Between Udom Xai and the Mekong

Northern Laos is a rather undeveloped place; traveling around in old buses takes time and the towns waiting at the trip’s end are not very comfortable. One way of coping with the extreme conditions is to keep moving around; the changing views of green mountains, hidden narrow valleys and villages keeping an ancestral look are a worthy compensation for the harsh physical conditions.

Doing so, I crossed Udom Xai several times in various directions while hardly noticing it. Its bus terminal seemed to summarize it pretty well; the town is usually described as Northern Laos travel hub.

A Travel Hub

A map of northern Laos showing the roads would tell the whole story at a glance. It is almost impossible to travel among the provincial capitals of the area without crossing Udom Xai. The town is the first significant stop in the way north from Luang Prabang and the main crossroads to Luang Namtha in the far northwest and Phongsali in the far northeast as well as to Phonsavan, Xam Nua and China. Taking that into account, the bus terminal is a serious study in humility

Phôngsali is located between Yunnan in China and Vietnam. Cooler than most of Laos, this remote outpost has been heavily deforested and does not provide exits to the neighboring countries.

Luang Namtha is along the borders with China and Myanmar. The provincial capital city – named as the province – and the village of Muang Sing on the Chinese border are becoming important centers of eco- and hill-tribes tourism.

North of Udom Xai and within the same province is Boten, the only official gate to China from Laos open for tourists. Across the border is the town of Mohan, the southern gate of Yunnan; the first significant stop once in China is Jinghong, Xishuangbanna’s capital.

Located on the northern part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Phonsavan can be reached from Vientiane, Vang Vieng (the buses from Vientiane stop there), from Luang Prabang and from Udom Xai. The town was devastated in the Second Indochina War; that is evident from the deforested areas and the several guesthouses with bomb-casing collections in their lobbies. The main attraction, beyond the Ho Chi Minh Trail, is the Plain of Jars, where hundreds of stone jars of different sizes are scattered. There are four main sites and the closest of them is almost 10km away from the town.

Xam Nua is the only Laotian town east of the Annamite Mountains; therefore, the way there climbs the mountains and then descends a steep road into a beautiful and narrow valley among green mountains. Although there's little to see in town itself, it serves as a comfortable base for the Viang Xai Caves, hill tribe villages, and trips along the Vietnamese frontier.

Traveling from Xam Nua to Udom Xai is a bit complicated, because there isn't a direct connection, the bus to Luang Prabang and Vientiane leaves from the terminal. After a long torture, the bus arrives at Ban Pakmong after 11pm; this village is the place to catch any bus to Udom Xai. It is possible to wait at the tiny bus stop there, but it would be more sensible to sleep in one of the precarious guesthouses and continue the next morning.

Udom Xai: The Town

In two different occasions I was forced to sleep in town; until then invisible, it opened itself then and I took a close look at a part of the country that in the past was part of the Chiang Roon Kingdom and shares its history and origins with the Thai and Dai people.

The main physical feature in town is a green and not too high hill; on its top is a smallish pagoda with a spiky stuppa. In any other Lao or Thai city, such a sight wouldn’t have called attention, but here it is special since northern Laos is still mainly animist. The hill allows a good view of the area, including the tired stream dividing the town. Most houses in sight are built of wood and the bus terminal structures feature the typical Lao series of touching triangular roofs.

The town offers two concentrations of guesthouses, both at bus terminal and downtown. The one at the terminal is rather minimalist and recommended only if in need to reach an early bus. The one in town is near the central market; also here the accommodations are basic.

There is little in downtown Udom Xai except for the market. The market’s food plaza was obviously different from the ones I visited in southern and central Laos. The French influence was gone – including coffee and baguettes – and the main dishes were mainly meat and vegetables on rice and noodle soup. Being the area one of the poorest in the country, all types of wild protein sources can be found; I’ve spotted big rats being sold at the market, becoming a vegetarian for the length of the stay is recommended.

Huay Xai is a special spot in Laos. The capital of the Bokeo province, it is closer to Thailand’s Chiang Khong than to other Lao towns. If ignoring the slight difference between the Lao and Thai languages, it is difficult to tell in which country the town is.

The town retains a distinctive Thai appearance, mainly due to the difficulty of reaching other Lao cities from here. "Bokeo" means "Gems Mines," indicating the area’s main industry; travelers are strongly recommended to avoid any contact with gems’ dealers here, a few years ago several foreigners ended up in a Laotian jail following a misunderstanding. Bangkok is the recommended shopping stop for Laotian and Cambodian gems.

Formalities

The Lao and Thai immigration booths are each on the respective side of the Jinghong and open daily between 8am and 5:30pm. Boats span the distance between them for twenty Baht.

Transport

Route 3 connects Huay Xai with Luang Namtha; the trip is not recommended during the rainy season, unless until the road is paved.

Frequent boats cross the river during the day to the Thai town of Chiang Khong, from where direct buses reach Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai.

Luang Prabang can be reached over the Mekong River, through several kinds of boats, from slow ones to luxury cruises.

Accommodations

In its qualities and style, Huay Xai reminds of provincial Thai towns. There are no luxury hotels in town, but the existent ones offer reliable basic accommodations with hot water and air-conditioners.

Friendship Guesthouse near the promenade was a pleasant place. The helpful owner studied to be a goldsmith in Vientiane but preferred tourism and built the guesthouse in two years, from 1999 to 2001. Nearby are several similar establishments.

Food

Being next to the river and in front of Thailand, Huay Xai offers mainly fish and Thai cuisine. Lao and Chinese dishes complement it, though the coffee served here is not the excellent Laotian one served in the central and southern parts of the country. The guesthouses featuring attached restaurants serve mainly hybrid international dishes.

Downtown Huay Xai

Huay Xai is trapped in an elongated strip between a hill and the Mekong River; atop the hill is the teakwood Shan-styled Wat Chom Khao Manilat. Other temples in town include Wat Keo Phonsavan Thanarom and Wat Khon Keo; neither one of them is extraordinary. The town houses are low; many of them are built of teakwood, a rapidly disappearing luxury; their lines are traditional Thai ones.
The main attraction in town is with no doubt the riverside; the boats moored along it and the colorful sunsets are the only real sights in this peaceful riverside resort. From time to time, fast boats of smugglers can be seen competing against the ones belonging to the police. An ancient French fort in ruins - Fort Carnot - is atop the hill overlooking the town and is a recommended walk.

On the Geometry of Wandering

Along time, Huay Xai provided me with two important lessons regarding the unexpected sides of the Geometry of Wandering; I’m planning a graduated students’ course on the topic, but meanwhile here is the first glimpse.

1. Guesthouses

On my first visit to the town I arrived from its backside, from Luang Namtha. The truck left me on the town’s backside, with the Mekong River low below and the town separating me from it. That meant that practically all the guesthouses – concentrated on the northern waterside - were far away from me and in such an angle I couldn’t see their signs. Innocently, I began systematically exploring the streets, instead of heading directly to the riverside. Two hours later, after my backpack thoroughly cut way through my shoulders, I understood the error. Spending a few minutes evaluating a town’s geometry and the most probable spot for its hotels and other attractions would always be a good investment.

2. Fallen Trees

A friend of mine decided to take a truck from Huay Xai to Luang Namtha during the rainy season. The truck – despite being old – was solidly built in the best Soviet tradition and inspired trust; they left on it under a torrential rain. Roughly at the midway, they found a fallen tree blocking the road. One side of it featured a steep hill, while the other was atop a deep precipice. Down below was a truck that had been knocked down by the falling tree. Turning around was not possible.

The next day, still there – hungry but not thirsty thanks to the rain - no solution to the problem could be found. At noon a jeep arrived to the area; a deal was struck: my friend’s group would help to pass the jeep over the fallen tree and would get a ride to Luang Namtha in exchange. The others stayed there.

Over time, the Boten-Mohan border cross became my favorite entrance into China from South East Asia. It wasn’t only convenient; it was more than the feeling of crossing through a remote – barely mentioned in most guides – border cross; simply "Boten" means "Peanut" in my main language. Few words could describe better this tiny dot in northern Laos; always appreciating the humorous side of an event, it became a favorite of mine.

Reaching Boten

The best way of reaching Boten is through the frequent vans departing from Udom Xai bus terminal in the mornings; there is no direct transport from Laos into China. The last must be arranged once there.

Changing Money

Laotian money can be exchanged into Chinese yuan only while in Laos. The bank in Boten is closed on Sundays, thus some care should be taken while planning the cross. My second crossover was on such a day; I simply exchanged money with a tourist entering from China.

In the other direction things are simpler since yuans are easily exchanged everywhere in South East Asia. Remember to keep an extra 2000 kip (Laotian money) for the tuk-tuk from the Laotian immigrations to the Chinese ones.

Accommodations, Food and Trucks

Boten features very few buildings arranged along two streets; one of them is the road leading into China. Most of the buildings belong to people working there, to the two very basic guesthouses or to the counted restaurants serving the few travelers crossing the border.

The only reason to stay there at night is arriving at Boten too late for crossing to China; the guesthouses are extremely basic – they don’t have even names – with thin woven walls cut out of bamboo sticks and animal furs hunted nearby adorning them.

A local version of noodle soup served at the restaurants includes tomato slices that are an oddity in South East Asia, where – together with carrots and potatoes – they are strangers. This is a definite sign of having reached a respectable distance from the tropic lands of central South East Asia.

The only entertainment at night was listening to the noises of rhythmic human activities emanating from the trucks waiting to the border to open.

Immigrations and Time Issues

China is an hour ahead of Laos; crossing the border too late after noon is not recommended if attempting to reach Jinghong in the same day.

Chinese and Laotian visas must be issued in advance. Chinese ones in Laos can be easily issued in Luang Prabang and Vientiane.

After Mohan

Mohan is not recommended as an overnight stop once in China; leaving that for Jinghong is the best, though Mengla is also appropriate if crossing too late.

After finishing the immigration’s affairs, look for the minivans waiting at the right side of the road. They reach Mengla, from where good buses continue to Jinghong. The vans leave only once they are full.

The Passport Stamp Event

My first Mohan stamp on the passport provided a colorful event once I attempted to leave China. I was at the border cross to Macau, showing the passport to the Chinese immigrations officers, when she began speaking agitatedly in Chinese. She continued doing so for a while, pointing all the time at the entry stamp. Annoyed at the delay – but guessing the problem – I took out a big folding map of the Middle Kingdom and pointed out Mohan for her. She smiled and called all the immigration officers in the area – apparently a few thousands – to see the wonder: somebody actually visited that remote corner of China.

"Oh, no! Not another one!," I thought while looking at a sign announcing Luang Prabang as yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site. After seeing several, they became a kind of warning: "This is a World Tourism Marketing Site." After all, the town of Jinghong, the 21st century slaves in Bolivia’s lowlands and Aisha Adnan Al-Bahsh wounded sister hold a no less important testimony of human culture than any one of those sites.

A true spot of interest needs no tags. Any human facing Bangkok’s Grand Palace, or watching the brave struggle of human victims against their systematic oppression, knows he’s watching something special. The official tag is a marketing sign, a price tag.

The recent appearance of "Wonders’ Lists" competing with UNESCO was expected and similarly oriented. Furthermore, the appearance of World Heritage Sites collectors resembles those collecting country’s visits. The number of items in those lists often replaces the experience; meeting a culture and its people takes time, their treasures can be neither counted nor tagged.

Wouldn’t the next step – after separating between World Heritage Sites and non-World Heritage Sites – include creating different classes of sites? First class and Z-th class cultural sites, discriminated in the name of institutional control and output measurement?

Yet, I visited Luang Prabang several times; but instead of allotting it its own journal, I included it as a side entry within the Udom Xai one.

Access

The small town is more than four-hundred kilometers north of Vientiane, on the Mekong riverside.

Luang Prabang can be reached by air from Phongsaly, Vientiane, Xieng Khuang (Phonsavan), Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Siem Reap, and Hanoi.

Route 13 links it with Vang Vieng and Vientiane, while Route 1 leads to Udom Xai, which is five hours away on bus, Luang Namtha is another five hours from Udom Xai. Huay Xai can be reached by slow boat on the Mekong River.

History

Founded as Muang Sua, the town of Xieng Dong Xieng Thong became the capital of the Lan Xang Kingdom between 1353 and 1560. When this kingdom ceased to exist in 1707, the city became the capital of the Luang Prabang principality and later the capital of the Kingdom of Laos until the Communist Revolution of 1975.

Downtown Attractions

Luang Prabang is small and much more compact than any other Lao town, thus exploring it by foot is a breeze. Most attractions are crammed nearby Xiang Thong, the town’s main road. Little is left of the royal town; yet, the mixture of prevalent architectural styles hints at the city’s past importance and colonial period. Many Buddhist temples adorn the central part of the city; however – with the exception of Haw Kham and Phu Si – they are not of special interest. On Sisavangvong Road, and parallel to the river, is a night market selling souvenirs and crafts; many Hmong people sell items related to their heritage.

Haw Kham

Haw Kham was the kingdom’s royal palace until 1975; for a while the Emerald Buddha was stored here, a replica can still be appreciated.

Phu Si

Downtown Luang Prabang was constructed around a low hill called Phou Si. Beyond a stuppa, the place offers good views of the town and the river, especially during the sunset – but only for those capable to endure the 328 steps leading there.

Kuang Si Falls

The waterfall is thirty kilometers south of Luang Prabang; there is little to do there except for cooling down within the several pools. They can be reached by boat or truck. On the way there is the Bear Rescue Center where endangered Asian Black Bears live in the company of a tiger rescued from hunters.

Pak Ou Caves

The Buddha Caves are on the Mekong riverside north of town; they are a cemetery for Buddha statues that had been retired from the temples due to their age. There, thousands of Buddha statues of every size and material peacefully deteriorate to dust. Most tours there stop at Ban Laolao – a mock name to a village where rice liquor (laolao) is produced.

Earthly Worries

Luang Prabang is overcrowded with restaurants catering for tourists, especially on Sisavangvong Road and along the Mekong riverside. The recommended ones are those specializing on Lao and French cuisines. The city is roughly on the northern limit of the area where Laotian Coffee is served; if continuing the trip northwards, that’s the last opportunity to buy some.

There are not luxury hotels in Luang Prabang; despite the impression a few upmarket guesthouses try to create. Over time I have tried several options and have found the Sysomphone Guesthouse as the most human establishment. Free hot water allows preparing coffee while listening to the owner stories and recommendations. There are several types of rooms; thus checking them out before checking in is recommended.

Luang, Muang

Luang, Muang, and other terms often appear in Lao and Thai city names. Moreover, most of these cities are referred to (in their surroundings) only with this part of the name, creating thus a confusing reality for the tireless traveler.

Being both rural societies amidst a rapid urbanization, the issue can be explained easily. These words can be translated as "town," while the surrounding county bears the same name – except for the "town" part. Often it is difficult to tell when the town ends and the county begins; most local people consider both to be complimenting parts of the same entity. In regard of this journal, Luang Nam Tha is the capital town of the Nam Tha province in Laos, while Muang Sing is the capital city of the Sing district within the same province.

Luang Nam Tha

Luang Nam Tha has been positioned as the adventure tourism center in Laos; beyond that, is the overland gate to Huay Xai and to Muang Sing on the Chinese border. The town is small and rural in character, but nonetheless provides a pleasant stop for a couple of days. Solidly within northern Laos animist area, there is an obvious lack of Buddhist temples in town.

Non-Lao Food

The cultural distance between this province and the rest of Laos is not limited to religious issues. In many aspects, the local food resembles more the "eat-anything-that-moves" approach than the traditional Lao one; I have seen rats for sale at the market.

The food sold at the market stalls resembles very much the Chinese cuisine, especially due to the massive use of soybeans and molasses. The soybeans are featured even in the noodle soup; something that would never happen in southern or central Laos.

Luang Nam Tha Museum

The museum is open during the week mornings and displays a basic collection of items belonging to the area’s early cultures, the colonial era and the Communist Revolution. Bronze drums are among the most attractive items in display.

Black Tai

Black Tai villages (called "ban" instead of "luang") surround the town and can be visited by bicycle; there, the process of weaving silk can be witnessed.

Another point of interest in these villages is the cemeteries, placed within the dense forests surrounding them. The graves resemble little houses; a man’s grave is marked with one flag, while women’s ones bear a small circle of flags.

Ban Nam Dee

Ban Nam Dee is a village placed next to a smallish but nonetheless refreshing waterfall, roughly half an hour by bicycle north of town. The Lanten people living there specialize in the production of bamboo paper.

Nam Ha Protected Area

This nature reserve is one of the biggest in Laos; it hosts much of the wild life still existing in the country, including elephants and buffalos among the big mammals as well as many reptiles and birds. The best landmark in the reserve is the meeting of the Nam Tha and Nam Ha rivers, which can be reached by boat from the town.

Boats

Boats from here to Huay Xai allow connecting to the Mekong River highway and reaching other main attractions in the country. However these trips are slow and expensive; troubles with the payments and services are common.

That Phoum Phouk

Built in 1628 and – following the damage caused by the USA-Vietnam War - restored in 2003, this pagoda is almost unique in the province. Oddly it is not within the town’s limits and is best approached from the nearby airport.

Accommodations
Taking the self-definition as an eco-tourism center a bit too far, all the guesthouses in town are extremely basic; planning for a stay as short as possible makes sense under the circumstances.

Reaching China

At the northern tip of the Nam Tha province is the town of Muang Sing; practically sitting on the Chinese border. Reaching the Laotian post there is possible, but taking a look at the other side is not allowed even if having a Chinese visa.

Muang Sing

This small town resembles very much Luang Nam Tha in appearance and concept; however, the population is even less Lao and many signs are in Chinese. The town travel agencies specialize in treks to the surrounding hill tribes villages; there is little else to do. The guesthouses in town are very basic.

Walking Around the Area

The treks offered by local travel agencies in Muang Sing are classified by them as day walks and mountain hikes, and range anything between one to three days; thus, technically speaking, all of them are short walks and not proper treks.

The main hill tribes’ villages can be explored in a single day walk; most agencies offer a walk combining seven villages in one day. Those include Hmong, Akha, Tai and Khamu people. Sadly, these tours have been over-commercialized and resemble just visits to souvenirs markets.

The mountain hikes offered can be of the single day variation or the overnight one. However, the area is better defined as hilly than mountainous, thus the main sights are mainly cultural in nature. The overnight treks do not offer camping in the lush nature, but a stay in one of the hill tribes’ villages.

Downtown Muang Sing Attractions

The Muang Sing Exhibition is the closest thing reminding a museum in town; it was the former residence of the local ruler and houses nowadays traditional crafts and tools typical of the area; it is open in the mornings and early afternoons. Unlike Luang Nam Tha, Muang Sing features a Buddhist’s significant population – mainly due to the Tai people, and thus features several wats in the town. The main one is rather dully called Wat Luang (namely the "town’s temple") and is located near the Muang Sing Exhibition.

Muang Sing’s market hosts people from all the surrounding Akha, Lue, Hmong, Yao, Lue, Tai Dam and Tai Neua settlements; in a sense visiting it compares to a concentrated tour to the villages. The one day tour to seven villages described above provides the same views. In front of the market is an old French military fort.

Almost six kilometers before the town’s main entrance is the That Xieng Tung stupa atop a hill. Often, these monuments are believed to contain Buddha’s relics; this one supposedly contains Buddha’s Adam’s apple; the practice emphasizes the blending of the Buddhism in South East Asia with earlier animists’ beliefs.