ view of the jungle. It's probably the most beautiful shower I have ever taken.

I spotted a gibbon.

 

 

Our tree house suite

After a strenuous morning and afternoon we spend the remainder of the day snacking, relaxing and getting to know our group. Our guides zip a hearty dinner over from a kitchen somewhere on solid ground just as a torrential rainstorm rolls in. For a few moments the winds howl, the rain spits and the tree house sways...but thankfully it's all over rather quickly. After the storm subsides we share a glass of Lao wine with our guides as the darkness settles in and the sounds of the jungle grow in volume and variety.  It was especially fun getting to know our young, energetic guide and teaching him the proper way to use a double-hinged cork screw.  

Gorilla in the mist.

We rise just before 6AM for a morning of zipping around the jungle.  We return to the treehouse briefly to collect our things, down a hearty breakfast and begin our trek back Huay Xai.  After five hours of trekking, zipping and considerable sweating--with a quick lunch thrown in at the hut of a forest guard--we pick up our transport for a bumpy ride out of the jungle.  It's tough to imagine how they ever manage these roads deeper in the wet season. Only in the last hour or so of the trip did the leeches finally show their blood-sucking little faces, but thankfully for us we escaped unscathed.  However I can't say the same for some others in our group. Perhaps it was the Deet in our bug spray?  We heard somewhere that is was good for deterring leeches.

Sticky rice goes with everything.

We return to Huay Xai thoroughly exhausted but completely satisfied with our trip. We check into a guesthouse for one more night and book tickets on the slow boat to Luang Prabang for the morning. A relaxing ride down the mighty Mekong is just what the doctor ordered...