I have a pretty intense fear of heights - I hate climbing latters, I don't stand on apartment balconies, and I even have difficulty looking over railings at the mall... but I chose to come face to face this phobia last week when Lynn and I participated in The Gibbon's Experience. This "experience" is set deep in the Bokeo Natural Reserve in Northern Laos and uses it's funding to help protect the forest and wildlife of the area. What this meant for us was three days living in a tree house some 150 meters above the jungle floor; living, zipping and trekking through the jungle.
Day 1: Seven of us packed into the back of a truck and were taken 1 hour north of the border city of Houe Xai, and 1 hour along winding dirt roads deep into the jungle. We began our trek in a small Laos village; a tough 1 hour long process up the mountain (that quickly reminded me how 4 weeks of vacationing has made me well out of shape) before being fitted with our harnasses and ushered (read: zipped) into our treehouse home. Our guides (two 18year olds from the local village) made it look so easy, just clip in, step off the platform, soar....... My heart was racing a mile a minute but I forced myself to take the leap and enjoyed the thrill of it all.
Our tree house (1 of 6) was a truly remarkable construction; 3 floors, running water, a full shower that allowed for a breathtaking view of the jungle, and a squatter with a hole straight down to the jungle floor. What made this experience all the more terrifying were the swarms of bees threatening to sting you in all the wrong places. For much of the first day, being in the treehouse at such a high elevation was painfully frightening, so I sat in the middle of the mainfloor, almost wishing i could stay in my harness, clipped to the tree... just incase.
After a quick view of home, we set out with our guides who showed us around the trails and the zips. Each take off evoked fear (as zips were up to around 600 meters long, and some 200 meters above ground!) but each zip provided great thrills and stunningly breathtaking views. Our guides were hilariously entertaining, loved what they were doing, and were amazingly knowledgable about the sights and sounds of the jungle. Equipped with a sixth sense for hearing and scoping out Gibbons, on our first day out we did just that. Quietly the pack of us ventured deeper into the jungle, off the beaten back, following the keen senses of our guides. There we witnessed about four gibbons soaring through the trees- it truly was an amazing sight.
That night dinner was zipped into us, and sunset occured shortly thereafter, rendering us into complete darkness (save for a few candles which enabled us light for a few card games before calling it a night).
Day 2: At 5:45am we awoke to the sound of the zipline as our guides entered our treehouse for another full day of exploring. The early morning zips were stunning, zipping through the fog, unsure of what lied ahead, and still providing more breathtaking views of the jungle. After breakfast we took a long hike, including new ziplines to another treehouse deeper in the jungle. The trek was painful, but the outcome was rewarding and each zip eased my nerves a little more.
That night, around midnight, a huge thunderstorm rolled in. Infact, it seemed as though we were sitting between two storms in fierce competition with each other. Lightning flashed like strobe lights, about 30-40 times per minute, illuminating the entire sky. The thunder boomed and echoed through the jungle. It was a phonomenal natural display, and slightly frightening given our treehouse elevation.
Day 3: After a few final zips we said goodbye to our jungle lives and headed back into town. Three phonomenal days, intense heights, breathtaking views, grueling hikes, thrilling zips, amazing opportunity, experience of a lifetime.
