Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Minority
Down a small path off the main street 020 299 8224.
A cute wooden restaurant,
run by a Tai Dam family, who collect traditional recipes from different tribes in the region,
including the Khmu and Akha. Some dishes are better than others, but all are interesting and
worth a try. Rattan-shoot and banana-flower soup 25,000K.
Daily 7am-10.30pm.
TwoSisters
Local bus station 020 2239 2222.
It may not be the most obvious location for
a restaurant recommendation, but this sweet place, decorated with birds' nests, antlers and
local basketry, is a good lunch stop, especially if you're hanging around for a bus. The beef
noodle soup (10,000K) is lovely, and there's a good variety of other dishes including larp
(40,000K).
Daily 8am-11pm.
Zuela
Opposite the night market 020 5588 6694.
The restaurant attached to the guesthouse
of the same name is a good choice for breakfast, serving a delicious muesli with loads of
fresh fruit and yoghurt for 20,000K. There's the usual range of Western and local dishes on
offer for lunch and dinner, and the courtyard is a lovely place to relax over a Beerlao.
Daily
6.30am-10.30pm.
DIRECTORY
Internet
There are various internet cafés on the main road, including Green Mountain and
Smile Internet, which has Skype facilities (12,000K/hr). All the guesthouses have free wi-fi.
Massage and herbal sauna
A number of places offer Lao sauna and massage, of which
the best (unnamed but signed “Herbal Sauna and Massage”) is just west of the main street,
down the lane leading to
Tai Dam Guesthouse
and the main market ( 020 5548 8077; daily
4-10pm; sauna 14,000K, massage 50,000K)
Post office
Main street, just north of the night market (daily 8am-noon & 1-4pm).
Muang Sing
In the centre of a flat plain surrounded by high mountains,
MUANGSING
developed a low-
key trekking scene in the 1990s and 2000s, providing a nice alternative to Luang Namtha,
60km southeast. In recent years, however, tourism has waned significantly as the surround-
ing land is increasingly given over to Chinese-run plantations, and local guesthouse owners
realize in turn they can make more money renting out to seasonal workers than the occasion-
al Western traveller. Nonetheless, with a handsome main street of wonky-balconied Tai Leu
houses and a famous morning market, the town is still a pleasant base, though the choice of
accommodation is limited.
Though Muang Sing is fairly spread out, most tourist facilities are clustered on the main
road. You can explore the surrounding
countryside
and traditional villages on foot or by mo-
torbike or bicycle. However, to get the most out of the area, join a one- to three-day
trek
