The path least traveled-Northern laos

---

So we decided to travel to North Laos and cross the Vietnam border up there (after great tales from the German couple we met in Luang Prabang). We took a mini van from the bus station just outside Luang Prabang, it was meant to leave at 1, but in typical Laos style it left at 2 after the driver had a kip (very Irish of him!). Well we were the only tourists on the bus and to say it was an interesting Journey doesn't do it justice at all! The locals were singing and laughing along to the local music and we made many stops to pick up sacks of rice, flour and parcels and drop them off further up the way! Our driver was crazy, you'd swear they had just let him out of the mental, and the roads were as bent as I don't know what! We were feeling pretty nauseous by the end of it. In typical Asian style, the bus stop was nowhere near the centre of Nong Khiaw and so we paid the bus driver an extra 5000 kip to take us to the centre! Nong Khiaw is a charming little village with many restaurants, guesthouses and even a bar (it only got electricity a few years ago!). We got a loom (wooden shack) on the riverside of the Nam Ou river. We had an amazing view of the limestone mountains and river from our balcony, where I hung out in our hammock 😊 The next morning we ate in an amazing cafe Delilahs, we had cappuccinos, chocolate porridge that was more like a dessert, pancakes and toast. Yum, yum and yum 😊 We got talking to a couple from London, who gave us tips on North Vietnam 😊 We made our way to the dock and bought a boat ticket for the slow boat to Muang Khua.



Next we shall tell you tales of the slow boat 😊



#spudstobananapancakes xoxo

---