Blistered feet and tired bodies...

The village that hosted us on our first night

An early start the next morning brought our group to reflecting around the breakfast table about what our second day might bring.

We were all exhausted after just one day of trekking and I think it's fair to say that every one of us was a little anxious about what the second day would bring. After a breakfast of omelette, our morning's hike began with the steepest and most painful ascent ever. The HUGE blisters on the back of my heels (formed due to crossing rivers the day before and having to put my boots onto wet feet continuously - WHY did the company tell us not to bring sandals?!) were being rubbed and broken every time I took a step uphill. So painful... As my friends and family know, I don't do physical pain very well. Ouch!

We ended up with a third guide today, a local villager with a GUN! This was because we were the first tourists to trial this route which the company's guides hadn't even trekked themselves. The reason for the gun was in case of a tiger attack, I think! Along the way - often the paths were non-existent and we just trekked through jungle and terrain making paths as we went - the guide would chop down a huge tree and make a little sign with the chopped branches, directing the next trekkers along the right path. This was all very exciting for us.

On this day, we hiked to a cattle village of ten families where the women and children had never seen white people before. The men, who had been more occasionally to neighbouring villages, had come across our kind before but for the women and children, we were a new experience for them. Some of the children were so scared of us farang (foreigners) they cried. This was a special experience for us too. I didn't think I'd meet people so detached from city life and globalisation in my lifetime.

We ate lunch in the house of one of the villagers with the bravest of the little boys looking on through the doors at our intriguing behaviour, skin and hair colour!

Our favourite part of the trek this day was (apart from when we finally stopped for the evening!) when we came across a grapefruit tree.

This was like an oasis in a desert and was such a welcome, refreshing break. As our guides hacked the fruit open with their machetes, we were able to enjoy the peace and beauty around us and reflect on how much we'd learned about this country and its people in just two short days.

The village that was to host us on our second night, our guides jokingly called 'Electricity City' because, you guessed it, it had electricity. Not only this but a tarmac road for vehicles. It felt like we were walking on the moon to walk along this road, back in civilisation after two days out in the jungle. In this village, we stayed in the home of the village leader.

Men would come and go with little note books for meetings about their rice productivity and plots with their elected leader.

There was no toilet in this home so we were to walk down to the road to the forest to relieve ourselves. Showering was slightly easier than the previous night however. As I stood at the river about to 'shower' watching the local children splashing around, Khit told myself and the other girls that before us, these people had probably never seen a bikini before, not even on television.

The six of us farang slept in the rice storage shed and it was probably the best night sleep any of us have ever had! After rinsing off in the river and another fabulous meal of sticky rice and bamboo stew accompanied by Lao-Lao rice whisky, we were ready for a very early night. After our own meal, we were invited to eat with the family. I loved being in their kitchen, sitting underneath their clear plastic bags of preserved foods such as bamboo.

Being part of this trek has undoubtably been one of the best things I've done in my life. When Chris and I set off on this around the world adventure, what we wanted was to really get to know other cultures and embrace the differences between other people and ourselves. In Laos, by going on this trek, we were able to do this. I have never met people who are so untouched by capitalism. I learned so much and hope I never forget how this country has made me feel. I hope with all my heart to return to Laos in the near future and spend longer here.