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As the COVID-19 scare waned and restrictions were lifted in late spring, my helper disappeared and work in the garden stopped. Whit an increased free time and wanting to do something more useful then waste time on social media, a "miniguide" series was started. Titled "Amazing Vistas Miniguides", these little but informative ebooks were to present hikes in little-known but stunningly beautiful places. Five miniguides were finished, and there are a few more drafts at different levels of completion. Those that are done and ready feature places in Laos and Myanmar. The timing wasn't the best, but I was optimistic that by autumn life would return to normal and travel would restart, and that there would be interest in these guides. I also hoped that I could go back to Asia, to explore these great locations a bit more and to discover new ones. But it seems no such luck... the second wave of the pandemic is on us now, and international travel is still not really possib...

Luang Namtha is famous for the Nam Ha National Protected Area and the hikes and other activities that can be done there, as well as for the different etnic groups who live in the region.

After two days in Muang Ngoi, I returned to Nong Khiaw where I spent one more night before moving on to Luang Namtha, my final destination in Laos...

After warming up with the two little peaks, I wanted to climb the impressive Pha Boom. The entrance gate is locked and you have to get the key - and pay the fee - in the Gecco Restaurant near the south end of the main street. The lady who works there said it takes 2.5 hours one way, so to be sure I started early (mid-day) to be back safely before it gets dark. It only took me 1.5 hours to reach the upper viewpoint and an hour down, but at times it was a scary hike.

Standing next to its sibling, although this peak is a little higher than the other Pha Noi, you get very similar views from the top. But while I saw a stunning sunset from the other, I caught an amazingly beautiful misty sunrise from this one. At the beginning you could see nothing, but slowly everything opened up. For the walk I had a companion, a friendly local dog (first they were two, but the smaller couldn't manage to climb up the ladders). I don't normally make videos, but to get an almost 360 degree view of the sight, I did one this time which you can see at the bottom of the post.

This is the lower of the low peaks in Muang Ngoi - the word  noi actually means small. The hike up to the top from the ticket office takes only 15-20 minutes, although it does involve a bit of scrambling over ladders and steep rough paths, so one gets the feeling of a real hike. But it is not the size that matters - from this low peak you also get a fantastic view of Muang Ngoi and the distant mountains. There are also two caves. One is so small, that a sign makes sure that you know that the "cave is here". The other cave is a bit bigger, but it is also just a dark hole. It is supposed to be some historic Buddhist place though.

Muang Ngoi Neua, as officially known, is a pretty traditional Lao Loum village upstrean from Nong Khiaw, turned into a popular tourist destination. It consists of one main street where all the restaurants and cafés are found, and most people come here simply to relax, or to engage in one of the popular activities such as hiking, kayaking, tubing. There are three viewpoints as well around the village, two low ones and a high one. One scheduled boat a day connects the village to Nong Khiaw, but you may be able to catch a local ride as well, as I did. After a night out in Nong Khiaw where I've met a group of Lao people partying really hard (see last photos of this previous post ), I woke up early and went down to the pier, and I bumped into the same people. They are from Muang Ngoi and were transporting a lot of goods, including a fridge, and offered me a ride. The captain, Mr Nye, said "no ticket", but at the end I did pay the normal price to his wife. Anyway, it was a ...

Boats, villages, hiking, waterfalls, kayaking... a bit-of-everything day trip from Nong Khiaw.

Although I thought I wouldn't want another climb after Pha Kyu Lom, in the evening I changed my mind. There is another viewpoint over Nong Khiaw, and it is the smallest of the three. (Actually, it is 2 viewpoints, one lower and another a bit higher - the two sleeping sisters.) So I couldn't resist, and went for another walk...

After climbing Pha Daeng, the next morning I thought I climb the little hill that stands in the village of Sophoun, just across the bridge from Nong Khiaw. I woke up very early and started walking, looking for the path that leads to the well-visible viewpoint. I asked someone, pointing to the hut on the top of the hill, where the path is; the answer was carry on the main road, it's still further ahead. I asked someone else, then again someone, and they still said the same. It was strange because I felt I was getting further, not closer, but then again, maybe the path makes a big detour. Finally someone said I have to go back all the way, all these people were showing me the wrong way - they directed me to the path to the viewpoint on the big mountain behind the little hill. What to do? I won't attempt the big mountain alone if there is not a good path, learning from my previous experience. At this moment came a young man on a scooter, and he said he would come with me to th...

This is the peak that everyone climbs, at least those who can put up with a 2-hour steep hike (return), and you do get an amazing view of Nong Khiaw and the surrounding landscape. A must, but it is only one of the angles...

I loved this village, or very little town, from the first moment. Right size - not too big but not too small -, surrounded by stunning mountains, home to different cultures, having a relaxing atmosphere. A Vang Vieng in the making, but still quite far from it. My plan was to climb a few peaks around town, then to head up to Muang Ngoi. And now, writing from Muang Ngoi, my plan is to go back tomorrow, but I won't be catching a bus straight away to Luang Namtha, as first planned, but will spend one more day in Nong Khiaw.

The Kuang Si waterfall, or Tat Kuang Si, is possibly the most beautiful waterfall in Laos, and probably the most famous. It is found near Luang Prabang, in a little well-designed and kept nature park. Access to the lower pools doesn't require any effort, but if someone wants to hike a bit, there is a good path over the top of the waterfall where other pools are located. Obviously a lot of tourists visit this site, but it wasn't such an overwhelming experience.

Luang Prabang, in a way, is the opposite of Vang Vieng. Not that it is not touristy, but that it caters for those who like to have an easy, slow, quiet life. This UNESCO world heritage town offers them all what they want: historic colonial buildings, trendy cafés, elegant restaurants, spa & wellness (bien-être) centres, Mekong river cruises and a corniche, a boules/petanque court, a morning market and a night market... what else do they need? There are also Buddhist sites and the famous Phousi Hill, if you can squeeze yourself a spot for the sunset, that is. There are also some traditional wooden houses, right in the centre, suggesting that it's not only tourists who live in town. All in all, Luang Prabang is ideal for families, retirees, unenterprising backpackers, and presidents, such as Barack Obama or Hungary's moustached Áder. Maybe I sound sarcastic, but honestly, it is a quite pleasant place.

Truly, the Vang Vieng area is amazingly beautiful... yet, I've left it with mixed feelings. The town is famous for its adventure and fun activities, but it is a tourist trap. What is adventure, and what is fun? There are literally thousands of noisy buggies, stirring up dust in and around town, several "blue lagoons" with hordes of picnicing tourists, water "sports" such as kayaking in big groups for a few hundred metres or tubing (floating on inflated truck inner tubes) half drunk. Called ziplining, metal cables cross the area, so visitors can slide between trees and metal poles like Tarzan. And in the evening, there are restaurants, noisy bars and discos, beer and overpriced shitty weed. There is also an element of Pattaya, although it's not there yet, but you do see whores and ladyboys along the main road. However, the mountains around Vang Vieng are really stunning. You can climb a few, there are good paths (and an admission fee to each, as to virtua...

Every year, at the start of the dry season, temporary bridges are erected over the Nam Song, and probably all other waterways, which get washed away when the rivers swell during the rainy season. Apart from these, it is the Chinese who build bridges - and roads and dams and so on -, and a lot of cement goes into development...

Phathang is on the main road going north from Vang Vieng, but it's worth to stop here at least for an hour or so. There are also several guest houses in the village, just walk around, if someone wants to stay longer and see the iconic hill at different times and weather conditions.

The road between Kasi and Phou Khoun is very scenic, I realised on my way up, so I decided to return. I was thinking of renting a scooter in Phou Khoun, but locals told me nobody has any for rent, and I am not that confident with these motorised two-wheeled machines anyhow. If I knew about this scenic route, I would have rented a bicycle in Kasi and have it taken up by a bus, then just roll down back. Anyway, if I wanted to travel this route at my own pace, I had no other choice but to walk. I left Phou Khoun early in the morning, hitched a ride out of town to the first view point, Phu Paing Far, from where I started walking. Locals were friendly, a Hmong man invited me to eat and finish a bottle of not too strong home-brew with them and even wanted me to stay overnight at his place, but I had to carry on. It is all downhill about 3/4 of the way, until the small river (stream) called Nam Kaen, from where it is a gentle but steady uphill for a while when it becomes a gentle but ste...

Passing through Phou Khoun on the way to Phonsavan, I decided I have to come back. It's a very small market town, or rather village, at the crossroads of Vang Vieng, Phonsavan and Luang Prabang, and has a pleasant atmosphere. Inhabited by Hmong people, it also has a very pleasant climate, since its elevation is about 1500 metres above sea level. But the real draw is the views you get from a nearby viewpoint where there is a Buddhist stupa and picnic-camping spot popular mostly with Lao tourists. To the north, east and west, the sea of green mountains also looks beautiful, but nothing like to the south, dominated by the dramatic peak of Pha Tiao.

UXO is the abbrevation for Unexploded Ordnance, and is the term used for both air-dropped weapons and battlefield munitions that did not detonate as intended. Up to 30% of some types of ordnance used in Laos did not explode, and remain potentially dangerous.