On the Mekong to magical Nong Kiau and hiking to Maung Ngoy and Baan Na

 How did I ever land up in Nong Khiaw  / Nong Kiau ? I was looking at various Lao maps and data on villages / cities and came across this beautiful rustic little town on the bank of the Nam Ou River. It is squeezed in between some of the most fantastic limestone mountains north of the party town of Vang Vieng. Ever since I visited Kunming and Guilin some years ago, I love the karst mountains and their unusual formations and scenery.  I was also on a limited time frame so we decided that we would stay just three days. 

The journey here makes it all worthwhile. From Luang Prabang, where the river follows the highway, there has been extensive logging and slash-and-burn agriculture; the surrounding mountains are clean: only where the slopes are too rocky or too steep for cultivation have stands of forest been left intact.  In an effort at reforestation, they do have young teak trees planted - recognizable by their enormous leaves. After the road leaves the river, the scenery takes a turn for the spectacular, with vertical limestone peaks and pristine little white-sand beaches. Chinese dams and engineering / construction works are all over this area and they will change forever the flow of both the Mekong and the Nam Ou. These ancient forests and karst mountains are untouched as yet by human hands which is a rare experience. 

Nong Kiau is at a cross roads between maintaining its traditional ways and fully embracing tourism. Houses with thatched bamboo walls now have satellite dishes and many of the town's residents are abandoning farming and fishing for the fast money of tourism. Though the town's school and medical clinic remain quite basic, road improvement resulted in heavier traffic and these led to increase in tourist accommodation, especially guest houses and B&B’s, and most promote 24-hour electricity and hot water showers with Western toilets. We were lucky as we found a beautifully situated series of cottages run by a foreigner married to a local. But it’s not handicap friendly – in fact, this whole area needs you to be physically fit as one has to clamber up and down steps, hillsides and down to the river very often.

For now, Nong Kiau remains one of the most laid back places in Laos. There are ample opportunities for trekking, caving and rock-climbing, boat trips and cycling, but for many this is just a great place to take a holiday from a holiday. That’s why we came.                                     

An important Mekong tributary, the Nam Ou holds a cherished place in Lao lore as the original route followed by Luang Prabang’s founding father, Khun Lo, and later by Fa Ngum, the warrior-king, as he headed towards Luang Prabang to claim the throne and found the Kingdom of a Million Elephants. 

Nong Kiau straddles the Nam Ou River with the bus station and boat landing on the western side of the river. This side also has many travel agents who offer various trips, hikes, river tours, bamboo raft workshop, village stay etc. The main schools are here too.

Earlier one could take a boat for six to seven hours up the spectacular Nam Ou but this is now closed due to the huge Chinese dam coming up. Nonetheless, the routes pass lush green mountains, grazing water buffalo and a handful of small towns which offer a peek at Lao rural life. You can also head further north by boat, first to Muang Ngoy, then onwards to Muang Khua and eventually Hat Sa for a 21 kilometre songthaew (longboat) ride to Phongsali.

On the opposite eastern side of the town, one finds a bunch of guesthouses and restaurants of mediocre quality. Everything is within walking distance of the bridge that spans the river. The bridge doubles as a fabulous vantage point for photos especially in the early morning and late afternoon. At both times the limestone crags that surround the town really come into their own. This is certainly one of the one of the most beautiful and scenic vistas in northern Laos. 

Having enough days for rest as well as s/s, we decided to go to Muang Ngoy for a day trip. The travel shop gave us an absurd quote of 550,000 kip (8200 to the dollar) so we went direct to the boats. He was willing to take us to Muang Ngoy for 350,000 kip ($43). Or 450,000 for a large boat. We should have asked for a definition having agreed on a large boat but later found that they have boats are of three types: 1)large – 15 – 20 seater with covered roof toilet; 2) boat 4 seater – roof and no toilet and 3) open boat without a roof and no toilet! So we landed up going in a 4 seater with a roof which was providential as we had a downpour on our way back.    

There are three villages up river from Muang Ngoy - Ban Na, Huay Bor and Huay Sen – hopefully we would see some tribals from the Khamu, Lao or Hmong peoples too. The day of the trip, I woke to see the opposite mountain shrouded in mist. What a sight! The mist was in layers and stayed for a few hours. I am glad that we went that day as en route we could take some wonderful photos and on the way back, the mist had cleared and it rained for a while. We delayed the trip by an hour until the weather cleared.

 Upriver from Nong Kiau the scenery continues to impress, possibly even surpassing that of the stretch below Nong Kiau, the river snaking through impenetrable jungle. Because many of the surrounding mountains are simply too steep for slash-and-burn agriculture, the forests have been left virtually untouched. 

When the river is not too high and fast, this section has stretches of squeaky-clean beach, perfect for taking a lazy swim and admiring the dramatic scenery. We saw buffaloes which were in stark contrast to normal buffaloes – these were scrawny white animals. 

As we reached M N, we told Vanh to go further up, at a mutually decided increase in price for one hour. Less karst, flatter landscape, fewer trees. We had certain sections of rough water due to underwater currents formed due to islands. At M N, there was a decent jetty so up we went. We saw a hut with a large bomb or torpedo placed in the garden – a good photo op.

At a travel hut, we found a map and under the belief that there were no ups and downs and the road was flat (this being repeated to us by many people) we decided to walk to Ban Na. Within a kilometre, the road, or rather a wide path full of largish stones had become a dirt track wide enough for just two carts. It went undulating up and down past bamboo groves, paddy fields and forest. Not a single straightforward even path. We arrived at a local cave where we were forced to pay a fee for use of the path even though we were not visiting the cave. It was hot and humid. Over 30 degs! We went up at least three large hills. Our road forward was at a 45 deg incline up a hill and there was no sight of any village. 

Ever the optimists, we had carried on but it was time to draw a line. Eventually tired, we stopped by a stream and called up the boatman. Earlier we had haggled with a shop keeper for use of his tiller plough to drop us but we had not agreed on the price. We met two girls coming down and they said that in the village they had come from, they saw no locals in traditional clothes and it was frankly a waste of a walk. Now, dead beat, we had no option but to request the boatman to bring the tiller to us – luckily out in those wilds, my cell worked at a certain angle and direction!! I dreaded the thought of walking back those five kilometres. The trip back sitting on the tiller cart was a bone breaker but still better than walking. The boat trip back was miserable due to the rain which made us huddle in a small area as the rain lashed in for most of the way.   

Poverty is rampant as this is a poor country but most people seemed happy and smiling. This is an area where development is slow and obviously not a priority. See the schools and their classrooms. I feel they could do better but then local councils if they exist may not have much say as this is a communist run country and it all comes down from the top. 

  

The next day, we went on a local walkabout trying to find a restaurant which was said to be decent. Past the bus station, past the school we found it but like all others, it had a long exhaustive menu, few items actually available and what was served was just about eatable. That was one thing about Nong Kiau we found very strange – not a single decent restaurant anywhere – even our 3 star riverside resort restaurant had mediocre food.  

Our three days went by too quickly and we were back to LP before moving to Phonsovan ... see the blog on that

Here are some activities recommended by some sites but they need verification. We did not use them:

·         Walk around the village enjoying the village feel with great views over the Nam Ou river. There is a small temple complex in the centre of town.

·         Rated one of the best hikes in Laos is the is the 100 Waterfalls trek operated by Tiger Trail and Fair trek initiative. Some of their treks go to the interactive culture lodge.

·         Rent a mountain bike and push eastwards to remote Khmu and Hmong villages. Since there are is a lot of going up and down it makes sense to rent a mountain bike. Across the street from Delilah's restaurant (on the main street next to the bridge) there is a small bike rental shop which rents decent mountain bikes for 30,000 kip per day (feb 2015). Riverside Guest House rents mountain bikes for 50,000 kip and city bikes for 10,000 kip.

·         Herbal steam bath or massage at Sabai Sabai (25,000kip).

·         Phadeng Peak. Take the steep trail up to the viewpoint for a wonderful 360° view on the nearby valleys. Access off the main road (look for signs or ask). It costs 20,000 kip (you can ask for a walking stick) and takes 1-1.5 hours to reach top. Fantastic sunset view but bring a torchlight to come down cause it's not very easy descending. In case you plan to do the hike in the morning, you will be able to see at the sun rising from the clouds covering the surroundings of the river each morning. Ticket checking goes from 06:00-16:00 (as of Feb 2016). Next to the bridge, there are several small beaches where tourists can enjoy the sun and cool in the Nam Ou river.

·         Jungle Fly Ziplining and Trekking is an Adventure and Eco-tourism company that offers you a unique experience in the area, Ziplining in the jungle (the longest zipline being 400m long). There is not another company offering this service in Nong Khiaw or sorroundings. They also offer other adventures like trekking, kayaking and cycling. Jungle Fly is proud of helping with the education of children from the remote villages of the district. 

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