We arrived early today into Houay Xai. which is a really small town in the Bokeo province just bordering Thailand at Chiang Kong. We are here to meet with some very special beings (hopefully). The Black Gibbons were thought extinct until they found them in the Bokeo National reserve - we really want yo meet them so we are here fo rthe Gibbon experience - a three day, two night tour that will take us deep into the national reserve, flying around on Zip wires and sleeping 100m up in a tree house!!!!

After a restless nights sleep we sign a form that claims t take no responsibilty for the 300m long (or longer) 150m high (or higher) zip wires that we will spend the next three days using to access the 100m high tree houses - GREAT!!

A bumpy 3 hour ride in the back of an open 4WD, and we are atthe start of the Gibbon experience, we are a group of 8, all with long socks, hiking boots, and long trousers as intructed in order to avoid leeches, and we meet our two guides Hao and Lou who are both carrying nothing but a very small bag and are both wearing flip flops and shorts!! We can't help but think that there is a nasty joke they play on the foreigners in 35 degree heat!

Our forst hour walking and we are allowed a rest....sweating and muddy already, we are given our harnesse for the next couple of days - these will be our best friends at 150m (or higher!!). Another couple of hours and we get to our fist Zip - no practice run, no double checking, just attach yourself and go!! It's really scary and Liz just about manages to keep her eyes open. Straight off that line and onto the next , and we are starting to feel like the gibbons! We spend the day like this arriving into our treehouse full of new found confidence with heights. We choose our beds (complete with Mossie nets thank goodness), and chill out for an hour or two.

At 5pm food arrives via the zip wire with our friendly chef telling us - just pop out that way and come and see me if yu need anything...... THAT WAY you mean launch myself off a 150m high platform on just a rope with no supervision!!!!!?????? we manage to pursuade him to bring us the cold cokes that we are after. At this high beer is a no no and you are told in the safety manual "you will refrain from alcohol and drugs. After all you are already doing lines and getting high in the jungle" The Laoations also have a sense of humour - WE LOVE LAOS!!

Our confidence wains as we venture into the bathroom!! The shower floor is merely hatched bamboo or something looking equally unsteady that you have to stand on to let the shower water fall the 150m to the groubd below! The toilet is even more dangerous (i think anyway) perched on the very edge of the treehouse is a squat loo that you have to stand on and crouch over a hole that has you business also faling 150m to the ground far below!!!

A farirly good night sleep and we awake early to go looking for Gibbons, Lou Zips in to take us walking and we are all a little complacent with our long socks and long trousers after all it's early and no one got attacked by leeches yesterday.

We can hear the gibbons calling to each other - the sound is amazingly human, and a little eerie too. ur hour k\hike turns into two as we crouch on the ground, a long way from the marked paths waiting for the gibbons to be inquisitive enough to come looking for us. Our wait is rewarded, as gibbons begin crashing around high in the branches above. They make a really loud crashing sound as they jump from one branch to the next. A glimpse of light brown and we know it's not the rare black gibbon that we have seen but a brown one - Still a gibbon all the same. Very exciting.

Breakfast is waiting for us when we get back, but before we eat we discover that we have all brought leeches back into the treehouse with us. Matt has been Leeched twice on his feet and Ian has had one manage to climb all the way up his leg to the middle of his thigh - a bit too close for comfort! The fat blood filled leeches are either killed or thrown to their death below the treehouse and wounds are patched up! Shuld have paid more attention to those socks and trousers!! Somehow the guides in their flip flops and shorts seem to be spared - How??? noone knows!

Shortly after breakfast has been zipped in and out we pack up our gear and head out for another 3 hours hiking and zipping to the waterfall. We're naturals at the zipping now apart from Liz who manages to not attach the runner properly and stops halfway along a very long line. About 10 minutes of pulling herself along dangling and getting slightly scared and she makes it to the platform!

A well earned swim before lunch and more hiking and zipping to our new treehouse for tonight! A thorough leech check shows we have all been spared this time. We manage to spot a few really big huntsmen style spiders just before bed time, so everyone freaks out and hastily pulls down their mozzie nets to retire at 7.30 pm!!

A later breakfast and about 2 1/2 hours hiking and we are leaving the jungle behind - we have had an amazing time acting like George of the Jungle and getting over fear of heights, and tomorrow we leave Laos - for now anyway. Don't worry Laos, we'll be back!!

Just one group dinner to say goodbye to sme of the group. We'll be seeing Tilly & Monica on the bus tomorrow to Chiang Rai. Next stop Thailand.