Luang Nam Tha: Bomb Pasta! (it rhymes)

Home free in Laos, we reached Oudomxay, a commuter town which would bring us new friends and take us to Luang Nam Tha the following morning. Bonded by our arduous journey from the border, our cohort of four added a Dutch couple, Kitty and Rickardt, who live on a houseboat in Amsterdam. Yeah, we'll be taking advantage of that invitation. With our new power of six, and amidst constant laughter, we found a hotel, visited a day market, followed by a night market and booked a trek for the following day.

Luang Nam Tha is known for its eco tourism companies who continue to pioneer in this industry for Laos. Still, eager to see wildlife during our three month trip, we set off for the Nam Ha Nationally Protected Area that is supposedly home to clouded leopards, gaur, monkeys, tigers and elephants. The tour agency's guide and a local  villager led us up the mountain, stopping to make us walking sticks of wild bamboo with their machetes.The muddy, vertical climb through drizzle was a blast, however due slippery slopes we lost two steps for every one gained. Amongst enormous fig trees, midway up, we reached a bamboo picnic table lined with banana leaves serving as plates. We each received a portion of sticky rice individually packaged in a banana leaf. Sides of beef, tomato-chili sauce, morning glory and squash were placed directly on the banana leaves in the middle of the table. We enjoyed the tasty meal with our hands and were re-energized to continue the climb.

The expansive view from the top revealed mountains and valleys of jungle and rice paddies. Our decent to the other side of the mountain ended in a farm of rubber trees leading us to a village. Our guides explained how the white sap from the trees was patiently funneled, collected and sold for the manufacturing of rubber products. Arriving at the small village, we were greeted by the village leader to whom we presented gifts of toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, seeds and Big Brother Mouse books. Big Brother Mouse is a widely accepted grassroots initiative to improve local literacy. We were proud to contribute to this cause. Although the trek was enjoyable, the only wild life we saw were swarms of mosquitoes and aggressive blood thirsty leeches.

The day prior, upon learning Eliza was an Italian chef, we impulsively requested a gourmet Italian feast! Hungry, we returned to a bag of produce purchased previously at the market. Our delicious and well deserved menu consisted of fresh garlic bread and pasta with tomato sauce. Simple, yet expertly executed, the meal met our gourmet expectations. So did the comedic company of our four new friends.

The following morning, not wanting to stop laughing together, we all ventured to Luang Prabang on a ten hour bus ride. Ironically we passed through Oudomxay, the same city where we had originally joined forces.