Laos #2: O.M.G. Ice. Coffee.

Nong Kiew
Nong Kiew is a charming little town/village on the Nam Ou river, flanked on both banks by steep limestone cliffs. We wanted to go on a Night Safari after Xam Neua, but the dates didn't work out, so we traded tiger spotting (had to be satisfied with a papier mache tiger) for a trekking-boat-kayaking tour at Nong Kiew.

The trek was a steep 500m ascent up to a lookout point. The trailhead is marked by a large poster at the main village road, and the trail is easy to follow. Didn't need a guide for this... but of course, our guide was helpfully encouraging ["(Last night) you drinking? Why no power??"], and provided us with Victory Bananas when we reached the top. The view was definitely worth the 1hr hike. Spent about 15-30min happily feeling on Top of the World, and enjoying our Victory Bananas.

Lao lottery! Match the animal you saw in your dream to the lucky numbers they represent.

The rest of the day was pretty chill. Boat ride up river, lunch on banana leaf 'plates', visiting a village, kayaking and finally... massage! The village is only accessible by river, and had just been outfitted with satellite TV-- a few of the wooden houses had bright orange satellites on the roof. The guide mentioned that villages along the 'highway/ main road' were more prosperous than their less accessible brethren. Kayaking down river was fun, even though there wasn't really any of the advertised whitewater. Our guide shared a kayak with JH, and kept egging her on to paddle furiously, while he laughed merrily from the back. The massage at the Sabai Sabai was ok, but the White Orchid in Vientiane was better.

In the village

A-maizing machine that removes corn kernels

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Luang Prabang

Travel from NK to LP was first road, then boat from Pak Ou cave down to LP. (Paid for in Thai Baht because we were running out of Kip and USD. Baht is a good currency to have in Laos.)

4000+ sculptures of Buddha have been placed in the Pak Ou caves. An informative sign there explains that the different poses depict important moments in the life of Buddha. Apparently there are over 100 poses/asanas illustrating this, and more detailed info may be found here. I like the 'Stop Arguing' pose (Buddha standing, both palms facing outward).

The Royal Palace at LP had a charming Lao traditional-European colonial style. In fact, the entire town center is a Unesco World Heritage Site, for its well-preserved blend of Lao and French architecture. Despite being the most well-known tourist destination in Laos, LP has a laid back, time travel vibe. Enough foreigners around to inject vibrancy, yet not too crowded-- you still have a sense of privacy as you gaze appreciatively at the glass mosaic frescos in the Royal Palace (fighting elephants! decapitated men!) and Wat Xieng Thong (such amazingness! tree of life, village scenes, war, kings, queens, monkeys, bananas... clearly... all you can ever imagine or hope to see as a glass mosaic.)

At 6am, the alms giving ceremony transforms the streets into a colorful array of camera-laden tourists. There are so many websites denouncing the rude behavior of tourists, that I was slightly hesitant and embarrassed to take part. But the street we were at was very peaceful. We kept a distance from the long line of saffron-clad novices and monks, and the (mostly women) locals respectfully offering alms. Alms giving is a form of merit, not an act of charity or pity. Only the best food should be given. The ceremony is a silent one, reduced to the purest form of giving and receiving.

Photo credit: Seok

Breakfast that day was in a suburb of LP. Xi led us unerringly to delicious rice noodle rolls (like 'chee cheong fun' in Singapore). Smooth, slurpy goodness with fried pork and fried shallots. Complemented perfectly with the.best.ice.coffee.ever. Incredibly thick coffee with loads of condensed milk. Just wanted to drench my tastebuds in coffee heaven. The tastebuds still rank breakfast that day as a Top 10 Epic Meal.

Ba-ba-ba, Ba-Ba-nana!

Seok and I regretfully left the others in LP and headed back to Vientiane. (Tastebuds made gentle enquires to brain about staying for another 100 breakfasts, but brain was quite steadfast about the matters of Work and Air Tickets.) Detoured to a waterfall on the way back, fed bananas to ravenous elephants, survived the extremely foggy New Road to Vang Vieng. Xi stopped at a few villages in hope of purchasing a pig for his family, but apparently most of the decision makers were out in the fields, and anyways the villagers were very content with that they had and weren't swayed by Xi's money.

Dinner was really delicious grilled chicken and black sticky rice from the Vientiane riverside market, eaten under a tent, next to a sleeping lady and a demanding cat. (It had started to rain heavily, and we took shelter under the nearest thing to a roof we could find.)

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Markets and Food

Triumphant haul of fried dough and eggs (photo credit: Seok)

Phonsavan market: Apart from the usual colorful abundance of vegetables, there were also bee larvae! maggots! civet cat! squirrel! I bought a small fish stuffed with lemongrass and chilli, hot off the grill. Lemongrass, chilli and grilled fish make a fantastic combination! The fish was full of small bones that made eating quite tedious, but the flavour explosion made it worth the work. =)

Xam Neua market: More vegetables and larvae, but also tiny frogs! dried bat! expertly skinned pig! Disturbingly grinning pig head on display on a butcher's table. We bought sticky rice, bamboo salad, boiled (custard?) eggs, veg, chicken, pork, and delicious fried dough for lunch and breakfast. Felt very local, eating with our hands, out of plastic bags.

Mysterious 'Animal' in a random village market.
Update: It is a bamboo rat, found in S.China - N.Indochina

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Conclusion:
We had a very ambitious itinerary, with way too much driving. If I could do over, will just do Luang Prabang and Nong Kiew, and maaybe Phonsavan (for the market experience).

But it was fun to hang out with Sich, Clar, JH, Seok and Xi. Xi has his own webpage, so you can contact him for your Lao transportation needs. He's a very safe driver.

Recommended Laos travel companions

We didn't get to see Southern Laos, and missed out on the coffee plantations and river dolphins. Something to think about for the next trip!

One last 'beautiful Lao countryside' picture