Edging our way slowly over the bridge the wood bowed moved or creaked, the metal railing wobbled in areas not properly fixed.. Then two monks came in the opposite direction, kindly waiting for us to edge past them.. And we made it, fortunately the hotel was just around a small corner so we booked in and sighed in relief - then went out and crossed the bridge again to go for dinner. With less weight it certainly felt easier and slightly faster.
Next day we ventured out, renting bikes so we could ride around town - going over the bridge via the car crossing certainly seemed much safer. The city is a cultural UNESCO World Heritage site and no wonder, with French-era architecture in the old city and numerous Wat temples. The Phosy Mountain in the centre of town hosts one such temple, a tourist hotspot for sunset, we headed up that evening but only halfway as the stairs conquered us more than we they, still it was a beautiful image; apparently crossing the Mekong to another temple affords the same view with no tourist flock to contend with.. Maybe somewhere to visit after we head north to Nong Khiaw.
Riding out of town the next stop was Ock Pop Tok a craft centre supporting locals and outside tribes in the sale and production of traditional silk and cotton wares. A free tour of the site explained how the silk was produced and the dying process - with mating butterflys, hungry caterpillars munching on Mulberry leaves and finally cocoons of silk on view awaiting their inevitable fate.. Moving into the manufacture there were 3 ladies working on looms creating varying degrees of design, plain coloured sheets, complex weaves of pattern it was fascinating to watch and a real appreciation for the fabrics is inevitable when you see the labour involved - see link below!!
Elsewhere another lady was working on Hmong patterns, a method of staining Hemp cloth with a steaming mix of magnolia and wax which when complete is washed, dying the material blue and leaving the pattern scored a clear white. Absolutely brilliant but a bit smelly.
Next day we headed out the Kuang Si waterfalls, a 30 minute ride from town. Walking up there is a small area where rescued Asianic Black Bears were resident in numbers, all lazing about and with an understandable desire to sleep. Heading further up you start to meet the different pools and falls, some a brilliant blue hue. Each level impressed upon the last til finally you reached the top, a large draught of water ploughing down into the pool below feeding a small water wheel which could be attached to a rice pounder and then into the lower falls. Two wooden and metal 'bridges' crossed over the pool allowing central views for tourists and a dangerously fun crosspath when people intended on going different directions. After having a few dips in the lower pools (cold!!) we got back to the minivan and were whisked off to an unexpected stop - a Tourist Hmong village - quite what was touristy about this except the tourists I do not know. In fact it was heart rending, rows of children more or less begging you in parrot fashion '5,000 for you please' and so it continued, both sets of people - locals and tourists - being paraded for one anothers entertainment serving no purpose except a hopeful sale of reproduction goods which our 'guide' explained would be better discounted at the night market in town.. Depressing. If they want to call it a tourist village then something more than a sign calling it so would benefit the community.
Arriving back in town we caught a few minutes of various films showing at the film festival currently in town then set about booking our boat to go 7 hours north along the Nam Ou river to Nong Khiaw advised us by an expat at the Ock Pop Tok craftshop.. Promising to be a much smaller rural town not quiet so involved with tourist paraphernalia..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&hl=en_US&client=mv-google&v=cqZkdAGgzno
No comments:
Post a Comment