THE ASIA DIARIES #10: NONG KHIAW

001. After the bustling Luang Prabang we headed a few hours north bound for the little village of Nong Khiaw. This little place is nestled in between misty mountains, with smiling locals and a comfortable cool temperature. Though secretly our favourite thing was the fact that out of the handful of restaurants, TWO of them were Indian PLUS it was the cheapest and most delicious Indian food we had come across in Asia thus far. Samosas, naan and dhal for breakfast, lunch and dinner- yes please! 

002. In all seriousness though Nong Khiaw was beautiful. It is a popular spot for many treks and tours to take off from, however, they are expensive so Ben and myself preferred to go for a DIY mode. We were only in town for about 3 days and didn’t really get to see everything properly, but of what we did do we thoroughly enjoyed. Without a doubt my favourite part was hiking up a mountain to get to the view point. It was quite challenging but the view from the top was magical. We were literally standing on top of this huge mountain IN THE CLOUDS! The clouds were passing through us as we stood there. Such a surreal experience- so cool and calming and perfect. I really didnt want to to leave that mountain top (partly because I wasn't looking forward to the trek down, and partly because I felt on top of the world- quite literally and figuratively). I’m doing a really bad job at selling this town. It was so quaint and sleepy and magical- just the dose of nature we needed after being in the city for a week. 

003. If you are in Laos, go further north than the main cities. Not that the cities aren’t worthwhile-  but the REAL Laos is further north. I wish we could have gone even deeper into the northern lands, but our visas had run out and we needed to get on the move again. Next stop was Thailand- Bangkok and island hopping here we come! 

Lena x