Hate to open the tourist gates, but my family found Muang Khua charming. It is (gasp...) full of local Lao people living life. The setting is beautiful and an entire day can easily be spent wandering about. We did a three day/two night trek staying overnight in an Akha and a Khamu village where we were warmly received. The town has a few interesting shops - we sat with a woodcarver for an hour sipping lao-lao (it was 11 AM). Lots of short walks in the area for those who enjoy walking. No big sites - it ain't Disneyland or VV; but also none of the pressure that comes with torist sites. The few tourists we saw seemed most interested in moving through - must be the lack of banana pancakes.
We stayed at the Nam Ou guesthouse - most friendly (and yes, one could get a banana pancake here...). The owner and his son speak excellent English. His son was the one who guided our trek.
It is not distantly remote, and the trek was not an adventure to see people who had never seen whte faces before. NBut the tone of the town, the friendliness of the community, the beauty of the river and mountains - needless to say we will be revisiting (this time traveling from DBP) in December, and I hope to stay 2-3 days just to relax and enjoy.
10
stillwithus
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