Luang to Muang via Nong or something.

My last few days in northern Laos, saw me racing away from the middle-class white masses in Luang Prabang (I admit it, I panicked and ran!) and heading north by bus then boat up to Muang Ngor, via Nong Kiaw. Bliss, after the hoards in L.P.

I have to confess though, at this stage, that when I returned to catch a flight to Chiang Mai for the Loy Krathong festivals (3rd Nov 2017) I did find a nice bit. I stayed at the Moons House hotel (great) and wandered around the morning market and had a brilliant last bowl of breakfast Pho at cafe Lao nearby.

Luang Prabang does have some awesome-looking Wats though. An escape mission on my putput discovered a cracking rush-hour bridge as the sun dipped in the sky.

Nong Kiaw was a very welcome change, with a great local market, meandering paddies, great local kids, and laid-back hotels (a big thank-you to Harps from Tiger Tours who went out of his way to give me brilliant information, to help me find some special backwater places to explore – top man). These included, Hmong and Khmu villages – Sopvan, Houoag Puong, Longkam and the golden-ripe rice paddies off the beaten track from Viangkam. A fab lunch offered by the local basket-maker was a highlight. A genuinely lovely man and a wonderful hour spent with him, even though we didn’t speak a word in each others language.

Next up was a boat-ride up the Ou river to Muang Ngor. Khan from Nixas Place, showed me round after a very hilarious beer and Laolao infused lunch with him, his family and his mates. Going gaily up-river in the afternoon to two remote villages was the highlight of the trip. I’m now a fully-fledged Laolao connoisseur and have something ‘special’ with me still to keep the creativity flowing.