Author: Lonely Planet
Category: Nonfiction
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/lonely-planet/page,15,460391-lonely_planet_laos.html
Muang Khua ເມືອງຂວາ
Pop 4000 / %088
Pretty little Muang Khua (ເມືອງຂວາ) is an inevitable stop when transiting between Laos and Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam, or taking the brown Nam Ou (Ou River) by boat to Nong Khiaw. While not as scenically spectacular nor as developed for the traveller as the latter, Muang Khua, with its pastel-coloured houses, still has oodles of small-town charm, set amid starburst palms where the Nam Ou and Nam Phak (Phak River) meet. The heart of the place is its wet and dry market.
If arriving from Dien Bien Phu, please relax – unlike neighbouring Vietnam, hard bargaining here is neither required nor appropriate.
Muang Khua
1Sights
1Suspension BridgeC3
2WatB1
4Sleeping
3Chaleunsuk GuesthouseC1
4Sensabai GuesthouseC2
5Sernalli HotelC1
5Eating
6Laosamai RestaurantD1
7SayfonC1
7Shopping
8Ethnic Handicrafts ShopB1
1Sights & Activities
The tourist office organises several trekking options, including a rewarding one-day trek to the Akha Pala village of Ban Bakha (450,000K per person in a group of two).
Luang Prabang–based Tiger Trail offers six-day Akha Village 'voluntourism' experiences costing US$399.
Independent guide Mr Khamman (020-99320743) runs one- to three-day treks (one day for a group of two costs 500,000K per person).
Suspension BridgeBRIDGE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )
For soaring mountain and river views head to this suspension bridge leading to the Khamu quarter. You'll need a head for heights and a good sense of balance on this safe but eminently wobbly construction.
WatBUDDHIST TEMPLE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )
This peaceful temple is worth a visit given the limited sightseeing options in town.
4Sleeping
Sensabai GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %020-9998445; r 60,000K; W)
Overlooking the Nam Phak, new family-run Sensabai offers mint-coloured rooms with fragrant linen, flat-screen TV, fan and squat toilet. There's a pleasant lobby looking out over the river where you can read. It's on the main road, heading south out of town towards the bus station.
Chaleunsuk GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %088-210847; r old block 70,000, new block 100,000-120,000K; aiW)
Chaleunsuk is popular with travellers and has house-proud, generously sized rooms with large comfy beds and hot showers. Free tea is available in the ample communal sitting terrace. Next door there's a new block with shinier rooms and flat-screen TVs, although it's a little kitsch.
Sernalli HotelHOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %088-212445; r 200,000K; aW)
Muang Khua's top address, the Sernalli has a facade that suggests a certain neocolonial elegance and the often unlit, deserted small lobby is full of carved hardwood furniture. The rooms are clean and comfortable enough, if spartan, with wooden furnishings and slow-to-appear hot water. Extra touches include air-con and large flat-screen TVs. But really, this place is overpriced.
5Eating
SayfonLAOTIAN$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; mains 30,000K; h7am-9pm; W)
Set high above the river with views through the palm trees, this basic joint offers a fan-cooled interior and a wide English-language menu with Western-friendly staples like omelettes and pancakes. Tasty láhp, noodle dishes and plenty of cool Beerlao. This spot is about as lively as it gets in Muang Khua come evening.
Laosamai RestaurantFUSION$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %088-210844; Nam Ou Guesthouse; mains 30,000K; h7am-9pm)
Perched on stilts overlooking the Nam Ou, this traveller-friendly restaurant is based at the Nam Ou Guesthouse (rooms with bathroom 50,000K, without bathroom 40,000) and serves tasty, if wafer-thin, 'steak' and chips, plus a selection of stir-fries. Duck features prominently on the menu, too.
7Shopping
Ethnic Handicrafts ShopARTS & CRAFTS
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; h9am-6pm)
Based at the Chaleunsuk Guesthouse, this shop has hand-woven crafts and locally produced tea for sale.
8Information
Internet Access
Internet access is available at the Chaleunsuk Guesthouse for 10,000K per hour, including headphones and camera for Skype access.
Money
There are two ATMs in town. Both BCEL ( GOOGLE MAP ; h8.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri) and Lao Development Bank ( GOOGLE MAP ; h8.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri) can change major currencies such as US dollars (clean new notes only), euros, Vietnamese dong and Thai baht. Be aware that over the weekend banks are shut and ATMs may be empty, so if you're looking to catch a boat bring emergency cash.
Post
Post Office ( GOOGLE MAP ; h8am-4pm Mon-Fri)
Tourist Information
The helpful tourist office ( GOOGLE MAP ; %020-22848020; h8.30-11.30am & 1.30-4.30pm Mon-Fri) opposite the Sernalli Hotel can answer questions and arrange treks. If you want to book a trek out of office hours, call Mr Keo to arrange a meeting, or try independent guide Mr Khamman. Otherwise, check out www.muangkhua.com, which has some bookable treks and the low-down on every last guesthouse in town.
8Getting There & Away
The bus to Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam (60,000K) departs from outside the BCEL bank at 6am and 11am and takes about four hours, including the border crossing. However, it isn't guaranteed to leave daily if there aren't enough passengers.
Muang Khua's inconvenient bus station (Rte 2E, 900m past Km 97) is nearly 2km west of the river towards Udomxai. Very rare tuk-tuks (10,000K per person) head out there once full from outside BCEL. Buses to Udomxai (50,000K, three hours) depart at 8.30am, 11am and 3pm. For Phongsali take the 8am sŏrngtăaou to Pak Nam Noi (20,000K, one hour) and await the Udomxai–Phongsali (100,000K) bus there. It usually arrives at around 10am.
You can no longer travel by river to Hat Sa since the damming of the Nam Ou. Boats ( GOOGLE MAP ) run from here downriver to Muang Ngoi Neua (100,000K, five hours, 8.30am or when there are 10 people) and on to Nong Khiaw (120,000K, six hours) through stunning karst scenery.
GETTING TO VIETNAM: PANG HOK TO TAY TRANG
Getting to the border Daily buses (60,000K, departing 6am in either direction) between Muang Khua and Dien Bien Phu cross the Laos–Vietnamese border at the Pang Hok (Laos)/Tay Trang (Vietnam) border crossing 26km east of Muang Mai. The road has been entirely rebuilt on the Lao side right up to the Pang Hok border post, but is still surprisingly rough in places on the Vietnamese side. It's a picturesque route, particularly down in the Dien Bien Phu valley, which is often a blanket of emerald rice paddies. Making the trip in hops is definitely not recommended, as it will cost far more than the bus fare and it's easy to end up stranded along the way.
At the border This remote crossing sees a handful of travellers. Laos visas are available on arrival for the usual price and you will be asked for a 4000K processing fee. Vietnamese visas, however, are definitely not available on arrival, so plan ahead to avoid getting stranded.
Moving on There are no facilities or waiting vehicles at either of the border posts, which are separated by about 4km of no-man's land. From the Tay Trang side of the border it's about 31km to Dien Bien Phu.
Phongsali (ພົງສາລີ)
Pop 15,000 / %088 / Elevation 1400m
As you approach Phongsali (ພົງສາລີ) via a sinuous mountain road, the town rears up suddenly on a ridgetop plateau. Often wrapped in mist, its atmospheric wooden Yunnanese shophouses and other buildings, spanning biscuit-brown to powder-blue, shelter below the peak of Phu Fa ('Sky Mountain'; 1625m) rising majestically in the background. The location gives the town panoramic views and a refreshing climate that can swing from pleasantly warm to downright cold in a matter of hours – expect icicles in the cold season and bring a jacket and waterproofs just in case, even in April.
History
According to tradition the Phu Noi were originally a warlike tribe who had migrated from Burma to Luang Prabang. Seeing danger and opportunity in equal measure, the Lan Xang king granted them land in the far north of his domains, today's Phongsali, where they maintained the borderlands against incursions from the Tai Lü kingdom of Sipsong Panna.
Phongsali
1Sights
1Chinese TempleC1
2Museum of TribesB2
3Phu FaD1
4Wat KeoC2
5Yunnanese ShophousesC2
2Activities, Courses & Tours
6Amazing Phongsali TravelA2
4Sleeping
7Phou Fa HotelB1
8Sengsaly GuesthouseB2
5Eating
9Laojerm RestaurantA2
10Laoper RestaurantA2
11MarketB2
12Noodle StandsB2
8Information
13BCELB2
14Lao Development BankC2
15Tourist OfficeA2
16Wang Electronics ShopB2
Transport
17Hat Sa Bus StationD2
18Sŏrngtăaou to Main Bus StationA2
1Sights
The town's modest but distinctive old-town area includes a three-block grid of rough, stone-flagged alleys and a winding street mostly lined with traditional Yunnanese shophouses ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) whose wooden frontages recall the architecture of old Kunming. Tiny, new and functional, the Chinese Temple ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) overlooks a pond, behind which is Wat Keo ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ), with its petang-playing monks.
Phu FaVIEWPOINT
(ພູຟ້າ, Sky Mountain MAP GOOGLE MAP )
For great views across town climb to the stupa-topped peak of Phu Fa (1625m); it's a punishing, tree-shaded climb of more than 400 stone steps. A 4000K toll is payable on the last section of the ascent. An alternative descent returns to the Hat Sa road near a tea factory 2km east of town.
Museum of TribesMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 10,000K; h8-11.30am & 1.30-4.30pm Mon-Fri)
This museum gives you a chance to deepen your understanding of the ethnic peoples of Phongsali Province. It contains a wealth of cultural information on animism and customs, with photos and historical background, as well as displays of the vividly coloured costumes you're likely to see on your travels. If the door is locked, ask for the key from the post office across the road.
TTours
Amazing Phongsali TravelTREKKING
(Northern Travelling Center; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %088-210594, 020-55774354; www.explorephongsalylaos.com; h8am-5pm or later)S
In order to see a few of the 28 ethnicities in the province you need to penetrate deep jungle, and for this you'll require more than a guide who can take you to outlying villages along the road. Amazing Phongsali Travel is the main independent trekking operator in Phongsali, with a selection of treks that have brought rave reviews.
Check out the excellent website for information on the treks themselves. By the time you read this they may have moved office. They were also considering starting mountain-bike tours at the time of writing.
HILL-TRIBE TREKKING
Hill-tribe treks in Phongsali Province are among the most authentic and rewarding in all of Laos. Tours have a heavy emphasis on ecological and cultural sensitivity, with a sizeable chunk of fees going into development funds for the host villages. Carefully thought-out treks are offered through the well-organised tourist office. Most treks can be organised for next-day departure, especially if you phone ahead. A popular option is the Jungle Trek (two short days starting from Boun Neua), visiting an Akha Phixo village as well as crossing a rare surviving stand of primary forest. Various multiday treks include boat rides up the Nam Ou (Ou River) from Hat Sa and visiting unforgettable Akha Nuqui villages linked by high ridge-top paths. One-way treks like the three-day Nam Lan Trek to Boun Tai can include delivery of your backpack to the destination so that you don't have to backtrack. This trek passes through Yang, Laobit, Akha Djepia and Akha Nuqui villages. However, with more than 30 stream and river crossings, it should only be attempted later in the dry season. To organise guides, phone well ahead to Phongsali's tourist office or get in touch with Amazing Phongsali Travel.
Prices per person per day range from around 350,000K as part of a larger group to about 500,000K if going it alone. This includes the guide's fee, food and ultra-basic homestays in real village homes. Add to this transport costs, which are widely variable depending on whether public transport or charter vehicles are used. 'Experience tours' allow you to spend more time with village folk including, perhaps, guided foraging trips to collect the ingredients for the family dinner.
4Sleeping
Phou Fa HotelHOTEL$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %088-210031; r 100,000-200,000K; aW)
Western toilets, room heaters and golden bed covers give the Phou Fa a marginal edge as Phongsali's best choice, but let's not get too excited. More expensive rooms are almost suites and include a carpet. This compound housed the Chinese consulate until 1975. There's also a rather drab restaurant here.
Sengsaly GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %088-210165; r 80,000-100,000K; W)
The best of three cheapies on the main drag, the Sengsaly has uberbasic 80,000K rooms with clean bedding, bare walls, tiled floors and private bathroom. Better rooms are newly built and comfy, if overly colourful, and come with a hot shower and verandah. Expect indifferent service.
5Eating
Noodle StandsNOODLES$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; noodles 15,000K; h6am-5pm)
Head to the noodle stands at the rear of the wet market before you catch the 6.30am sŏrngtăaou to the bus station, or if you're headed out on a trek. Steaming deliciously fresh noodles and a slice of Yunnan-Lao culture await the early bird. Try the tasty kòw sóy (noodle soup with minced pork and tomato).
Laoper RestaurantCHINESE$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; mains 30,000K; h5-10pm)
Spot your dish in raw form behind the refrigerated glass counter: pork, intestines, buffalo steak and tofu, plus the day's fresh vegetables. Don't expect a menu, but point to what you want. Portions are huge so it's better to go as a couple or threesome. And be prepared for diners occasionally decongesting and spitting on the floor.
Laojerm RestaurantLAOTIAN$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; mains 30,000K; h7am-10.30pm)
At this family-run noodle house the well-prepared food comes in decent-sized portions and is served with a smile. The menu's approximate English includes inscrutable offerings such as 'High-handed Pig's liver' and 'Palace Protects the Meat Cubelets'.
MarketMARKET$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; h6am-5pm)
Make a dawn visit to the earthy wet market (camera in hand) and thread through the labyrinthine collection of rickety stalls, with all manner of vegetables and fruit spread out on colourful display in the open area. It's a memorable experience, with its squawking Chinese vendors, exotic spices, brewing soup in forbidding cauldrons, ethnic visitors, and dogs optimistically attempting to procreate in the chaos.
6Drinking & Nightlife
The Phongsali region, especially in Ban Komaen, is famous for Chinese-style green tea. The tourist office sells samples (along with excellent local lòw-lów; whisky). The pale-green tint comes from having been passed over raspberry leaves after fermentation.
8Information
Internet Access
Wang Electronics Shop ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; h7am-10pm) Internet access and a regular power supply.
Money
BCEL ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; h8.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri) Includes an ATM across the road.
> Lao Development Bank ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; h8.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri) Can change multiple currencies to kip and cashes US-dollar travellers cheques without commission. Includes an ATM and represents Western Union.
Post
Post Office ( GOOGLE MAP ; h8am-noon & 1-4pm Mon-Fri)
Telephone
Lao Telecom ( GOOGLE MAP ; h9am-5pm) International calls possible.
Tourist Information
Tourist Office ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %088-210098; www.phongsaly.net; h8-11.30am & 1.30-4pm Mon-Fri) If you need emergency help or want to book a tour out of hours, call 020-22572373 or the mobile phone number of duty staff posted on the front door. Helpful maps and brochures are also available online (and are free from most guesthouses).
8Getting There & Away
Phongsali's airport is actually at Boun Neua, although at the time of writing neither of the country's airlines were running flights here.
Buses leave daily for Hat Sa (20,000K) at 8am and 1.30pm from the Hat Sa Bus Station ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Km 3), 10 minutes' walk east of town.