We had decided to bring hammocks due to our expectancy of dense and steep jungle terrain further downstream, that would make it impossible to pitch a tent. Even by the first night the hammocks proved worthwhile despite their extra weight as setting up a tent on the muddy soil would have been a mess.
As this was our first adventure with our hammocks and packrafts, setting up the camp took surprisingly long time. With the knowledge that snakes and other poisonous animals might situate in the tall grass and bamboo, the speed at which one sets up a campground likewise seemed to decrease… Luckily we only encountered a few funky larva, small spiders and the expected leeches.
Darkness comes early near equator, and before we had managed to pack up our gear for the night the sun disappeared. Knowing that there may roam small animal critters in the area, it was necessary to elevate our backpacks (containing food) by hanging these via a rope onto the top of a tree. Although this is usually not a very difficult thing to do, it wasn’t exactly easy with 100 insects swarming in our heads due to the headlamps, while sliding around the slippery and muddy forest floor. Lesson number 1 learned: make sure to camp timely enough to make it into the hammocks before darkness falls…
Our first day on Nam Ou was about to come to an end, Tobias and I both lying in our hammocks tired and ready to sleep started scribbling a few thoughts into our diaries. Very optimistically I noted the following in my book, “I’ve just traveled thousands of kilometers to float down a dirty, small river, battling with 100s of insects in my face. Right now I’m lying in my hammock hungry after having eaten a small portion of noodles for dinner. Who came up with this idea?”. Well, I guess I only had myself to blame.