Laos | A fresh experience of a small town without tourists, some practical information
Mongxay, Manxay, Oudomxay, it is amazing that a city name has so many translations. The current English pronunciation is Oudomxay.
Northern Laos is very suitable for cycling or motorcycles, and there are also many mountain hiking routes, and Mengxai is one of the stops. Nearby are the karst Chom Ong Cave and Muang La with hot springs, as well as ethnic minority villages.
🚘Transportation:
1. The slow train of China-Laos Railway stops in Laos 🇱🇦 section, with 2 trains per day. LCR can purchase tickets and check train schedules.
2. For the long-distance bus schedule to other cities, see Figure 8 (Tourist Center Information). There are also cars going to Vietnam🇻🇳.
3. The city is small and you can just walk. The tuk-tuk ticket from the high-speed rail station to the city center is 30,000k. Show the address to the driver and he will drop you off at the hotel.
🌅City attractions & experiences:
1. Wat Phu That is on a hill, where you can watch the sunset. Watching the sunset and listening to the monks chanting scriptures makes one feel relaxed.
There is a pink house under construction on the way to the temple, which is the best place to watch the sunset, woods and river views.
2. Like Luang Prabang, there are also alms giving activities here in the early morning. The monks of several temples carry out various operations, on a much smaller scale but more local. Around 7:00, the locals on the street will prepare items for donations, and you will see them after a while.
3. The local visitor center seemed to organize papermaking and cooking experiences, but it was closed on weekends and I didn't ask.
4. You can buy kudzu bags and other things at Tailue Handicrafts by the river, watch local people weaving and visit their houses. 📸️Very good photos!
5. Red Cross runs an NGO project that teaches locals first aid, and is also a very popular herbal sauna and massage shop.
Massage costs less than RMB 20💰 per hour. The environment is very local, suitable for those who like novel adventures.
🥗Food:
1. Udomxay Night Market has everything from barbecue, rice, noodles and hotpot. I tried two of them and they both tasted great and didn’t look like Splatoon.
2.Souphailin Restaurant sells northern Laotian dishes. The lady boss is very calm. I ordered a salad with freshly picked and washed vegetables...it tasted really good!
The guestbook in the store is very interesting, with many talented contestants from various countries.
3. There is a decent cafe downstairs in Charming Lao Hotel☕️.
🏡Accommodation:
1. Online stores are few and expensive, so just walk-in. The city is very small. When you click on the map, the area with concentrated pink dots is the best location.
2. The newly opened wild luxury NamKat Yolapa in Muang La is suitable for friends who like to get close to nature or stay in a hotel.
Other Tips:
1. See Figure 7 for the city map❗️❗️Very useful!
2. It is difficult to communicate with local people in Chinese or English, but I can communicate in Thai.
3.🐶The guard is very fierce, be careful.