One can only get to Muang Ngoi by boat. You can get as far as Nog Khiaw by bus (about 3.5 hours from Luang Phabang), but the last 1.5 hours must be done by "slow boat" down one of the most picturesque rivers.
Falangs, or foreigners, only started going to Muang Ngoi within the last 10 years. The "crowds" are an even more recent development in about the last 2. The difference: more bungalows and a phone line for emergencies and to let loved ones know you are staying longer. Other than that, it's still a small riverside village surviving on subsistence farming...okay, and tourism these days, but even with the influx of visitors (give or take 25 a day), Muang Ngoi has not lost its magical core.
There is one main street lined with basic shops bearing hand painted signs. The street stretches about 200-300 yards and is packed dirt overrun by chickens, ducks and other assorted fowl. There are no motorbikes or cars, no Muang Ngoi t-shirts, no 5-star (or even 2-star) restaurants, one hot shower and electricity only from 6pm to 9pm when the generators are turned on.
Some disciplined travelers visit for their planned handful of days while others get lost in the ambiance and stay months. There is no sense of time in Muang Ngoi and no real compelling reason to leave. I went for 3 days and ended up staying 5 (a relatively short extension by extension standards).
Trekking to more rural villages, learning to fish with nets, meandering through rice fields, picnicking by the riverside on table cloths of banana leaves fill the days quite adequately. Reading, writing, strolling up and down the "main strip" can keep even them most antsy traveler occupied. I feel like I've done nothing and everything at the same time. It feels good. I think I should go before I get stuck here.
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