Hi all,
Just sharing a simple write-up with some snaps. This can be found at my website as well : http://www.roving-light.com/articles/laos/phongsaly.html
Decided to post here with slightly bigger pics....
Thanks
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The Journey up Phongsaly, Northern Laos
Most Laos trips are associated with Vientiane, Vang Vieng and the delightfully charming Luang Prabang. So the journey up north to Phongsaly, from Luang Prabang, can be considered off-the-beaten track. In fact, half the journey, there's no "track" to begin with!
Situated in the remote northernmost region of Laos, Phongsaly is home to scores of ethnic hill tribes. Further north lies China, and across the mountainous forests to the east, lies the famous Sapa region of Vietnam. Well, being less famous has its advantages I guess, and in fact, is one of the motivating factors for me to decide to go north. The other, my guidebook hinted, is the galactic view of the stars in the sky in Phongsaly.
Traditionally, for the first leg of the journey from Luang Prabang, you can take a 6hr passenger boat up the Nam Ou river to the village of Nong Khiaw. The views along this stretch of the Nam Ou is reputedly one of the best. However, ever since a road has been built from Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw, most opt to travel this way since its only about 3hrs. The frequency of the slow passenger boats plying the route have thus been reduced to almost none. So my journey started with a minivan ride to Nong Khiaw.
3/4 into the way, the minivan tyres encountered some problems, and we had to stop at a village for repairs. So much for being faster... this delay cost me 1+ hour. The village is so sparse there's nothing much to see too.
Finally arrived at Nong Khiaw, and enquired about the availability of boat service to Muang Khua, my next stop. Apparently, it is based on demand, and there isn't any, so one of the locals suggested going over to Muang Ngoi, a small village an hours boat ride away, and check there. The guidebook had good reviews of it, so I decided to take the short boat trip up.
The slow boats are not just for passengers, they carry all manner of goods as well. A number of the small villages along the Nam Ou, including Muang Ngoi, are only accessible by river, and so, plenty of stuff are transported over by boat. People with long legs (like me) will be a little uncomfortable in these boats. Luckily, its only an hour. I pushed back the thought of the 5hr boat ride to Muang Khua....
Just sharing a simple write-up with some snaps. This can be found at my website as well : http://www.roving-light.com/articles/laos/phongsaly.html
Decided to post here with slightly bigger pics....
Thanks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Journey up Phongsaly, Northern Laos
Most Laos trips are associated with Vientiane, Vang Vieng and the delightfully charming Luang Prabang. So the journey up north to Phongsaly, from Luang Prabang, can be considered off-the-beaten track. In fact, half the journey, there's no "track" to begin with!
Situated in the remote northernmost region of Laos, Phongsaly is home to scores of ethnic hill tribes. Further north lies China, and across the mountainous forests to the east, lies the famous Sapa region of Vietnam. Well, being less famous has its advantages I guess, and in fact, is one of the motivating factors for me to decide to go north. The other, my guidebook hinted, is the galactic view of the stars in the sky in Phongsaly.
Traditionally, for the first leg of the journey from Luang Prabang, you can take a 6hr passenger boat up the Nam Ou river to the village of Nong Khiaw. The views along this stretch of the Nam Ou is reputedly one of the best. However, ever since a road has been built from Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw, most opt to travel this way since its only about 3hrs. The frequency of the slow passenger boats plying the route have thus been reduced to almost none. So my journey started with a minivan ride to Nong Khiaw.
3/4 into the way, the minivan tyres encountered some problems, and we had to stop at a village for repairs. So much for being faster... this delay cost me 1+ hour. The village is so sparse there's nothing much to see too.
Finally arrived at Nong Khiaw, and enquired about the availability of boat service to Muang Khua, my next stop. Apparently, it is based on demand, and there isn't any, so one of the locals suggested going over to Muang Ngoi, a small village an hours boat ride away, and check there. The guidebook had good reviews of it, so I decided to take the short boat trip up.
The slow boats are not just for passengers, they carry all manner of goods as well. A number of the small villages along the Nam Ou, including Muang Ngoi, are only accessible by river, and so, plenty of stuff are transported over by boat. People with long legs (like me) will be a little uncomfortable in these boats. Luckily, its only an hour. I pushed back the thought of the 5hr boat ride to Muang Khua....