Vientiane and the northwest - The Rough Guide to Laos - page 150

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING: PHOU KHOUN
NangOuan Just east of the point where Route 13 meets Route 7, a short walk from the mar-
ket 020 5534 2375. Bare-bones restaurant, serving fried rice and fragrant noodle soups,
loaded with chilli and coriander (15,000K). There's an English menu here. Daily 6am-10pm.
SayPhavongGuesthouse At the junction of routes 13 and 7, diagonally opposite the market
020 5538 9888. The six rooms here are as basic as it gets, lacking even a fan - but it's gen-
erally cool en ough in town that you won't need one. Mr Won is friendly enough but speaks
little English. 60,000K
Phou Khoun to Xieng Ngeun
From Phou Khoun, tiny picturesque villages cling to the mountain ridges every 20km or so
for the rest of the journey north to Luang Prabang, only a few of them providing tables at
which to eat a bowl of fõe . If you're travelling by rented or chartered vehicle, you could try
the proper noodle shop at Pha Keng Noi , a small village perched on a narrow ridge 15km
north of Phou Khoun. Kiou Ka Cham , 45km north of Phou Khoun, is a larger town, pop-
ulated by Hmong , and located high up in the mountains. It has two very basic guesthouses,
several restaurants, tiny pharmacies and general stores selling basic goods and petrol out of
old oil drums. To the north, the highway continues to wind through the green-blue mountains,
passing ethnic-minority villages and swidden fields cutting bare the hillsides, until it reaches
Xieng Ngeun , a large settlement, 24km south of Luang Prabang. These days it's a hive of
hydropower activity, with three dams in the local area supplying electricity to Thailand. Xi-
eng Ngeun is also an important junction: from here Route 2 heads southwest 110km to the
provincial capital of Sayaboury, on the western side of the Mekong river.
NAM PHOUN NBCA
A 150km-long section of the border with Thailand consists of the massive Nam Phoun
NBCA , Laos's westernmost bio-conservation area. The chain of mountains forming the
park's spine includes peaks as high as 1790m. Two significant streams, the Pouy and the
Phoun, flow down from heights above and cross the width of Sayaboury province before
flowing into the Mekong. Although the town of Nakong on Route 2 sits right on the edge
of the park, the NBCA has yet to be developed for trekking.
ACCOMMODATION: PHOU KHOUN TO XIENG NGEUN
Duangchavit Opposite the post office in Kiou Ka Cham 071 252568. Dark, dingy double
rooms and dirty bathrooms mean you should only reall y stay h ere if Kijokajam is already
full. Twins are more expensive than doubles at 70,000K. 50,000K