I have been pretty lukewarm on Laos. But I found a little spot of perfection for my last four days. As I left the guesthouse in Luang Prabang, I met a Dutch guy who was heading south who said he had just come from Nong Khiaw. He had forgotten to leave his room key, so I said I would return it. Took a roller coaster minibus ride, speeding up the mountain roads, past small towns along the river. Arrived in Nong Khiaw, a sleepy little town with not much character. Looked for the hotel to return the keys, and nobody seemed to have heard of it. Walked through town and over the bridge into the next town, Ban Saphpoun, but still no one had heard of it. Noticed they had an ATM machine, and the guy had said I needed to bring in all the cash I needed, since they didn't have any ATMs. Finally, a man at a restaurant said it might actually be in Muang Ngoi, which was only accessible by boat and was about an hour upriver. Since I had said I would return the key, I figured what the heck... might as well jump on a boat and check it out. Heard the last boat leaves at 2pm and of course it is 1:50, so I hot-foot it back over the bridge to the boat jetty... luckily it leaves at 2pm Lao time (which is more like 3pm).
Head up the Nam Ou river through beautiful cloud covered limestone mountains. The weather moves fast, bringing sunshine and then downpour. Arrive in the little village, and instantly liked it. Ask around and am pointed down the main road (there is only one road with a temple at one end and the end of the road within sight). Of course the place is at the far end, and it starts to pour as I carry my backpack through the muddy street. Since there is no road access to this village, there are no tuktuks (the only time I would have really liked one) and I only see one motorbike) but lots of chickens and ducks. An elderly man allows me to duck into his house as it really pours for a few minutes. I see a sign for the ever elusive Suan Phao Guesthouse and Bungalows on the road, but it doesn't look like much and is attached to the pharmacy. Stepping in, a neighbor goes to find the owner. A woman comes from across the way and thankfully, she speaks some English. I explain what happened and return the key and she is very appreciative. She asks I need a room, and I am a little apprehensive, based on the look of the house, but say I will take a look. She takes me a few meters around the side dirt path and it opens to a garden and five bungalows, right on the river. It is perfect. She gives it to me for 50,000 kip (about $7) a night. They recently got 24 hour electricity in the village (used to only run from 9am til 6pm) and it has an indoor shower and toilets (still have to fill with the water bucket to flush but beats going outside with the rest of the town and bathing on the side of the main road in one of the few town faucets). But there is a big bed with mosquito net, the roof doesn't leak, and there is a balcony with a hammock overlooking the garden, river, and mountains (and I LOVE hammocks... I would probably live in one if I could). I spend the rest of the afternoon and evening swaying on my hammock, watching small hummingbirds and butterflies feed on the garden flowers until night brings out the loud sound of cicadas, crickets, frogs, and fun jungle insects, and bats fly by occasionally, with flashes of lightening in distant mountains.
The next three days was mainly spent relaxing in the hammock, reading, watching the villagers and their pigs or other livestock walk around, drinking the Lao tea and coffee and ginger tea that the owner brought me or heading down the street to her sister Ning Ning's restaurant. There can't be more than 100 people in this town and a handful of tourists during rainy season, so if a restaurant isn't open, you just wait or wander down the street looking for the owner. The first night there are a couple other tourists in the bungalows and the second night are a few more that I helped bring when the afternoon boat comes in (you can hear it puttering up the river long before it gets here). The last two nights, it is just me and family members. Turns out the reason the pharmacy is here is because her husband is the village doctor and she used to be a nurse in Vientiane and Luang Prabang. They also have a wonderful 12 year old daughter who knows little English, but visits with me. We occasionally draw pictures to communicate (she is a pretty good artist) and she likes wearing my hoodie sweatshirt a friend gave me for my travels. In the evening, I find a nice little restaurant and bar with excellent Lao whiskey cocktails and a nice owner.
With several days here, I am in no rush to go trekking, so I wait until a sunny day. The red road occasionally goes through cold mountain streams and goes up and down the mist covered mountains, alongside green rice and corn fields. There are little dirt paths that seem hidden until people pop out or disappear down them that lead to small villages. Butterflies are everywhere, and land on me as I explore. Cows, chickens, and pigs run around. Shoeless village women carrying machetes walk beside me for a ways and then smile and disappear into fields. Stop in to a small village for a break and watch the kids play. I am given some type of bamboo drink by a friendly family that is shared amongst several other villagers that stop by. It was refreshing and a little peppery (hopefully the water used to make it was safe, but it would have been rude to turn down their hospitality... stomach of iron, don't let me down!) Hung out for a bit and then continued further on the road. After about 5 hours of the up and down road, the villagers try to get me to pass in this deep river (past their waists) as some strip down to cross it. But I decline, as I figured I would not be able to keep my bag and camera dry and the hill after it appears to be a steep, endless incline. Turn back and head back to town.
After a small incident with a local village guy showing up at my bungalow wanting a kiss (one of the issues with being one of the only tourists in a small place is that everyone knows where you are staying and that you are alone), now I am back at my guesthouse in Luang Prabang. Mrs. Joy surprised me this morning with a travel care package for today's boat and bus ride with homemade banana pancakes and it was nice to be greeted warmly by my guesthouse family in Luang Prabang. Last night in Laos! Off to watch the sunset over the Mekong, eat my last Lao food for a while, and spend the last of my Lao money. Flight to Siem Riep, Cambodia in the morning via Pakse, Laos. Good timing, as I was getting a little homesick, but I think a new country with new adventures will cure it. And after more than a month of doing sink laundry, it is probably also time to turn my clothes over to a professional laundry service while I have a pool day. I was doing well until the last four days, where nothing ever really has a chance to dry, and then got shoved back in the backpack!
Laos trip photos are online or you can view them as a slideshow.
Love,
Betsy
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