Trek & village homestay - Day 1

I joined a couple and our slightly condescending tour guide for a two-day experience in the countryside with an overnight stay in a local Hmong village. On the first day we hiked all day through different kinds of forests, including bamboo, rubber, banana and primary forest with huge trees and farmland. We stopped in a village for a break and enjoyed watching them go about their lives. The houses don't have running water, but instead they use several village taps for everything. They did however have one washing machine in the shared bathrooms. We stayed overnight in a similar local Hmong village. We stayed in a traditional bamboo house which had been divided into little rooms. Usually the houses are just one room and the family eat, sleep and relax in that room. Apart from serving us dinner the owners and other in the village essentially ignored us. There were lots of kids in the village and they played outside with the animals, helped with chores and looked after the babies. The secondary school children go to Nong Khiaw for school and stay there during the week.Read more