This was gentleman’s ride to Lao. It was our first timeout of Thailand, no off road stuff planned, comfortable bikes and decent hotels booked. We did not know what to expect so what follows is quite long ride report aimed at any one else wanting to do Lao on a bike but not sure on the whats and wheres.
Day 1 is boring. We use Route 2 to get from Bangkok/KhaoYai to Udon Thani. We stay in the Pannerai hotel. Very nice, around B1700 a night. Food at the Irish Clock, next door to the Pannerai.
Day 2. Up early, quick breakfast at the hotel and on the road by 7. We fill both Ducatis with 95 as we have read it is scarce in Laos.We hit the border around 8 and are directed straight past the no motorbikes sign to the cluster of border control booths. This is a relief as I had nightmares about some jobsworth official being a dick and saying we could not ride over. We park the bikes and head to the passport section of Immigration. Once the passports are stamped we take our pre prepared TM2, 3 and 4 to the customs booth. (thanks Phil, Rideasia site for the forms). Here they make a printed form using that information. The only hiccup is that on their list of bikes, there is no Suzuki Vstrom 650 so it gets put down as a 1000 Vstrom. Once we have the forms, its round to the other side of the same booth for a stamp and then free to cross. Total time, 30 minutes.
We ride across the bridge, obligatory “Welcome to Lao PDR” photo, pull up at the Lao side and park up the bikes next to the insurance offices on the right. We go to the Immigration section first. Lots of people waiting at windows in queues. Pick up forms from window 2, fill out and submit to window 1 with money. $35 for each visa. Don’t forget passport photos. Passports come out of window 3 about 20 minutes later, all stamped. Of course 2 passports come out, Bruces gets stuck inside so Andy and I head to the money changers and then the insurance offices. The first one says no big bike, the second is OK. 25,000 kip for each bike. There is a small yellow sticker to put on each bike. Once this is done, Bruce has his passport and we head to the Customs booth. A little confusion here as they ask for the vehicle passport books. We get sent to 3 booths before going back to the frst one again. Here we are given a piece of paper to fill out with all the bike details, similar to the TM2 form. Once done, we are sent to room 15A. Here we meet what we think is the boss. He checks the papers and stamps and signs them. He is friendly, asks our route etc. When we say Vang Vien he tells us about the famous V shaped coconut tree. Never did see it. We take the forms back to the first booth and the lady types out a green form. When complete, take to the open booth with 4or 5 uniformed guys. They check, stamp, remove 1 copy and say we are good to go.They were all very friendly, no attitude, no officialdom, made a nice change.The Laos side took around 2 hours.
View of the Thai Immigration/Customs are at Nong Khai
The final printed form given to us by Thai customs
Welcome to Laos
The Lao Immigration and Customs area
The green form given to us by Lao Customs
This insurance company would cover big bikes
Stick this on your bike
Carry this bit with you
We head towards Vientiane to pick up a Lao GPS card from Don at laogpsmap.com. Don was away mapping so we didn’t hang around. A quick bite to eat and then on the road North toward Vang Vien. We passed a 95 gas station,100kms up the road from the Friendship bridge or 78 kms from VV. Made the mistake of not topping off the Dukes as this was the only 95 gas station outside of Vientiane that we would pass. Stopped for a coffee break anyway. We rolled into VV around 4pm. Stayed at Laos Haven and Spa. Nice enough place. Very comfortable bed and friendly owner. I had read that the Aussie bar did good food so we tracked it down and ordered “the best burger in VV, imported Aussie beef”. Well, it was shite. Chewy lumpy bits and not tasty so we will not be going back there again. We stopped at a couple of other bars for drinks and to watch the hot air balloons making their trips over the river in the evening. Very scenic views all round. Fairly early night as we planned an 8 oclock kick off the next morning.
PLUS gas station, 100kms North of Vientiane, sells 95 Octane
Laos Haven and Spa, couldn't find the Spa part though....
Hot air balloons over Vang Vien river valley
And over the town
This just looks so wrong. Would not want to be in that hotel.
Vang Vien high street
Day 2 in Laos
Up bright and early. We walk down to the Luang Prabang bakery and order bacon, eggs and fresh hot baguettes. Fantastic. Back to the hotel to load up and we are on the road by 8 ish.
We found a bomb casing tail and thought we could harness hot gas to make the Ducati a bit faster....
The scenery coming out from VV is stunning. Jagged mountains and bright green rice paddies. We turn left and head up into the hills on what looks like a new ish road. Scenery just keeps getting better. After one stop, Andy points out my back tire is flat. Bugger says I. We break out the Ducati puncture repair kit and in around 15 minutes we have the puncture fixed and 3 cans of gas in the tire. It does look like we have just run over a Smurf. The 3 cans give me 15 psi so its going to be a slow run to the next village. We continue on and then hit the clouds. Temperature drops to around 10 degrees C and visibility is almost nil. Trucks crawling up the hill in 1[SUP]st[/SUP] gear appear like apparitions in the mist. Overtaking is great fun as you can only just make out the truck cab from behind and are completely blind to anything oncoming. Eventually we find a motorbike repair shop in a village and get 36 psi in my back tire again. The puncture repair kit demands that the tire be properly fixed in 400kms and don’t drive more than 60kmh….It lasted 1700kms and survived the 130kmh run from Udon Thani to Khao Yai just fine. The mountain villages are great to ride through. They don’t appear to have 2 baht coins to rub together but are real friendly. The kids especially, running out to wave as we pass by. It is quite unsettling to see the trucks and tour buses passing the 2 year old toddlers, pigs, goats etc right on the side of the road.
The 185 km ride takes us 5 ½ hours and we roll into Luang Prabang around 2pm. The last section of road does straighten up a bit and you can get a little more speed on. Up in the hills we were lucky to get above 60.
Stunning scenery all along this section towards Luang Prabang.
We saw this classical Communist sign and had to stop. It spawned lots of "Forward to victory Comrades" moments along the way.
Oranges for sale with a magnificent view behind.
Getting a puncture in your pride and joy is like kicking a puppy...
Such a little prick will do it.
Oh no, we've murdered a Smurf
Its definitely not laughing gas
A very slow run through the misty hills on a 15 psi back wheel.
Getting the tire topped up.
This guy had what appeared to be a long barreled black powder flint lock rifle.
In Luang Prabang we stay at the Pumalin hotel. Very nice wooden buildings. Another very comfortable bed, even had a Jacuzzi bath. In the hotel next to ours we meet a group of guys from Chiang Mai on a tour, I think from Tony’s bikes. Thanks for the route advice, much appreciated.
We take a walk all around the peninsula section of the town, spotting the old Citroen on the way.Andy suggests that we climb the steps to the temple on the hill as there is an old gun emplacement up there. Bruce declines so Andy and I go up. Damn steps, damn unfit…. Great view of Luang Prabang from the top, obligatory sitting on the gun photo. Can imagine shooting at the planes as they come in to bomb the airport. After descending, we find a quiet bar and watch the sunset over the Mekong and take far too many photos of it. Dinner is at a bakery on the main drag, just after the night market. Excellent food all round. We walk back through the night market and buy some bottle openers made from bomb casings. Such a sad history for a lovely country. The night ends with a foot massage at one of the many massage shops along the river.
The Pumalin hotel, very nice hotel and good location.
Who invented steps
The anti aircraft gun that looks over Luang Prabang airport
View from the top of the hill.
A temporary bridge over the Mekong tributary, it gets washed away each year when the river rises.
Couldn't have a report without one temple photo.
Mmmmm Cake
The M150 tribute tree
Think KFC need to work on their brand image a little for this shop.
Luang Prabang high street
Start of the Luang Prabang market
Aperitif anyone?
A very old cannon at the museum
Innovative use of egg boxes for lamp shades.
Beautiful sunset over the Mekong
Day 3
Up early again, breakfast at the hotel. On the road by 8 as we have 260kms to Phonsavan and we know its going to be slow. Stunning scenery all along the road. Again we start the climb up into the clouds, gets cold in the mist. At one point the 3 of us pass a teenage girl walking up a section of the hill. She has a bright red jacket with BUKAKKE 69 across the front and back. Now for those who have not heard of this, google it. Poor girl had no idea what she was wearing. I was laughing so hard I had to stop.
We see the remnants of an accident once we enter the clouds again, a box truck with the front smashed in and skid marks all over the road. A reminder of how quick it can all turn to shite.
After a few Ks in the mist we climb out through the top of it and are treated to some of the most stunning views of the mountain tops with the clouds in the valleys. Incredible.
Getting set in the morning.
The view from above the clouds
The village kids were great all along the ride.
This guys day had not been so good.
The main road to Phonsavan
We stopped to photograph the pigs
The kids all came out of the school house to see what we were doing.
I pointed the camera at them and they all ran away. Big smiles and laughter all the way.
We stop for lots of photo stops and at one we meet a group of German tourists on a full size coach. One of them has a Multistrada in Germany so we spend a few minutes sharing stories. We get away before the bus and not far down the hill, find a container truck has lost its load, crushing the cab. Another articulated container truck has then become wedged behind the first one, blocking the road. There is a very small passing area, just big enough for a pick up which we nip through. There was a single police man with no heavy recovery equipment to help so it was going to take a while to clear it. Zee Germans may still be there…
Doh
No trucks or busses could get through, just a scrum of pickups and bikes fighting for a route through.
Camera pointing our way, breath in and hold....
Laos has the sweetest looking cows, No handler with them, just wandering along the main road.
Apple sauce anyone.
Coming down through the clouds
Very basic living in these hillside villages
This is a river bed, the road is close and below it so we guessed rainy season was fun here
Ahhhh, a giant Vstrom....
We did tell him to find another tree to have a whiz on...
Now we all thought Thai ladies were short. Laos puts a new take on short girls.
The rest of the ride is uneventful and after 8 hours on the road we hit Phonsavan. The last 80kms flattens and straightens out and the speed comes up a bit. The satnav takes us straight to the Mig view point as we want to do that this evening. You don’t get to close but we have a camera with a good zoom and get some nice pics. After that it is to our hotel, Hillside residence. Bit of a stretch as there is no hill. We note the lack of aircon on arrival and hope it won’t be an issue. The interior is decorated with mortars, bombs, bullets etc as is most of Phonsavan. We get invited to join a group of Lao sitting outside drinking beer. The guy speaks great English, the 5 girls not so good but we have a good laugh. They get us to try a small red fruit dipped in a fish sauce, my god was it sour. Had to wait for the polite moment when they weren’t looking and launch the remains over the wall. The owner gets us a tuktuk and we head for Bamboozle for dinner. Nice food all round and a good chat with the Scottish owner. After dinner, its up the road to look for Bombies but its closed. Craters is next door so a roadie in there before heading back to the hotel. At this point it is around 13 degrees and we are all freezing. Lack of aircon was not going to be an issue after all. We all used the normal duvet and the 2 extra blankets supplied in each room. It’s the coldest I have been in Asia in 15 years.
Hillside resort
Mortar bombs as ornaments
Nervous, me, never.....
Drinks at Craters
Andy finally found a good use for a bomb.
Dinner at Bamboozle
Its another early start. Getting up is an issue as its freezing cold. Luckily the showers at the Hillside are good and hot. Downstairs the bike temperature gauge is saying 9 degrees C! We suit up and head to Craters for breakfast at 6.30. Small breakfast but very tasty with a lovely fresh baguette.
A duvet and 2 thick blankets and still cold
Morning dew
We hit the plain of jars site 1 at 8am and are the first people there. We pay the very small entrance fee and are driven up the approach road on a big golf buggy. Its nice to have the site to ourselves and get some great pictures. As we are all grown ups, there was absolutely no nobbing about either. The visitor center really rubs it in as to how affected Laos is by unexploded ordinance. Not a legacy that the US should be proud of and should be doing a lot more to help clear it.
I seem to be having bad wind again.
Forward to victory
Just outside the visitor center is a Boule court, I can’t help but notice the similarity of the Boules and a cluster bomb munition, have to be careful not to pick the wrong one up.
The sad legacy left behind by the USA
We get on the road to Vang Vien by 9am, still very cold. Due to my poor planning, I did not bring my jacket liner so am wearing 3 tshirts, jean shorts and all my riding gear. Bruce and Andy both have their liners so were better off.
The scenery is stunning once again. We see a big mountain on the horizon that looks like mount Doom from lord of the rings. As we get close and pass it by, it turns into what Shangri-La must look like. We manage ½ kilometer between photo stops, it is just stunning. On one stop there is a small boy on the side of the road and as I pull up he runs away and goes straight over the edge. I have this image of a small figure disappearing into the valley below. Luckily there is a small ridge just below and he is scampering along it to get away from the strangely dressed creatures on snorting motorbikes.
Almost every village we pass through has people of all ages making brushes, beating bundles of branches on the road and packing them together. Between that and collecting firewood, there does not seem to be much else going on other than sitting and watching the traffic go by.
Mount Doom.
I expect she was about 30.
This seems like the National industry of the hills
The varying conditions of Laos roads
Next time, bring your damn jacket liner fool.
A chance for a hot coffee.
Never miss a chance to photograph your bike.
Eventually we arrive at the join in the road where the 7 meets the 13. A quick pit stop here and see all the Chinese tourists looking around. There is a lot of Chinese number plated cars in Laos, guess it is getting popular with them. We also see a very nice top of the line Range Rover on Lao plates, guess there is some money here somewhere. The fruit and veg in the market area looks really nice. The road gets busier from here to Vang Vien,more roadworks. We arrive at VV at 3.30 and stay at the Laos Haven again. We do dinner at the Luang Prabang bakery, very nice food there. After that is a foot massage again where the Chinese gentlemen in the next section must have hearing problems as they all seem to have to shout at each other. The Lao ladies say they are very rude. A couple of roadies at the hotel finish the night off and its away to bed.
Very fresh veg at the local market
Now that's a nice ride
Dinner at Luang Prabang bakery in Vang Vien
Nightcap at the hotel.
So no bikinis, body pain etc but the giant spliff appears to be ok...
Ourlast morning in Laos, up a little later, just in time to see the hot air balloons coming right down close to our hotel. Not sure if I like the idea of being that close to power lines etc. Breakfast at LP Bakery again. Picture a full plate of bacon and a baguette that burns the fingers, it’s that fresh. Great coffee there too. After that its back on the bikes and head towards Vientiane.
We hit the Plus gas station 78 kms after leaving VV and fill the Dukes up with 95. Almost an instant change in their performance. We have been riding them in urban mode on 91 and they did not like it much. We do a quick coffee stop at a PTT about 25 kms from the bridge, traffic is getting busier all the time. As a final bizarre twist, we hit a 6 lane road heading down towards the bridge, runs for about 20 kms. Very little traffic, would be a great drag strip.
On arrival at the Lao border, we park the bikes, pass straight through immigration for our exit stamp, take the green form to the customs booth for a stamp. Then to the desk with the 4 uniformed guys. They take the green form and tell us that’s it. 10 minutes tops. We ride across the bridge to find the Thai to Lao side of the bridge completely blocked with trucks. Cars are driving down our side of the road to get past them. Lesson for the future, hit the bridge early. At the Thai side, stamp the passports then take the white form to the customs booth, sign where indicated and we are free to enter, 20 minutes max. At no point did anyone on either side want to look at the bikes.
5kms into Thailand we hit our first police stop and we realise that we haven’t been stopped once in Laos or even seen a police checkpoint. I think we went through 4 on the way from Udon to Khao Yai.
Final tally on the bike, 2117 kms at an average speed of 64 kmh.
Our thoughts from the trip were,
If you want to do it, do it sooner rather than later.Those small roads will be a nightmare as the traffic picks up.
Bear in mind that we did not see one ambulance, recovery vehicle, police car, hospital on our trip so if you wipe out, its not going to be good. Take a decent first aid kit.
Average speed in Laos was 50 ish. Including the fast run up and down to Udon Thani we only averaged 64kph over the 6 days.
Dons GPS map was very helpful, it was more up to date than our paper maps, had all the hotels in the database and is nice to see the km countdown as you ride.
Wave to the kids, they are great.
Take a good puncture repair kit, a small pump would help and a reasonable toolkit.
If you are road riding, 200-250 kms in a day is enough for Lao. Its tiring riding as your concentration levels need to be high.
Lao traffic is very light compared to Thailand. The drivers do not seem as aggressive as here. Trucks do come round corners on the wrong side but they do advertise with long blasts on their air horns.
The scenery is magnificent, better than Thailand I think.
3 to 4 bikes is the ideal number. Enough to deal with anything but not unmanageable.
Costs, B8000 per head for hotels for 6 nights. Changed B10,000 Baht for Kip at the border. I bought a few bits for the wife and littleun, paid gas and food etc and still had some leftover so a little goes along way there.
1 THB 250 Kip, 1 USD, 8000 Kip.
Very enjoyable ride and would recommend to anyone to go there before it gets too busy and spoiled.
Day 1 is boring. We use Route 2 to get from Bangkok/KhaoYai to Udon Thani. We stay in the Pannerai hotel. Very nice, around B1700 a night. Food at the Irish Clock, next door to the Pannerai.
Day 2. Up early, quick breakfast at the hotel and on the road by 7. We fill both Ducatis with 95 as we have read it is scarce in Laos.We hit the border around 8 and are directed straight past the no motorbikes sign to the cluster of border control booths. This is a relief as I had nightmares about some jobsworth official being a dick and saying we could not ride over. We park the bikes and head to the passport section of Immigration. Once the passports are stamped we take our pre prepared TM2, 3 and 4 to the customs booth. (thanks Phil, Rideasia site for the forms). Here they make a printed form using that information. The only hiccup is that on their list of bikes, there is no Suzuki Vstrom 650 so it gets put down as a 1000 Vstrom. Once we have the forms, its round to the other side of the same booth for a stamp and then free to cross. Total time, 30 minutes.
We ride across the bridge, obligatory “Welcome to Lao PDR” photo, pull up at the Lao side and park up the bikes next to the insurance offices on the right. We go to the Immigration section first. Lots of people waiting at windows in queues. Pick up forms from window 2, fill out and submit to window 1 with money. $35 for each visa. Don’t forget passport photos. Passports come out of window 3 about 20 minutes later, all stamped. Of course 2 passports come out, Bruces gets stuck inside so Andy and I head to the money changers and then the insurance offices. The first one says no big bike, the second is OK. 25,000 kip for each bike. There is a small yellow sticker to put on each bike. Once this is done, Bruce has his passport and we head to the Customs booth. A little confusion here as they ask for the vehicle passport books. We get sent to 3 booths before going back to the frst one again. Here we are given a piece of paper to fill out with all the bike details, similar to the TM2 form. Once done, we are sent to room 15A. Here we meet what we think is the boss. He checks the papers and stamps and signs them. He is friendly, asks our route etc. When we say Vang Vien he tells us about the famous V shaped coconut tree. Never did see it. We take the forms back to the first booth and the lady types out a green form. When complete, take to the open booth with 4or 5 uniformed guys. They check, stamp, remove 1 copy and say we are good to go.They were all very friendly, no attitude, no officialdom, made a nice change.The Laos side took around 2 hours.
View of the Thai Immigration/Customs are at Nong KhaiThe final printed form given to us by Thai customsWelcome to LaosThe Lao Immigration and Customs areaThe green form given to us by Lao CustomsThis insurance company would cover big bikesStick this on your bikeCarry this bit with youWe head towards Vientiane to pick up a Lao GPS card from Don at laogpsmap.com. Don was away mapping so we didn’t hang around. A quick bite to eat and then on the road North toward Vang Vien. We passed a 95 gas station,100kms up the road from the Friendship bridge or 78 kms from VV. Made the mistake of not topping off the Dukes as this was the only 95 gas station outside of Vientiane that we would pass. Stopped for a coffee break anyway. We rolled into VV around 4pm. Stayed at Laos Haven and Spa. Nice enough place. Very comfortable bed and friendly owner. I had read that the Aussie bar did good food so we tracked it down and ordered “the best burger in VV, imported Aussie beef”. Well, it was shite. Chewy lumpy bits and not tasty so we will not be going back there again. We stopped at a couple of other bars for drinks and to watch the hot air balloons making their trips over the river in the evening. Very scenic views all round. Fairly early night as we planned an 8 oclock kick off the next morning.
PLUS gas station, 100kms North of Vientiane, sells 95 OctaneLaos Haven and Spa, couldn't find the Spa part though....Hot air balloons over Vang Vien river valleyAnd over the townThis just looks so wrong. Would not want to be in that hotel.Vang Vien high streetDay 2 in Laos
Up bright and early. We walk down to the Luang Prabang bakery and order bacon, eggs and fresh hot baguettes. Fantastic. Back to the hotel to load up and we are on the road by 8 ish.
We found a bomb casing tail and thought we could harness hot gas to make the Ducati a bit faster....
The scenery coming out from VV is stunning. Jagged mountains and bright green rice paddies. We turn left and head up into the hills on what looks like a new ish road. Scenery just keeps getting better. After one stop, Andy points out my back tire is flat. Bugger says I. We break out the Ducati puncture repair kit and in around 15 minutes we have the puncture fixed and 3 cans of gas in the tire. It does look like we have just run over a Smurf. The 3 cans give me 15 psi so its going to be a slow run to the next village. We continue on and then hit the clouds. Temperature drops to around 10 degrees C and visibility is almost nil. Trucks crawling up the hill in 1[SUP]st[/SUP] gear appear like apparitions in the mist. Overtaking is great fun as you can only just make out the truck cab from behind and are completely blind to anything oncoming. Eventually we find a motorbike repair shop in a village and get 36 psi in my back tire again. The puncture repair kit demands that the tire be properly fixed in 400kms and don’t drive more than 60kmh….It lasted 1700kms and survived the 130kmh run from Udon Thani to Khao Yai just fine. The mountain villages are great to ride through. They don’t appear to have 2 baht coins to rub together but are real friendly. The kids especially, running out to wave as we pass by. It is quite unsettling to see the trucks and tour buses passing the 2 year old toddlers, pigs, goats etc right on the side of the road.
The 185 km ride takes us 5 ½ hours and we roll into Luang Prabang around 2pm. The last section of road does straighten up a bit and you can get a little more speed on. Up in the hills we were lucky to get above 60.
Stunning scenery all along this section towards Luang Prabang.We saw this classical Communist sign and had to stop. It spawned lots of "Forward to victory Comrades" moments along the way.Oranges for sale with a magnificent view behind.Getting a puncture in your pride and joy is like kicking a puppy...Such a little prick will do it. Oh no, we've murdered a SmurfIts definitely not laughing gasA very slow run through the misty hills on a 15 psi back wheel.Getting the tire topped up.This guy had what appeared to be a long barreled black powder flint lock rifle.In Luang Prabang we stay at the Pumalin hotel. Very nice wooden buildings. Another very comfortable bed, even had a Jacuzzi bath. In the hotel next to ours we meet a group of guys from Chiang Mai on a tour, I think from Tony’s bikes. Thanks for the route advice, much appreciated.
We take a walk all around the peninsula section of the town, spotting the old Citroen on the way.Andy suggests that we climb the steps to the temple on the hill as there is an old gun emplacement up there. Bruce declines so Andy and I go up. Damn steps, damn unfit…. Great view of Luang Prabang from the top, obligatory sitting on the gun photo. Can imagine shooting at the planes as they come in to bomb the airport. After descending, we find a quiet bar and watch the sunset over the Mekong and take far too many photos of it. Dinner is at a bakery on the main drag, just after the night market. Excellent food all round. We walk back through the night market and buy some bottle openers made from bomb casings. Such a sad history for a lovely country. The night ends with a foot massage at one of the many massage shops along the river.
The Pumalin hotel, very nice hotel and good location.Who invented stepsThe anti aircraft gun that looks over Luang Prabang airportView from the top of the hill.A temporary bridge over the Mekong tributary, it gets washed away each year when the river rises.Couldn't have a report without one temple photo.Mmmmm CakeThe M150 tribute treeThink KFC need to work on their brand image a little for this shop.Luang Prabang high streetStart of the Luang Prabang marketAperitif anyone?A very old cannon at the museumInnovative use of egg boxes for lamp shades.Beautiful sunset over the MekongDay 3
Up early again, breakfast at the hotel. On the road by 8 as we have 260kms to Phonsavan and we know its going to be slow. Stunning scenery all along the road. Again we start the climb up into the clouds, gets cold in the mist. At one point the 3 of us pass a teenage girl walking up a section of the hill. She has a bright red jacket with BUKAKKE 69 across the front and back. Now for those who have not heard of this, google it. Poor girl had no idea what she was wearing. I was laughing so hard I had to stop.
We see the remnants of an accident once we enter the clouds again, a box truck with the front smashed in and skid marks all over the road. A reminder of how quick it can all turn to shite.
After a few Ks in the mist we climb out through the top of it and are treated to some of the most stunning views of the mountain tops with the clouds in the valleys. Incredible.
Getting set in the morning.The view from above the cloudsThe village kids were great all along the ride.This guys day had not been so good.The main road to PhonsavanWe stopped to photograph the pigsThe kids all came out of the school house to see what we were doing.I pointed the camera at them and they all ran away. Big smiles and laughter all the way.We stop for lots of photo stops and at one we meet a group of German tourists on a full size coach. One of them has a Multistrada in Germany so we spend a few minutes sharing stories. We get away before the bus and not far down the hill, find a container truck has lost its load, crushing the cab. Another articulated container truck has then become wedged behind the first one, blocking the road. There is a very small passing area, just big enough for a pick up which we nip through. There was a single police man with no heavy recovery equipment to help so it was going to take a while to clear it. Zee Germans may still be there…
DohNo trucks or busses could get through, just a scrum of pickups and bikes fighting for a route through.Camera pointing our way, breath in and hold....Laos has the sweetest looking cows, No handler with them, just wandering along the main road.Apple sauce anyone.Coming down through the cloudsVery basic living in these hillside villagesThis is a river bed, the road is close and below it so we guessed rainy season was fun hereAhhhh, a giant Vstrom....We did tell him to find another tree to have a whiz on...Now we all thought Thai ladies were short. Laos puts a new take on short girls.The rest of the ride is uneventful and after 8 hours on the road we hit Phonsavan. The last 80kms flattens and straightens out and the speed comes up a bit. The satnav takes us straight to the Mig view point as we want to do that this evening. You don’t get to close but we have a camera with a good zoom and get some nice pics. After that it is to our hotel, Hillside residence. Bit of a stretch as there is no hill. We note the lack of aircon on arrival and hope it won’t be an issue. The interior is decorated with mortars, bombs, bullets etc as is most of Phonsavan. We get invited to join a group of Lao sitting outside drinking beer. The guy speaks great English, the 5 girls not so good but we have a good laugh. They get us to try a small red fruit dipped in a fish sauce, my god was it sour. Had to wait for the polite moment when they weren’t looking and launch the remains over the wall. The owner gets us a tuktuk and we head for Bamboozle for dinner. Nice food all round and a good chat with the Scottish owner. After dinner, its up the road to look for Bombies but its closed. Craters is next door so a roadie in there before heading back to the hotel. At this point it is around 13 degrees and we are all freezing. Lack of aircon was not going to be an issue after all. We all used the normal duvet and the 2 extra blankets supplied in each room. It’s the coldest I have been in Asia in 15 years.
Hillside resortMortar bombs as ornamentsNervous, me, never.....Drinks at CratersAndy finally found a good use for a bomb.Dinner at BamboozleIts another early start. Getting up is an issue as its freezing cold. Luckily the showers at the Hillside are good and hot. Downstairs the bike temperature gauge is saying 9 degrees C! We suit up and head to Craters for breakfast at 6.30. Small breakfast but very tasty with a lovely fresh baguette.
A duvet and 2 thick blankets and still coldMorning dewWe hit the plain of jars site 1 at 8am and are the first people there. We pay the very small entrance fee and are driven up the approach road on a big golf buggy. Its nice to have the site to ourselves and get some great pictures. As we are all grown ups, there was absolutely no nobbing about either. The visitor center really rubs it in as to how affected Laos is by unexploded ordinance. Not a legacy that the US should be proud of and should be doing a lot more to help clear it.
I seem to be having bad wind again.Forward to victoryJust outside the visitor center is a Boule court, I can’t help but notice the similarity of the Boules and a cluster bomb munition, have to be careful not to pick the wrong one up.
The sad legacy left behind by the USA
We get on the road to Vang Vien by 9am, still very cold. Due to my poor planning, I did not bring my jacket liner so am wearing 3 tshirts, jean shorts and all my riding gear. Bruce and Andy both have their liners so were better off.
The scenery is stunning once again. We see a big mountain on the horizon that looks like mount Doom from lord of the rings. As we get close and pass it by, it turns into what Shangri-La must look like. We manage ½ kilometer between photo stops, it is just stunning. On one stop there is a small boy on the side of the road and as I pull up he runs away and goes straight over the edge. I have this image of a small figure disappearing into the valley below. Luckily there is a small ridge just below and he is scampering along it to get away from the strangely dressed creatures on snorting motorbikes.
Almost every village we pass through has people of all ages making brushes, beating bundles of branches on the road and packing them together. Between that and collecting firewood, there does not seem to be much else going on other than sitting and watching the traffic go by.
Mount Doom.I expect she was about 30.This seems like the National industry of the hillsThe varying conditions of Laos roadsNext time, bring your damn jacket liner fool.A chance for a hot coffee.Never miss a chance to photograph your bike.Eventually we arrive at the join in the road where the 7 meets the 13. A quick pit stop here and see all the Chinese tourists looking around. There is a lot of Chinese number plated cars in Laos, guess it is getting popular with them. We also see a very nice top of the line Range Rover on Lao plates, guess there is some money here somewhere. The fruit and veg in the market area looks really nice. The road gets busier from here to Vang Vien,more roadworks. We arrive at VV at 3.30 and stay at the Laos Haven again. We do dinner at the Luang Prabang bakery, very nice food there. After that is a foot massage again where the Chinese gentlemen in the next section must have hearing problems as they all seem to have to shout at each other. The Lao ladies say they are very rude. A couple of roadies at the hotel finish the night off and its away to bed.
Very fresh veg at the local marketNow that's a nice rideDinner at Luang Prabang bakery in Vang VienNightcap at the hotel.So no bikinis, body pain etc but the giant spliff appears to be ok...Ourlast morning in Laos, up a little later, just in time to see the hot air balloons coming right down close to our hotel. Not sure if I like the idea of being that close to power lines etc. Breakfast at LP Bakery again. Picture a full plate of bacon and a baguette that burns the fingers, it’s that fresh. Great coffee there too. After that its back on the bikes and head towards Vientiane.
We hit the Plus gas station 78 kms after leaving VV and fill the Dukes up with 95. Almost an instant change in their performance. We have been riding them in urban mode on 91 and they did not like it much. We do a quick coffee stop at a PTT about 25 kms from the bridge, traffic is getting busier all the time. As a final bizarre twist, we hit a 6 lane road heading down towards the bridge, runs for about 20 kms. Very little traffic, would be a great drag strip.
On arrival at the Lao border, we park the bikes, pass straight through immigration for our exit stamp, take the green form to the customs booth for a stamp. Then to the desk with the 4 uniformed guys. They take the green form and tell us that’s it. 10 minutes tops. We ride across the bridge to find the Thai to Lao side of the bridge completely blocked with trucks. Cars are driving down our side of the road to get past them. Lesson for the future, hit the bridge early. At the Thai side, stamp the passports then take the white form to the customs booth, sign where indicated and we are free to enter, 20 minutes max. At no point did anyone on either side want to look at the bikes.
5kms into Thailand we hit our first police stop and we realise that we haven’t been stopped once in Laos or even seen a police checkpoint. I think we went through 4 on the way from Udon to Khao Yai.
Final tally on the bike, 2117 kms at an average speed of 64 kmh.Our thoughts from the trip were,
If you want to do it, do it sooner rather than later.Those small roads will be a nightmare as the traffic picks up.
Bear in mind that we did not see one ambulance, recovery vehicle, police car, hospital on our trip so if you wipe out, its not going to be good. Take a decent first aid kit.
Average speed in Laos was 50 ish. Including the fast run up and down to Udon Thani we only averaged 64kph over the 6 days.
Dons GPS map was very helpful, it was more up to date than our paper maps, had all the hotels in the database and is nice to see the km countdown as you ride.
Wave to the kids, they are great.
Take a good puncture repair kit, a small pump would help and a reasonable toolkit.
If you are road riding, 200-250 kms in a day is enough for Lao. Its tiring riding as your concentration levels need to be high.
Lao traffic is very light compared to Thailand. The drivers do not seem as aggressive as here. Trucks do come round corners on the wrong side but they do advertise with long blasts on their air horns.
The scenery is magnificent, better than Thailand I think.
3 to 4 bikes is the ideal number. Enough to deal with anything but not unmanageable.
Costs, B8000 per head for hotels for 6 nights. Changed B10,000 Baht for Kip at the border. I bought a few bits for the wife and littleun, paid gas and food etc and still had some leftover so a little goes along way there.
1 THB 250 Kip, 1 USD, 8000 Kip.
Very enjoyable ride and would recommend to anyone to go there before it gets too busy and spoiled.
