Luang Namtha, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Monday, November 23, 1998
Luang Nam Tha is the modern crossroads of northwestern
Laos, and is one splayed-out little town, in the Thai/Lao fashion, as distinct from the Vietnamese. On the other hand Viets tend to build their houses on the ground, as opposed to the stilt houses of Thais and Laos, reflecting ancient trends used up until recent times to distinguish the two groups in the part of Vietnam that they both inhabit. There are a few bars and a few restaurants, but ultimately not much reason to hang around. There is a bus to the Thai border at HuayXai that runs one way one day, the opposite way the next. I hear it's pretty rough, but there aren’t a lot of options… not a lot of good ones anyway. I’m sure the countryside is beautiful… yeah, right. This IS supposed to be an overland trip, after all.
