You can look it up, but in a nutshell it’s super remote and as far as I can tell, gonna be too hard to get to given my time and resources. But there you have it, leaving Attapeu to see if I can do it. If you need to reach me my phone # in laos is 011 + 856 + 20 + 99292767. I will be here through 16 Jan 2012. Then puddle jumping from Pakse to Saigon to Singapore to Jakarta. Overnighting there, then into Sumatra, Indonesia on the 17th. My local number there is (Country Code 62) 0812 94 367375.
Here’s a video of a really cool guy I ran into in a Mon village, Muang Khoung, in eastern Laos, playing the mouth (jaw) harp. Longer and higher quality soon to come when I get more access, but it’s pretty cool I could post from out here in the jungle!
It’s the 10th of January, and I’m in a very interesting geologic formation in Laos, the Bolaven Plateau, which is the remainder of a giant volcanic crater. It has its own animist culture, it’s own crisp, clear, big sky weather, it’s own hundred kilometer wide 1500 meter above sea level caldera surrounded by mountains. Last night I had the pleasure after landing in Tat Lo to spend an evening with Madame Pop, who over the years morphed into Momapop, and over the last few hours into my new friend. Life’s been good and bad to her, and me too!, so we talked about it tonight, and that that’s our philosophy: good _and_ bad. There is but one Internet connection in town, so without wasting a day, through courtesy of it, here’s a moment of Momapop. She also runs one of the best restaurants in the world I have had the culinary delight to sample.
About to embark on a motorbike trip through Southern Laos and the Bolaven Plateau. Gonna do some traveling! It’s 2 pm on the 10th, I’m in Pakse, about to head east. Don’t know if there will be Internet access, but if so, hope to keep things current and up to date. Looking forward to numerous waterfalls, great scenery, tribal villages, and all the unexplored corners.
I am with my friend and guide Inn, and we are half way between Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri on an adventure through the Wild East of Cambodia. No Internet, no electricity, no cars, few scooters, cow carts, rocky bumpy road, last leg awaits us. We should be in Ban Lung by evening Thursday, the fifth (your morning).