Traveling to Nong Khiaw from Luang Prabang
After six nights in Vang Vieng, we choo-chooed back north through Luang Prabang where we snagged three more days in its alluring wonder. It was here we both started showing signs of nasty head colds that would continue to inject misery on our systems for the next 7-10 days. Oh no…fast travel was catching up to us. Again.
Unfortunately, we’d just booked a now non-refundable place further north in Nong Khiaw so, we reluctantly decided to move forward COVID-style.
For the record, travel in Laos is way more backpackery as soon as you leave the three major tourist destinations of Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and the capital of Vientiane. This means your luggage will be strapped to the top of a grime-carpeted mini van and shielded by only a crappy (and flappy) ripped tarp, you will not have seat belts, may even have a makeshift wooden seat, and the washboard and crater-covered roads will churn your entire cerebral core. This, for the record, wasn’t too enjoyable considering our pounding headaches. But the journey must go on…
The four-hour odyssey from Luang Prabang was filled with more pockmarks and blemishes than the facade of a teenage misfit. It’s also filled with Chinese semi trucks, which slowed us to an utter crawl every other minute as we bumped and barreled our way north. And we had already heard, this road would be a walk in the park compared to the next. On top of this, we were masked up…(unlike the sick people who must have given this to us. Grrr.) This not only blocked our germs, but provided a much needed dust shield as the van was infiltrated with dust particles.
Stopping for snacks. Although it looked pretty and semi healthy, “rice dumpling cassava” may be the worst bus snack we’ve ever had. The consistency was the same as eating a yogurt container. (Probably).
At long last, we finally arrived to the bus station in Nong Khiaw. Yep, this is it. Although we could have easily taken a tuk tuk down the road, we were eager to get away from others, grab some food, try and clear our heads, and walk a bit.
We settled into the kitchen of “Mama Laos” where we got to check out the street scene while waiting for our food, which included these women who seemed to be in some sort of conflict over vegetables.
Speaking of vegetables, ours had arrived in the form of pumpkin curry which totally hit the spot.
After, backpacks suddenly weighing our weary bodies down, we continued down the dusty streets of Nong Khiaw, which were already filled with more foreigners than expected. Eventually, we’d find what we were looking for under a yellow sign indicating “Khamphan Guesthouse” which looked like a suitable place for recovery.
Once we found out, it’s not COVID! (said expired tests we got for free in Taiwan in February), we realised we were happy to be in Nong Khiaw….
Life in Nong Khiaw
Ringed with ravishing jagged mountains and hill tribes, Nong Khiaw (rhyming with meow) is known to be a nature lover’s paradise packed with trekking and kayaking opportunities, as well as some of the most beautiful scenery in all of Laos. And, although it is a bit more challenging to get to, it’s still a hot spot on the Laos backpacker trail particularly with adventurous Europeans (mostly Germans)…and us evidently.
Unfortunately, as we battled head colds, our bodies had other proposals for us, including a forced slowdown of an entire week. Although crammed together into a small hotel room, fortunately it wasn’t a horrible place to be thanks to a phenomenal mountain and Nam Ou riverview, some great food options, and in due time, recovery treats like massages and steam baths.
The village of Nong Khiaw is also incredibly flat and walkable, which thankfully made getting out for fresh air quite accessible. Our hotel was Kham Phan Guesthouse (the first red roof on the right) and was only fabulous because we asked for, and were granted, a stunning riverview.
So, we’d gaze at these mountains as we sipped our tea for about $26 for the first four nights and $20 for the last three, after some negotiating.
For each of us, the hotel included one excessively lofty pillow which rivaled the nearby mountains and was deemed worthless, and one flat-ass throw pillow which combined with our fillos, did the job sufficiently enough, though spending 16 hours a day on them was a bit first-world problemy. Being sick also meant we couldn’t drink our way through the election results which was a fun additional challenge. Yes, we kinda started going crazy! 🤪
Fortunately, we found some terrific food options, including Noi & Ni Restaurant where we’d eat linner regularly. Each meal was about $6 for two of us including Vitamin C loaded passion fruit juices. And they also did “little spicy” perfectly which was a temporary, but phenomenal head pressure reliever.
In the evenings, we’d usually suck down big-as-your-congested-head avocado smoothies for $1. And, in the morning, because our hotel didn’t include breakfast, mango, cinnamon and coconut milk smoothies…
…which accompanied our favorite breakfast of avocado toast with eggs for about $8 total at Family Bakery. It tasted so good to us.
The dusty streets of Nong Khiaw had plenty of food options.
They also had some pretty adorable puppies like Spot-T with his gold chain collar (our name), and piles of kittens…
….which always made our cough and sniffle days a little bit brighter.
Most of the days were a bit cloudy in Nong Khiaw, but this one was beautiful. The temperatures were also very springlike overnight and in the mornings, only heating up for a few hours each afternoon, so we were able to work a bit outside.
The pencil fence lining the perimeter of the local elementary school, having downtime at Delilah’s hostel across the street after breakfast.
The river seemed so green and glittery after our days traversing the Mighty Chocolate Milk Mekong. It was undeniably something to be grateful for this week. Nong Khiaw has many affordable riverside hotels, as well as viewpoints sprinkled throughout the village.
Some of the traditional architecture in Nong Khiaw. Speaking of architecture, zoom in to check out their building techniques!
After a few days, Mandy started to feel well enough to get a 120,000 Kip ($5.50) + tip hour long head and shoulder massage, which was conducted not in this room where the hair washing takes place, but upstairs on a floor mat. It was absolutely the best massage she’s had this year. If you’ve never had a Thai (or Laos) rub down, expect the “therapist” to mount you from behind, pull your extremities, ask “is ok?” on repeat, and crack your spine way more satisfactorily than any $50+ chiropractor has ever managed.
And, we also checked out a quite rustic herbal steam room for 50,000 kip each ($2.30) which did wonders for our head spaces. Upon arrival at about 5 pm, the nice couple who operated the facility told us we needed to wait 10 minutes, gave Mandy a sarong and Greg a pair of gauzy shorts and shooed us into a changing room.
We then went into the “steam room” which was envelopes by sheets of plastic (tablecloths?) and had a comfy wooden bench for our tushy’s pleasure. On the floor was a pipe where the steam and fresh lemongrass scents would soon manifest from. If you’re curious where that steam is magically flowing from, it’s from the mystery man next door who is actively creating fire under a bucket of boiling water and herbs.
It was one of the more intense steam experiences we’ve ever had. There was no cool water bucket so the only breaks would be from squatting on the floor or slightly opening the door. We only lasted about 20 minutes, but both felt supercharged in our recoveries upon completion, asking ourselves why we hadn’t come here earlier in the week.
Good night from Nong Khiaw. No matter how we felt, you were so beautiful.
Touring around Nong Khiaw
After four days of dates with green tea while gazing at the green river, by the fifth we were chomping at the bit to get out of the hotel room and see some of the surrounding natural wonders of Nong Khiaw. Unfortunately, our original plans of a three-day trek to remote villages was out, so we settled on a one-day tour option, which included a boat ride 26 kilometers up to Mueang Ngoi village, a historic cave, a viewpoint hike, lunch at an organic farm, a waterfall hike and swim, and a kayak down the river to our starting point. It was quite action-packed for these two still-recovering wanderers. But ultimately, we’re glad we did it!!
We organized the 8-hour tour through “Nong Khiaw World Tour” which had the best reviews on Google. Evidently all the guides are freelancers though so ultimately your experience will depend on your him or her. Ours, named Pick, did a fantastic job. It cost $30/each. Based on this days’ journey, it’s easy to see why this area is said to have the most raw natural beauty in all of Laos.
Our day started at 9 am when four of us (+guide) got on a long boat and puttered 1.5 hours up river to the reverberations of an obnoxiously vocal boat motor. The first hour, as we passed the Laos version of overwater bungalows, it was a bit foggy. But, as the clouds burned off, a luscious mountain scape exposed itself.
Our first stop would be the Phanoi Cave Trail, which was a steep, but short jaunt (~20 minutes) up to a cave, as well as incredible viewpoint over the village of Mueang Ngoi. Greg had to pace himself considerably because he still wasn’t feeling a 100%, but the view on top of the tranquil Nam Ou River definitely made it worth it.
On the way, we also paused at Phanoi Cave known for its natural beauty and historical significance. Pick told us the history of how locals used it as a shelter and hideout during the Indochina and Vietnam Wars, which we also saw in Vietnam. Remnants remain in the cave including a small Buddha shrine where people still drop offerings in the form of cash today. Ha. Can you imagine how long a pile of cash would last sitting out in the open in the west?!? But this is how trusting Buddhists are. And if you take it, you’ll simply have to deal with karma. We truly respect that about being in this part of the world.
After our little hike, we meandered into the village of Mueang Ngoi which is only accessible by boat or a lengthy 8-hour walk. We had originally planned to get here by taking the daily public boat and staying a night or two so we’re glad we still got to see it.
It’s the kinda motorized vehicle-free place where chilis and weenies bake in the sidewalk sun and had an even more traditional and laidback vibe than Nong Khiaw. Still, it has enough tourist services like guesthouses and restaurants, including an Indian/Laotian restaurant which is probably all we’d need, as well as place to take care of any holey clothing items. Or, get a custom design from one of the local hand weavers.
There was even a pharmacy, which wasn’t open, but inevitably sells basics like paracetamol and menthol sniff sticks (which for the record, are way better than any nose spray we’ve ever had.) There was also a tourist information booth which seemed more than adequate to manage any tours or treks. We regret we didn’t get to stay here and take part in one of them.
Also, throughout the village (and entire region), American bombs have been repurposed as art. Cheery. 🙄 The proof.
Heading back out onto our boat, we soak in more of the view, and check out the mud slide that the local kids made. That looks enticing! 🤣
Back in the boat, we reversed course 30 minutes to the village of Sop Keng, a place where omnipresent satellite dishes bedecked the roofs, laundry dangled on bamboo poles and cinder block houses blended with traditional wooden pads. It felt like a true simple Laotian village with no signs of tourism (other than yours truly.) Still, the locals paid little attention to us because clearly the tour groups have developed a trodden path.
From here, we took a walk through the rice fields, to land at Yensabai Organic Farm where Pick tossed our fried rice lunches to us which were conveniently held together by a toothpick inside a banana leaf…aka, the perfect biodegradable plate. It was a lovely place for a pause to appreciate the surrounding mountains and farm. It also gave us time to chat with our tour mates…a German guy and Dutch/Israeli gal. And, of course…feed a cat our leftovers…because that’s what we do. 😹
We then had a chance to chat with Xai, the farms’ manager, who offered us the opportunity to fill up our water bottles, as well as some fried grasshoppers for dessert, for which the vegan in the group passed. (Good excuse 🤣). Grasshoppers are one of the many things this community based co-op style farm is growing organically. As usual, this protein packed snack was crunchy and salty, but nothing special.
From here, we took a 30-minute flat walk to the nearby waterfall, where it was amusing to see our Laotian tour guide next to this giant of a German.
After some scrambling and leap-frogging, we arrived to the first waterfall, followed by the star attraction of Tad Mok. Despite our sticky skin, it felt a bit chilly as indicated by Mandy’s face with our new Israeli friend, Sivan. This is before we met another new friend. But don’t you dare touch him. 😬 This is the same type of caterpillar than gave Mandy quite a sting in Panama.
Our 23-year-old guide Pick was such a wonderful guy. A few things we learned about him or village life over the course of the day:
-He’s from a very small Khmu tribe village “upriver.” (For the record, “upriver” looks like nothing on the map.
-Most Laotian villagers get married by 15. He got married at 22 so was “late.” He also recently became a father.
-He learned all his English during his monk schooling in Luang Prabang. Other than Nong Khiaw, this is the only place he’s ever been.
-His knowledge of US politics was shocking to be from a rural Laotian village. When he found out our nationality, his initial response was “congratulations.” When we told him we weren’t happy, he revealed he wasn’t either and he really liked “Ms. Harris.” When we asked him why he didn’t like our president elect, he simply shrugged and said, “he’s not a peaceful man.” A quite Buddhist, but accurate, statement.
-He has two jobs. One as a rice farmer where he earns about $5/day, and as a guide up to $18/day.
-Teachers make $9/day which is another reason why no one wants to be a teacher and education is so challenging in Laos.
The scenery on our walk back seemed to be getting better and better.
And as we boarded back in the boat, the layers of breathtaking mountains seemed to pop even more like watercolors coming to life.
Shortly after, we pulled over to an embankment where our kayaks were waiting to head back to Nong Khiaw on our own horsepower. We could have also ridden the boat, where our day bags safely sat, but despite our fatigue, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity for wet butts and shoulder toning. Sivan and Alex boarding set sail on kayak number one. By this time of day (about 5:00), the sun had started to set creating a gorgeous yellow glow and shaded paddling waters. Thanks to the advantageous current, the kayak was only about 50 minutes back to Nong Khiaw and an absolutely perfect end cap to a really fun day.
