Nong Khiaw - Ban Sop Houn
View up river from Nong Khaiw bridge
A 3 hour bus trip from Luang Prabang (packed like sardines in a minivan) I didn’t actually stay in Nong Khiaw, I stayed across the river (the Nam Ou) at Ban Sop Houn, and looked at Nong Khiaw. The two towns are joinded by a massive concrete bridge as it is on Route 1, the main east-west road in northern Laos.
Nong Khiaw from Ban Sop Houn
Nong Khiaw hills from my balcony
I loved sitting for hours on my rustic little balcony and watching the activity on the river and the low clouds that constantly moved across the hills every morning, afternoon and evening. I slept, I read, I ate and I wandered and sometimes I just watched and looked. I went to bed early and got up early (but that was mainly due to the construction of a brand new hut next to mine that started at 7 every morning).
On my last day in Ban Sop Houn I finally did the hour walk to the nearby caves, Tham Pha Thok. I walked a little bit futher at first to a nearby village, looking for a waterfall I had heard of, I got picked up by 3 local kids and they showed me what they called the waterfall. I couldn’t help myself, I jumped in with the kids, it was lovely and cool.
Swimming at the 'waterfall'
Walking back I found 3 more underage guides who took me to the caves. Simpon, Juan and Key gave me the 10 year old tour, I felt about 10 myself. We scrambled up muddy slopes, looked for fish in the water trenches around the rice fields, pulled leeches of each other (okay, they pulled the leeches off me).
My tour guides
At the end of the tour they wanted money, which disappointed me a little bit. I wished I’d had some lollies or other stuff to give them. So I gave them cash, and I apologise to every tourist who comes after me, I know it was wrong, but they were very nice, they held my hand in the dark corners of the cave and the slippery slopes of the hill, and taught me some Lao.
But for those of you who appreciate Laos because it is what Thailand used to be like 30 years ago, I would get here fast, because Laos is catching up very quickly. My guide book is 2004 and much has changed (more guesthouses, tours, electricity where there was none) in two years.
As I wandered back along the long road to Ban Sop Houn in the very hot midday sun I found myself wondering, if I was injured or sick (I wasn’t) and had to hail a car or bike down for a lift into town, would the driver ask for money too? It was a long hot walk home, maybe I had a little heatstroke. This sounds more cynical and pessimistic in post than i really mean.
My rest spot to and from the caves.
I have loved Laos, and the people and I look forward to seeing the southern region after I go to Cambodia. I know that I am just another tourist, just another white fella, interchangeable and a source of income. I hope that I am one of the nicer ones at least, if not one of the shrewdest or the hardest.
A 3 hour bus trip from Luang Prabang (packed like sardines in a minivan) I didn’t actually stay in Nong Khiaw, I stayed across the river (the Nam Ou) at Ban Sop Houn, and looked at Nong Khiaw. The two towns are joinded by a massive concrete bridge as it is on Route 1, the main east-west road in northern Laos.
Nong Khiaw from Ban Sop Houn
Nong Khiaw hills from my balcony
I loved sitting for hours on my rustic little balcony and watching the activity on the river and the low clouds that constantly moved across the hills every morning, afternoon and evening. I slept, I read, I ate and I wandered and sometimes I just watched and looked. I went to bed early and got up early (but that was mainly due to the construction of a brand new hut next to mine that started at 7 every morning).
On my last day in Ban Sop Houn I finally did the hour walk to the nearby caves, Tham Pha Thok. I walked a little bit futher at first to a nearby village, looking for a waterfall I had heard of, I got picked up by 3 local kids and they showed me what they called the waterfall. I couldn’t help myself, I jumped in with the kids, it was lovely and cool.
Swimming at the 'waterfall'
Walking back I found 3 more underage guides who took me to the caves. Simpon, Juan and Key gave me the 10 year old tour, I felt about 10 myself. We scrambled up muddy slopes, looked for fish in the water trenches around the rice fields, pulled leeches of each other (okay, they pulled the leeches off me).
My tour guides
At the end of the tour they wanted money, which disappointed me a little bit. I wished I’d had some lollies or other stuff to give them. So I gave them cash, and I apologise to every tourist who comes after me, I know it was wrong, but they were very nice, they held my hand in the dark corners of the cave and the slippery slopes of the hill, and taught me some Lao.
But for those of you who appreciate Laos because it is what Thailand used to be like 30 years ago, I would get here fast, because Laos is catching up very quickly. My guide book is 2004 and much has changed (more guesthouses, tours, electricity where there was none) in two years.
As I wandered back along the long road to Ban Sop Houn in the very hot midday sun I found myself wondering, if I was injured or sick (I wasn’t) and had to hail a car or bike down for a lift into town, would the driver ask for money too? It was a long hot walk home, maybe I had a little heatstroke. This sounds more cynical and pessimistic in post than i really mean.
My rest spot to and from the caves.
I have loved Laos, and the people and I look forward to seeing the southern region after I go to Cambodia. I know that I am just another tourist, just another white fella, interchangeable and a source of income. I hope that I am one of the nicer ones at least, if not one of the shrewdest or the hardest.
posted by x kel at 10:54 PM
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