The afternoon was approaching, and the sun started to hang low. We had planned that this initial “test paddle section”, in which we were still be in proximity to civilization the entire journey, would just require one sleepover, but so far, the next town still weren’t in sight. Therefor we decided to take the opportunity to take a stroll along a nearby road looking for small villages, from which we could buy water in case we would have to camp another night. Such small detours are part of what make traveling beyond the trail an amazing experience. Dropping into a tiny road-side village with ten huts and a group of women and children sitting and chatting, is like entering a completely different world. Presumably I looked like an alien, but with a few hand gestures and a lot of laughing the women pointed down the road and indicated that I could purchase water just around the corner – which was indeed the case.
Resupplied we packed our rafts and continued down the Nam Ou – and not too far ahead indicators of Utai started emerging, the town which we had stayed briefly in while changing from one bus to another just two days earlier. Paddling past men and children bathing in the red river, we found a small shore to step on land. The evidence of a city was clearly visible by the amount of plastic trash that was lying around on the small river bed.
With a poor recycling system in such rural towns, and a presumably very low level of education, it’s not hard to imagine why simply dumbing trash along the vast areas of bush becomes the easy solution. As a designer and engineer I can’t help to think that “we” are to blame, the only realistic solution for this type of communities in low income countries, has to do with regulating the packaging manufacturers. With more and more biodegradable and plant-based packaging options, I’m convinced that it should simply be a standard to only be allowed to produce packaging and one-time containers of materials that won’t pollute our environment for the next century, even if not recycled properly.
Having wrapped up the packrafts and stuffed our backpacks, we followed a group of villagers up a small muddy path as it crooked through tiny houses with tin roofs and provisionally build cages for chickens, pigs and what appeared to be a boa. Indeed, another culture shock after a long day of paddling, as Tobias’ face confirm.