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Straddling Route 3, four hours' drive northwest of Oudomxai, LOUANG NAMTHA was heavily contested during Laos's civil war, which is to say that it was razed to the ground. Once the fighting stopped, the surrounding hills were stripped of their trees and the mammoth logs were trucked away to China. Slowly, the depopulated town was reborn, largely with Chinese money and assistance, but there is very little to see here. The town's only real sight is the Louang Namtha Provincial Museum (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 1-4pm; 500K), housed in a green-roofed building, behind the Kaysone monument, about 200m north of the post office. There are displays of traditional hilltribe costumes and artefacts, a model depicting battle manoeuvres that took place in the area during the civil war and a rusty collection of weaponry. Most Western travellers, on their way to or from Muang Sing, get a connection here and pass on through, although a few hang out for a day or two arranging to pirogue down the Nam Tha River to Houayxai. To this end, the town has adequate food and lodging. LNT Travel (tel 086/312047), a local company that claims to be gearing up to guide treks into nearby Hmong and Leten villages, is located in a large white building across from the museum. A branch of the Lane Xang Bank is situated just north of the Dalasavath Guest House and can exchange US dollars, baht and yuan, as well as dollar travellers' cheques. Louang Namtha has electricity from 6pm to 9pm. Sawngthaews for Muang Sing leave from Louang Namtha's bus station, next to the morning market. Travellers with a valid visa for China can take a Chinese-operated bus in the morning from Louang Namtha bus station to the border crossing at Boten and on to Jinghong in China. Sawngthaews only go as far as the border. Travellers heading for Houayxai can go by road or by boat (one and a half days, with a night spent in Na Lae), depending on the time of year. The Nam Tha is only navigable from about July until January. Unless you have unlimited time to wait around, it's most convenient to hire a boat outright ($100 for a boat that holds five people). Boatmen will only go as far as Paktha , where the Nam Tha meets the Mekong. You'll need to get a speedboat for the 36km stretch along the Mekong from Paktha to Houayxai (1hr; B130 per person). There have been reports of some boatmen demanding more money en route, threatening to maroon passengers in Na Lae if they don't pay up. The way to avoid this situation is to write down the fare on a piece of paper, show it to the boatman during initial negotiations, and keep it handy on the trip. The trip by truck to Houayxai is one of those wild Lao journeys that are fast disappearing with the ongoing road-paving programme. This particular road has been under construction since the mid-Nineties and old Soviet cargo trucks continue to ply the route, taking approximately twelve hours ($7). The beds of the trucks are open to the sky, affording unobstructed views of the thick forest, though during the monsoon season passengers get wet and the mire is sometimes impassable. The trucks are often loaded with Chinese cigarettes and cookies and passengers are left to jostle for any remaining space. If the ride gets too much, there is a basic guesthouse in the village of Phou Kha, at about the halfway point. Once the upgrading of the road has been completed the journey should take under six hours.
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