After two nights out in Luang Namtha, it is time for us to get back on the road. We take a minibus, this time, to Nong Khiaw.
Nong Khiaw is located in the province of Luang Prabang, 120 miles North of the city of Luang Prabang. This is a relatively big town stretched on each side of the banks of the Nam Ou river. This valley is full of hills and rocky summits covered in lush vegetation.
If we go there it is mainly to get some rest and wait a little bit for the Chinese New Year celebrations to slow down in Luang Prabang.
From Luang Namtha we have about 140 miles that separate us from Nong Khiaw. The minibus we climb in only has 13 seats and is filled with ONLY French tourists.
The ride is supposed to last 7 hours to drive the 140 miles, and we will be very pleasantly surprised to see that it will last 6 and a half hours. The downside is that the road is in even worse condition than the road between Huay Xai and Luang Namtha. On top of being super winding, and making many people car sick, the roads are full of potholes and from time to time simply change to dirt roads.
But the view, on the entire way, is just incredible.
We stop a few times for bathroom breaks but also to admire the view and take a few pics.
Bungalow by the river
We arrive in Nong Khiaw early afternoon and a tuk-tuk takes us from the bus station to the center of the village. In Laos the bus stations are always outside the city so that we have to grab a tuk-tuk to get to the city. A group of French tourists find a way to complain (as the French are so good at) because the tuk-tuk costs the incredibly expensive price of 50 cents… We will try not to run into them again! Haha
Given the time of the year (Chinese New Year) we decided to book our room in advance, and thank God we did. We see a lot of tourists (mainly French) going door to door trying to find a room available without any luck.
When we arrive we are surprised to see that the guesthouse has a beautiful view on the river. Our view from the bungalow is incredible.
We immediately decide to book two extra nights, we have a good feeling that we are going to like this place.
Without waiting, we go to the bar of our guesthouse to have a beer with a beautiful view on the sunset on the river.
The color of the sky is amazing.
We immediately feel good here. It is peaceful and quiet.
The next day we wake up under a heavy fog and chilly temperatures. The difference in temperature between night and day is pretty high. We get easily over 90 degrees during the night, and it drops to 50 at night. This morning fog seems like something that happens every day and brings a certain charm to the landscape.
At breakfast, we are once again pleasantly surprise by our guesthouse. Indeed, they offer probably the best breakfast we have had during our trip so far. We have a buffet with the choice between plenty of fruits, pancakes, muesli, scrambled eggs or omelet. And all of this facing the river.
Climbing mount Phadeng
The fog usually doesn’t dissipate until 10 or 10:30 am, so we go hike up to a viewpoint above the village, that offers a 360 view on the surroundings.
We leave around 9:30 am to start the 1.2 mile trail, with a 1,640 ft elevation gain. Thankfully it isn’t too hot when we start.
The way up is very pretty. The fog is still pretty low, so we manage to take a few nice pictures. Where we can see the mountains starting to appear behind the fog.
The arrival up top is magical.
Despite being full of sweat, the view makes us forget the difficult hike up.
The sea of clouds is still a little present, which makes the landscape even prettier.
Until it completely dissipates after a few moments.
From the top we can see the village bellow, as well as other tiny villages and of course the mountains around. The place is majestic.
We will stay a while here to admire the landscape.
We also meet a family from Canada who is traveling in Asia for 3 months. We exchange tips and advice on the different countries we have already visited.
After hiking back down, we take a nice shower and get some delicious food at our guesthouse. The view from the terrace is so much different than when we left this morning. The fog is completely gone and now we have a beautiful blue sky.
Relaxation afternoon
In the afternoon we go get a Lao massage, and it feels SO good, after our 3 day trek and the hike this morning. Softer than the Thai massage, this massage will leave us feeling lighter and more serene.
To end the day we wander around town, simply observing the local go about their day.
There are many many tourists in this town, but it seems that they are all gone on day trips, and the village is empty this afternoon. Only the locals and the kids are in the streets.
A big modern bridge joins both sides of town, and offers a nice panorama on the village.
Another beautiful sunset from our guesthouse, the colors are once again amazing.
Doing nothing
For our last day here, we spend the day reading, working on the blog and watching the boats go by with the sounds of the wild birds in the background.
All of that from the hammock on our balcony.
These few days in Nong Khiaw felt great. We didn’t go to the villages around, or the caves or waterfalls, but we are well rested, and took full advantage of the town’s laid-back vibe.
The next day we leave to Luang Prabang, 120 miles South.
