Nong Khiaw

We arrived at Nong Khiaw yesterday afternoon. We took a mini bus here. I had a pleasant trip, Ashley felt a little queasy. After our arrival Ashley slept on bus bench while I went to find a guest house. It took much longer than I thought and I hour later I arrived back at the station with a key to a room. I was surprised to find that I woke Ashley up from her nap; motion sickness is tiring.

This town is set in the northern mountainous area of Laos. It is built on a stretch of road that runs parallel with the main highway and I believe that the main road through town was paved within the last two years. It is a big switch from Luang Prabang. In Luang Prabang I couldn't walk for more than two minutes without being offered a taxi ride or a trip to the waterfall or a boat ride. Here in Nong Khiaw I walked for about an hour without even seeing a taxi (Tuk tuk is what they're called here). It is not what you would call a remote village but it is definitely small town Laos. That being said there are plenty of guesthouses, restaurants, and other amenities for the tourists that come through.

It was definitely eye opening to drive out of the city. Luang Prabang is one of the three biggest cities in Laos but the population is 50,000. Not five minutes drive from the bus station there are large sections of the road that are gravel. I believe there is only one two lane highway in Laos and most of the population lives within one kilometer of that road. There are a few remote villages away from the road but not that many. Laos is definitely unique to our travels so far.

Today we are enjoying life together, exploring the riverside, swimming, and exploring the town. We have already walked the main street in town a number of times but we ware planning of looking for good food. This morning we had breakfast at a little guest house restaurants. We ordered a mixed fruit shake and a Laos pancake. The Laos pancake was a sticky rice patty coated with egg and served with a sweet chilli dipping sauce; it was delicious, filling, and cheap. The shake was so good that we are planning on going back for lunch. Shake and Pho soup, yummy!