23/06/2023 From Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw
The joys of public transport in Asia
The one thing we might not miss about Asia are its buses.
We had the choice between a bus at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.. Usually we are not good at getting ready early in the morning. But it did make sense to go for the earlier one to have more time in our next destination Nong Khiaw.
Well, it turned out we chose poorly. When we got picked up at 8 a.m. and squeezed ourselves into a very tight minivan filled with other backpackers and their big backpacks, we had to wait inside the mini van for another two hours in Luang Prabang. It looked like the 10 o’clock minivan wasn’t full, so the company just decided to wait with everyone inside the van for another two hours without telling anyone.
With a now two-hour-delay we were off to Nong Khiaw.
What to expect
Nong Khiaw
Nong Khiaw is a popular tourist destination because of the walking and cycling routes near the village and the mountain-climbing opportunities. […] The village is well known in Laos because of the bridge, which was given by China, that connects the two parts of the town. The bridge gives you a great view of the Nam Ou river, and the breathtaking rocks, mountains and hills around it.”
wikipedia.org
A unique accommodation
In Nong Khiaw we stayed at Ou River House, which was located right on the Ou River and only had five rooms sitting on a wabbly jetty. We fell in love with the accommodation and the peaceful area of Nong Khiaw immediately.
Later we went out for a drink with an English couple we had met on the minivan ride and checked out more of the cute little town.
24/06/2023 Nong Khiaw
The local lifestyle
Waking up right on the river in our little room and having breakfast on the jetty felt amazing. We watched local kids drive by on a long boat on their way to school and saw other locals go fishing. It felt amazing being observers of the local lifestyle in Northern Laos.
Time to move
Unfortunately, we then had to check out since the hotel was fully booked. Therefore, we moved to another hotel only ten minutes down the road, which had a great view onto the Ou River as well.
Hike up to the Nong Khiaw Viewpoint
Then it was time to be a bit more active and explore more of Nong Khiaw, which meant for us to hike up to Nong Khiaw Viewpoint.
The 1.5 hour-hike uphill was quite muddy and whenever we stopped we had a million mosquitos sucking our blood. This was our motivation to push through and hike further up (needless to say the mosquitos followed us the entire way up). Sometimes we even had to pull ourselves up on ropes.
The hike was fun and adventurous and at the end we got rewarded with a breathtaking view over Nong Khiaw, which was so worth the sweat (and the mosquito bites).
25/06/2023 From Nong Khiaw to Muang Ngoy
Go on a two-day-trek
Today we were going on a two-day-trekking tour where we would hike to a tiny village, sleep in a Laotian homestay and then boat and kayak back the next day.
A great group
Together with two English couples (one of them from the minivan ride from yesterday), a Dutch guy and our Laotian tour guide we started our adventure at 9 a.m..
An authentic first stop
The hike was beautiful and we passed several rice fields on the way.
For lunch with stopped in a tiny village consisting of only 39 families.
After having a traditional Laotian meal, where we ate sticky rice, veggies and chunks of omelette with our hands, we played with the local kids. They were the absolute cutest!
A very interesting path
After lunch we hiked up and down a hill. The whole time we weren’t walking on any proper path, but alongside the river through thick forests. We definitely would have never found this “road” on our own without the guide.
We survived the first day
In the evening we arrived at our final destination for the day. In this small village we stayed with a local homestay.
The family served us dinner and (way too much) whiskey Lao. This reminded us of the “happy water” in Sa Pa and on the Ha Giang Loop in Vietnam.
Back to basics
Our “bedroom” consisted of one big room shared with the other backpackers of our group.
Inside the large room we slept on hard bamboo mattresses underneath a mosquito net (with lots of holes).
But our bathroom was the actual highlight: a hole in the ground functioned as our toilet. Furthermore, a bucket and a tub with water was meant to be our shower.
I guess when you ask for an authentic experience, you really get an authentic experience!
26/06/2023 From Nong Khiaw to Muang Ngoy
In the next morning we started the day with a warm rice porridge with sweet potatoes and coconut milk (which I loved).
Take a boat trip
After trying some jackfruit and fresh mango from other locals from the village, we took a boat on the Nam Ou River to another village.
The river was surrounded by huge green mountains. Everywhere on the sides you could either see kids playing in the water or water buffaloes bathing in the river.
Visit the Tham Kang Cave
We got out of the boat at another small village where we hiked up a hill and walked into a cave with lots of bats inside.
Hike up to the Phanoi Viewpoint
Then we hiked the hill further up to a beautiful lookout over the village.
Bath in the waterfall Tad Mook
After some more trekking along some stunning green rice fields, we arrived at a large waterfall.
What better way to cool off from a hot day of hiking than to jump into a cold waterfall? It was just what we needed!
Lunch on the boat
We stopped at an organic farm for a smoothie before taking the boat down the river again.
On the boat we enjoyed our lunch which was rice with an omelette and veggies inside a banana leaf. Who needs plastic if a banana leaf does the job even better and you can even chuck it out afterwards?
Go kayaking
Finally, we hopped into kayaks at an island. From here we paddled the last 40 minutes back to our starting point in Nong Khiaw.
Reunion at night
This trip was such an authentic experience with incredible nature, kind locals and a great group and a fantastic tour guide!
After a much needed shower, we all caught up again for dinner and a round of pool in the evening. This was definitely one of those experiences Blake and I will never forget and cherish forever!
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