Nong Khiaw

Nong Khiaw

At the Base of the Cliff Are the Pathet Lao Caves

Lao Traffic Jam

Out Cycling

Nong Khiaw

After a large buffet breakfast (25,000, or about $3), I jumped on the one hour ferry to Nong Khiaw.  The boat was seriously overcrowded with about 25 people occupying what should have been roughly 12 bench seats.  We all feared capsizing, but the trip was uneventful.  Spent most of it chatting with a young CPA from LA who chucked his career to hit the road for a year; my kind of accountant!  Found a nice little guesthouse with river views, fan, power and wifi.  Drank a couple of noontime beers then took a nap.  Nong Khiaw is another beautiful riverside paradise, surrounded by karsts.  Quite a bit more developed than Muang Ngoi because they have highway connections to Oudemxai, Luang Prabang, and Sam Neau along with 24 hour power.

At the tail end of three delightful days here.  Was able to trek about 6 miles yesterday and saw one of the caves which hid the Pathet Lao during the US bombing of Laos.  I told the guide I was Canadian and then listened to him harangue  Americans for the better part of the tour.  Can't say I blame him because, as a local, he surely lost relatives in yet another mis-guided US attempt to control local politics.  Somehow all those dominoes fell anyways.  Cycled 60 kms today.  Was a bit tough heading E because of a lot of hills, but a 24 gear mountain bike made the ride a lot easier.  Some other folks were using single speed cheapo bikes; they were doing a lot of walking.  Have settled on a delightful little family run restaurant for all my meals.  Slow, lovingly prepared local dishes and now that I'm a regular, I get free shots of Lao Lao.  Gearing up for tomorrow's nine hour bus ride to Sam Neau.  It's supposed to be the most beautiful bus ride in Laos.