After our trek we caught the bus back to Udomxai, a cross roads town in northern Laos. Trucks from China arrive here laden with all manner of goods, from tractor tyres to electronic goods to clothes. We found a vast market of stalls selling domestic goods, securing a scrubbing brush and washing soap to scour out the red mud and dust of our trek.
It was refreshing to be sleeping in a big bed with white sheets and showering under warm water that hadn't been scooped out of a barrel or a muddy pool in the bush.
On our previous visit to Laos we found an authentic restaurant featuring northern Laos cuisine so we ate our meals there. The owner Souphalin welcomed us back with hugs in her traditional bamboo weave house. We waited armed with cold beer Lao as she cooked up succulent chicken and mushrooms steamed in banana leaves.
It was refreshing to be sleeping in a big bed with white sheets and showering under warm water that hadn't been scooped out of a barrel or a muddy pool in the bush.
On our previous visit to Laos we found an authentic restaurant featuring northern Laos cuisine so we ate our meals there. The owner Souphalin welcomed us back with hugs in her traditional bamboo weave house. We waited armed with cold beer Lao as she cooked up succulent chicken and mushrooms steamed in banana leaves.