The Best of Cambodia & Laos

288
LUANG PRABANG & NORTHERN LAOS
PHONGSALI
Phongsali
4 PHONGSALI
Three days’ travel up the Nam Ou River is the far northern town of Phongsali. This
remote mountainous place is home to the greatest variety of hill tribe ethnicities in all of
Laos. You will see that in the variety of tribal dress you see around you. There is also a
strong Chinese influence. The picturesque Chinese Quarter of cramped, cobblestone
streets lined with small, low-roofed houses is really quite atmospheric and decorative in
a pleasingly simple style. You feel like you have just leaped through a Hollywood time
warp onto a misty film set showing how southern Chinese towns appeared 100 years ago.
It also gets pretty cold up here at 4,200m (1,400 ft.) in the winter months so a pullover
or a fleece, or both, is a must. The two principal hill tribe groups here are Phou Noy,
whose members wear white leggings, and the Chinese Ho. They are descendants of the
old Yunnanese traders as well as the bandit Haw hordes who ravaged so much of this
region in the 19th century. They wear traditional baggy trousers. Chinese is a far more
widely spoken language here than Lao, and Phongsali is a Yunnanese town in both feel
and culture. It was really only because of the presence of the French that this place
remained within Lao borders at all. The town snakes along the top of mountain ridges
overshadowed by the Phou Fa, or the Sky Mountain. The views are spectacular and the
air is crisp, damp, and clear. Phongsali is a good base for trekking trips to explore this
wild and remote region. It is a tough place to get to, but the rewards are worth the hardship.
A visit to the Museum of Tribes (Mon–Fri 8–11:30am and 1:30–4:30pm; 20,000
kip) is well worth the effort if you want some background to the patchwork of ethnicities
in Phongsali Province. If you are feeling fit, take a stab at hiking up Phou Fa itself. It is
a mere 400 steps up. The views from the top are spectacular.
Banks & Currency Exchange There is a Lao Development Bank here that can
change cash only, whether that be U.S. dollars, Thai baht, or Chinese yuan.
Electricity Electricity is available only between 6 and 10pm.
Post Office There is also a post office and a Lao Telecom Office offering card
phone facilities within Laos.
Tourism Information The Provincial Tourism Office (& 088/210-098; Mon–Fri
9am–4pm) can fix you up with trekking information and they also organize tours.
WHERE TO STAY & DINE
The Phongsali Hotel (& 088/412-042; 50,000 kip double, 30,000 kip single) is Chinese
built and austere to a degree that might have you yearning for the cheesiest of Luang
Prabang’s most mindless boutique offerings. The rooms are reasonably bright and a little
grubby. The more expensive rooms have hot water during the hours of electricity. Think
functional. The restaurant serves adequate Lao and Thai food although you have to put
up with a TV blaring out Chinese soap operas or deafening karaoke. The Viphaphone
Hotel (& 088/210-111; 80,000 kip double) is the best in town although that does not
mean it is actually particularly good in the larger scheme of things. The rooms are big