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Laos, Phongsaly Province - Dining at a Phongsaly Local's Home
Project gen by hotsia
Dining at a Phongsaly Local's Home - The Journey to Phongsaly (Make sure to read this!) Phu Fa Stupa .. Phongsaly, Muang Khwa to Dien Bien Phu, Phongsaly Bus Station 2014, Guesthouses in Phongsaly, Boat from Had Sa to Muang Khwa, Phongsaly Morning Market 2014. After returning from having beer, I planned to rest in my room but couldn’t because I found an unknown WIFI signal on my laptop, so I uploaded a video clip to YouTube and checked website visitors, which remained low as usual.
I couldn’t sleep despite traveling far and writing so much on the website. When will it become popular? As a young traveler, I started feeling impatient and frustrated, so I promoted the website without resting. At the appointed time, I walked to the house of Old Man Phu Fa at 6 PM. His house is in the old village area on the way to Phu Fa Stupa. When I arrived, the old lady was just preparing food. This morning, I bought half a kilo of pork intending to make salted pork stew for the old couple.
But as it turned out, the old lady marinated and fried the pork for us, so I didn’t have to show my cooking skills and could just enjoy eating. The old couple are Chinese-Ho people who speak some Lao, so we communicated in Lao. Only the two elderly live here; their grown children have moved out. Dining at a genuine Phongsaly local’s home gave me a chance to talk about the old days of Phongsaly and learn more about its history. I just watched the pork belly being fried while Old Man poured Phongsaly rice whiskey for me.
Phongsaly is the last developing town in Laos because it is the farthest and hardest to reach. Most residents are hill tribe people, which kept it in darkness longer than other towns. Phongsaly only got electricity about ten years ago. Before that, the old couple used to carry goods on horses to sell in remote forest areas outside the town. Nowadays, horses are no longer seen in Phongsaly town.
Horses disappeared as cars replaced them and electricity brought light. The name Phongsaly comes from the dense forests of sal trees that once covered the area. My dinner started with a glass or two of Phongsaly white whiskey as an appetizer. Then the old lady served rice, and we ate with chopsticks in the Chinese style. The best dish was fried pork dipped in Maggi sauce. The Thai Maggi sauce really reached Phongsaly and still tastes great.
Another unusual dish was some kind of root (see the photo on the plate in front of the old lady). This root tasted like galangal but was not tasty at all. I tried one stalk and had to put it down immediately. This root was the only unpleasant food in this dinner. Other dishes included boiled eggs, melon soup, and omelet. Everything was easy to eat for someone like me who eats simply. Traveling far to Phongsaly and dining at a local’s home while learning about the ancient history of Phongsaly made this trip truly special.
For me, this was a perfect travel experience. Phongsaly whiskey was delicious, the food was tasty, and after eating, I watched Chinese TV which I didn’t understand. The old couple taught me a bit. When the time was right, I excused myself and walked back to my accommodation around 8 or 9 PM. The streets of Phongsaly were quiet with no pedestrians or cars. The town is peaceful and quiet early. Back at my room, I transferred photos from my computer. I planned to stay another night but the internet was too slow here.
Work was inconvenient, so I planned to travel to Muang Ngoy the next day. Tonight, I went to sleep early. Tomorrow morning, I would wake up to travel to Muang Ngoy. In the old lady’s kitchen where I had dinner, the walls were made of bamboo and mud, but the mud had mostly fallen off. Behind the house, they grew their own vegetables. This photo was taken in front of the house; I liked the beautiful stone road. The stone road in front of Old Man Phu Fa’s house. I took photos to send to him as promised. This is the area near Old Man Phu Fa’s house, taken in May, shortly after Songkran festival.
Phongsaly has cool and comfortable weather, especially at the market. Confirmed: The old lady is offering me the root to eat.
