Phongsali

Right: The vibrant market in Phongsali

From Muang Khua, Patrick and I continued up the river by speedboat to Hat Sa where a truck took us to Phongsali, capital of Phongsali Province in the far north. Clearly we were getting off the beaten path at this point as other foreigners were getting pretty thin on the ground. I discovered a strong Chinese presence in Phongsali. In fact, I was able to communicate in Chinese on a number of occasions. With Patrick's ability to speak French we pretty much had the town sewn up.