Wow Wow wow guys! Unbelievable few days!!!
We're sitting in the Siem Reap airport right now waiting for our flight back to Phnom Penh so I thought I'd take a few minutes to give you guys an update on our amazing time at the Gibbon Experiance (and don't worry Andrew, I got you a pamphlet!)
So Gibbon...unbelievable time. We took an overnight bus from Luang Prabang to a small town in Bokeo Province, Huaxai. Huaxai is the Launching ground for the Gibbon Experiance and is a tad difficult to get to as the only airport recently closed down. So now you have 3 options to get there, a slow two day ride down the Mekong, a terrifying 6 hour ride down the Mekong in a dugout canoe, or a 12 hour bus ride. Keerit had really really wanted to do the 6 hour trip but I was a little hesitant cuz i didn't want to end up at the bottom of the river,(a decision I'm now kind of regretting if I'm honest).
We got to the Gibbon office and almost immediatly departed for the nature reserve in a series of tuk tuk hiluxes (my two favorite vehicles put together!). The drive in itself was quite amusing as we had to cross a small river in the truck and then got completely covered in brick red iron dust on the way to the village. Then it was a two hour (almost entirely uphill) trek through bamboo jungle to the Zip Line network and into the tree houses.
We eventually got trained up on how to use the ziplines (id never done it before) and then trekked through the jungle with our guides. The jungle itself was amazing as there are birds chirping everywhere and the foliage is just some of the most stunning I've ever seen.The path is extremely narrow and very slippery on account of the recent monsoons, so I definatly biffed it a couple of times. And I'll admit the trekkjng was a tad tougher than I had expected especially as most of us were wearing light running shoes and i was dealing with a VERY unpleasant stomach bug from the day before(thank god for antibiotics!). But there was just so much to look at and do that overall it was amazing.
So we eventyally got split into 2 groups as the tree houses can only house 8 people at a time, and Keerit and I joined the crew in Treehouse 1. And man was that ever a good decision. For one thing treehouse 1 is about three times the size of the other tree houses and And as it turns out is also the best place to see Gibbons (the other houses never saw any). Also it turns out that our treemates were pretty awsome, with 2 cool American Girls and the cutest French couple you could imagine joining us in our house. It was great. The 6 of us would play cards late into the night while drinking Laotion tea spiked with homemade whiskey and condenced milk (we all hit a new low that night). Then we'd all get up with the sun rise to try to see the gibbons in the trees. It was pretty great.
The gibbons themselves are quite elusive, and we only managed to see them on our last day there...at around 5 am Thibault and Marie Jo woke us up, saying they could see a couple from thier tent. Until that point we'd only heard them in the distance as our valley is usually too misty to see more than some movement in the trees. But that morning the mist had risen a little earlier than usual and we were greated by a mom and her little guy flying amongst the tree tops. It was amazing. Within a half hour 2 other young males and a TINY baby sister showed up with thier father (you can tell the sexes based on thier coloring...the males are jet black while the females are more cinnamon colored) so the 6 of us sat on the floor of our house and gazed out at them. It was quite a moment for all of us. The other tree houses never saw the Gibbons as they are quite a distance away from where we were...you have to hike almost 40 minutes to even access the ziplines that get you to those houses, so when I say we were secluded, I mean we were REALLY secluded.
The tree house itself is exactly what you'd imagine it would be. Everything was open air, including the 'washroom', save for a tin roof and mosquito nets that kept debris from pelting us as we slept. We were perched about 50 m above the jungle floor in a sprawling tree and the only way in or out was via zip line. In the evening yoy could hear huge bats fly in and out of the freehouse, but we were all huddled in our mosquito nets thst we didnt really worry at all. We were left almosr entirely on our own in the evenings and mornings too as the guides slept about 45 minutes away in the nearby mess tent and rarely visited outside of instruction times. Meals were Ziplined in and often consisted of some soggy vedgetables, rice and Laotion coconut gummies (honestly, the food was prob the only disappointing part of the whole experiance as it was often tasteless and really not enough for 6 adults). But you make do cuz everything else is so incredie. Being in the house was a bit unnerving at first when you realize that there is absolutely no way you'll ever make it back to the village in the night if you needed too, but after the first couple hours you just settle down and really enjoy it. There is no electricty in the houses as the directors want to keep things as natural as possible, but They do have a couple of solar powered light bulbs in the communal area and over the stairs. However these ran out of juice within a couple hours, so after that we were kind of at the mercy of our own flashlights and the stars.
The washroom also was another experiance entirely. It's just a curtained off corner of the house and only the sides facing into the house are blocked off. Everything else is wide open. So when youre showering, youre basically butt naked and completely exposed to the jungle. There is no netting covering you from the insects that are singing in the canopy, and you get dowsed in the freezing river water hahahah...it's great. You can see a million glittering stars above you too, because there is absolutely no light pollution . It's incredible. At one point the 6 of us were all huddled in the shower gazing upwards cuz it had the best view of the sky. It was so cool.
Anyways, keerit took most of our photos for those days as I didn't have a pocket to carry my phone and it was waaaay too hot to carry a pack, so I've only got a few for now, but I took loads of video, so when I get home I can definatly show you guys the rest!
Oh they're calling our gate! Gotta run. ..Fungus and I are flying back to Phnom Penh for a couple days before we head home, so I'll update you all from there! We've decided to splurge a bit anf get a fancy hotel for our last couple days, so hopefully that'll work out well.
For now I'm just looking forward to a warm shower and flush toilet!
laytas!
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