Category: Laos

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Day 21: Good Morning Vietnam!

Started our day once again to the 6:00 am news being blared through the loudspeaker directly across the street from our hotel, and pointing into our room. Ugh. We are both sick with a nasty cold and this wasn’t how I had hoped to start the day.

Next up? The blood curdling squealing of a hog. I vaguely wondered if the squealing was because he was about to be slaughtered, or if he found the Lao pop song being pumped through the loudspeaker as annoying as I.

Breakfast at Sayfon Restaurant, which has a decent view of the river, then off to Vietnam! We knew that you could not cross into Lao from Vietnam at the Tay Trang International Border crossing with a motorcycle (unless the bike was registered in Dien Biên Phu and had the number 27 in the licence plate), but we could find little, recent information on whether you could cross back into Vietnam. It was a gamble on our part. Being turned away at the border meant retracing our ride back to Na Meo border crossing, which would cost us at least 5 days of straight riding.

We left at 8:50 am, determined to get to the border before the 2 hour lunch break. Although feeling sick and tired, the road quickly boosted our energy. Another beautiful road with fantastic panorama views, riding through small villages filled with waving children.

We arrived at the Lao border gate at 10:20 am – much faster than the 2 hr drive we had anticipated to cover the 64 km.

First border crossing was a breeze. No money exchanged hands, and we were out of Lao in less than 10 minutes. Easy part done.

After a 5 km drive we arrived at the Vietnam border. Would they allow us back in? If not, would we have to pay a sizeable “tax” for re-entry?

It only took 15 minutes to get our answer. After handing over our passports for a stamp and then our motorcycle customs form, and with no money exchanged, we were on our way by 10:50 am. Woohoo!

Vietnam welcomed us like only Vietnam could. Shitty roads and insane traffic. The quaint villages of the hill tribes in Lao was replaced with a beehive of activity. Modern shops, thousands of scooters beeping their horns, road grime plastering your face, the hustle and bustle of complete and utter chaos.

Good morning Vietnam!

Arrived in Dien Biên Phu at 11:45 am. Checked into the Hồng Ki Boutique Hotel and upgraded to a king bed with a view. Decent place on a fairly quiet street, walking distance to the museum and Hill A1.

Ate lunch at a hole in the wall, as everything else was closed. The food wasn’t bad, despite the mystery meat. Although cat, dog and rat are eaten in the North, we were pretty sure it was pork sausage of some type. The pale colour, soft texture and mild flavour was slightly reminiscent of pig brain (don’t tell Shawn), but fried up with chilli’s and enough garlic – anything can be tasty.

Spent the afternoon touring the war sites. Started at the Dien Biên Phu museum, which has some interesting artifacts, pictures and colour commentary, but like most Vietnamese museums very little substance. From here we checked out Hill A1, also lacking much information, but interesting to check out. From here, off to the Military Cemetery, which was quite nice. Next was the Bunker of Colonel de Castries. All in all a nice way to stretch our legs after three days on the bikes.

After the Bunker we walked across the Muong Thánh Bridge. This turned out to be the highlight of our day. On the opposite side of the bridge was a street market that offered our first real glimpse into Vietnam. We were the only tourists. The market offered a myriad of fruits and vegetables (I finally found mangoes), snake (live or filets), toad, fish, goat, pork, buffalo and dog. Yes, there was dog.

Since touring local markets is one of our favourite things to do when we explore a new country – this was awesome! People just pull right up to the vendor on their scooter, point at the goods they want, exchange money and scoot away. Without even leaving their seat. Now that is service!

Vegetarian for dinner at a lovely restaurant run by a wonderful family, Quan Chay Yen Ninh. I’m not sure they fully understand the meaning of vegan, given the vegan options largely came with pork or beef, but the soup was a nice change from Pho.

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Day 20: Are we there yet?

Day 20:

It seems as though we are destined to stay in Nong Khiaw.

Woke up to a completely flat rear tire. Luckily motorcycle repair shops are plentiful, and Shawn managed to push Groot to a shop about 100 meters away.

Breakfast at Q Bar while we wait. It’s going to be another slow start.Luckily we have Sammy to keep us amused, playing the guitar and keeping us company.

It seems as though the locals take precedence, as Groot keeps getting pushed back in the queue.

Finally! After an oil change and new tube, we are off. It’s 11:50 am, so we are going to have to make good time to make it to Muang Khua.

Later…

Arrived in Muang Khua at 5:00 PM. The 220 km ride was another perfect ride. The road was the best we have come across in Lao and Vietnam. Wide, paved and even some good passing zones. The first 120 km was curvy roads through dry, forested mountains, with a nice, fresh breeze that was even cool! The landscape was a nice change from the mountains in Sam Neua. More dry, the greenery was more reminiscent of forest than of jungle.

Stopped in Muang Xai for lunch, a large and modern town in comparison to the small villages that dot the highway. After lunch, the final 100 km was a spectacular road that wound along the river. The villages became old world again. Ducks, water buffalo, dogs, chickens and children crowding the highway. We stopped to take pictures from a bridge, where a young boy awkwardly watched us from a safe distance. When we had returned to our bikes, he had the courage to bicycle past us, shyly giggling as he passed.

In Muang Khua checked into Doinouboun Guesthouse. They let us park our motorcycles inside the lobby, a bonus. No hot water, a negative. Overall an ok place. Somewhat clean.

Dinner at Sabaidee Restaurant and Bar. It’s no Q Bar – we miss Sammy. Good Tom Yum soup and fried noodles, and a good place to find other tourists.

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Day 19: Same Same, but Different

The Plan

Started off at Q Bar for breakfast where we learned a new phrase from Sami (the charismatic young owner), which I quite like. “Relax Lao style, not Gangnam style”. This is definitely the Lao attitude. They go about their day in a relaxed, easy way.

Today we have decided to tackle more off-road fun. We are going to take the short cut to Muang Khua along the river. Sami assures us this road would be slightly faster than the longer paved way, and would offer us more views and more fun. This might impact our ability to cross the border today, but if it’s more fun….

The Children

We had read in a blog before coming to Lao to bring small candy for the children in the villages. After stopping to give candy early on in our trip, we both felt there was something wrong with this. Although we loved to see the children happy – our instincts told us that what we were doing was selfish and not helping in any way. The children seemed frightened of us. Yesterday we chose to buy the village children milk, with permission from the adults. The children were just as delighted, and our sense of guilt was lessened.

We finally found a local with good enough English, Sami, who agreed this approach was better. There is no access to dental care here, and the teeth of the adults and children are noticeably rotting. We agreed that providing food with nutritional value was better than candy. We also all agreed it wasn’t good for the local children to get used to receiving candy from strangers. Pencils, notebooks and healthy snacks given with permission from adults and in the presence of adults is the way to go.

Same Same, but Different

There is a popular saying in Vietnam and Lao. “Same, Same, but Different”. This catchy phrase is used to describe things to tourists (for example pigs brain and tofu are “same, same, but different”) and has even made its way onto souvenir t-shirts.

Today was our SSBD. The plan was to take the short cut road to Muang Khua, with hopefully enough time to cross the border into Vietnam at Dien Bien Phu. At first this plan seemed promising. The road was in great shape, wide and had hardly any traffic at all. It seemed too good to be true, and google maps showed us ever so slightly off course. Hmm, continue on or turn back? Being the responsible adults we are, we turned back to the previous y intersection, only 7 km back or so. After getting to this intersection we were fairly certain we had been going the right way. The alternative road was nothing more than a dirt track. It was busy, but hardly seemed like the new road we were looking for. To be even further sure we asked a trucker, stopped at the intersection. He had no idea what we wanted, so off we went in the same direction as we had been going.

After 30 mins or so we checked again. We still showed no where close to a road on google maps. But this had to be it! A beautiful road, twisting along the river. This was definitely going to lead somewhere!

After another 15 minutes we arrived at a gateway arched across the highway guest announcing “China Power”. Hmmm, this must be that new, big dam the locals had mentioned. We drive a little further to a security checkpoint, and that is where this adventure ended. There was no way the guard was going to let us pass, not even for a brief glimpse of the new dam. C’est la vie. It must have been the last intersection, 22 km back.

Back we head to the intersection we had already double backed to once before. This time instead of a trucker, we find some local young men partaking in a lunchtime Lao beer. We had left Nong Khiaw at 10:30 am and it was now 1:00 pm. We confirmed that we had gone the wrong direction and that the dirt track was the way to go. We had the sandwich Sami had made us, and took off on the road to Muang Khua!

It wasn’t long before we reached another intersection. Again, one direction looked to be in better shape. This must be it! After 10 mins on this new track something seemed wrong. For a major road, this was in rough shape. Fun, sure, but at this rate we weren’t going to make it to the border. We decided to learn from previous mistakes and ask the way. Again we had taken the wrong turn. Back we go.

Alright – now we got it! Up the sketchy dirt track to the left. No problem.

After the first hill, problem. The dirt track has gaping ruts cut deep into it from the rainy season that just ended. Groot and I give’r, but get stuck in a deep rut and over we go. I get trapped under the bike, but two young men on a scooter who had decided this road was shit and were turning back, ran over to lift Groot off me. Luckily bike and rider were fine, besides the exhaust burning a hole into my pants and leg. I loved those pants!

It was now 2:30 pm. With the road in this condition, the 80 km or so to Muang Khua were going to take at least 4 hrs. It was too late to attempt it now, as it’s dark by 5:30. So we double backed to our “same same” intersection for the third time, and this time back to Nong Khiaw.

Upon our return, Sami greeted us with a big smile. “What happened, why are you back?”. I told him the truth. For the last 20 km, all I could think about was getting my hands on one of Q Bars famous passion fruit Lao Lao whiskey shots.

“I missed you Sami, and was craving your famous Lao Lao whiskey!”

It was good to be home.

Checked into the Vongmany Guesthouse (decent place and clean) and after a shower, headed off for happy hour (two for one whiskey) and Lao BBQ at Q Bar.Same same as yesterday. But different.

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Day 17-18 Nong Khiaw

Day 17:

After a wonderful massage at Angsana Spa, Luang Prabang and lunch at Zurich bread we were off for Nong Khiaw. We left Luang Prabang at 1:00 pm and rode the 140 km in 2 hrs, 40 mins (including a pee stop and a few navigation verifications).

We checked into the Meexai Guesthouse, a basic but clean hotel near the start of the lookout trail. We were greeted with Lao Lao whiskey and friendly conversation with Somit to learn the game of Pétanque.

Dinner at Coco House, overlooking the river. The Red Curry soup with chicken and vegetables was outstanding. Shawn had spaghetti bolognese. If you are craving spaghetti, he gave this a passing grade.

Day 18:

Today we did the one day biking and kayaking adventure with Nong Khiaw Adventure. I can’t really say I enjoyed this tour, other than the exercise. The bikes were terrible. I certainly didn’t expect good bikes – but these were barely rideable. Shawn’s first bike had no back brake, and a very grabby front brake. Within 300 meters of starting our journey, his bike gave up. The chain and gears were done. After replacing his bike with a moderately improved version, we were off. The trail is a mud track that affords some views, but I wouldn’t call it pretty. The road is in bad shape, which would be fine on a decent bike and a riot on the Honda’s, but was horribly uncomfortable for this old gal!

After an hour and a half of somewhat nice riding, it was still cool at least, we arrived at a farm where we were able to help plant garlic. This brief excursion was the highlight of the tour. At least we were off the bikes. After this it got just too hot to enjoy riding. The trail offered no shade, and walking our shitty bikes up hill after hillgot old. Our guide, although nice enough, didn’t speak much English so our questions went unanswered, and we learned nothing about the villages or crops we passed. Lunch was fine, but certainly not memorable.

After lunch we rode another half hour in the blazing heat, quickly losing our guide who was also not enjoying the bicycling. This part was supposed to take an hour, but I was anxious to get to the next town and out of the sun. Arriving in the village of Sopkan early, we were able to meet some of the local children. Sharing candy and buying milk (with permission) for the local youngsters (4-9 years old) was definitely the most fun part of the day, although certainly not on the agenda.

From here we were supposed to kayak back to Nong Khiaw. Apparently the paddles went missing overnight, but by this time we were fine just taking the motorboat back to Nong Khiaw. It looked like the kayaking would have been the most fun part of this tour, as the river offered nice views and some small rapids.

Back at the hotel we realize that Shawn’s sniffle from yesterday has turned into a cold. This means enjoying the hammock on our deck before dinner!

Dinner at Q Bar for traditional Lao BBQ with chicken, pork and beef with Lao Lao Whiskey to top it off. Fantastic! I’m sure there was a “Lao” pinch of MSG in it. MSG is often served on the side like salt. It comes from Japan and the Laotians love it!

Nong Khiaw is an interesting village. It’s not your typical young backpackers crowd. In fact it’s mostly people of retirement age. Given the accommodation is very basic, it’s somewhat surprising. Perhaps it’s because the only thing to do is organized tours -which are relatively expensive and more athletic / cultural in nature – no booze cruises!

Although I have enjoyed our detour to Laos and am glad we came, I am looking forward to continuing on our motorcycle trip through Vietnam. The riding in Laos has been absolutely incredible, but our tourist stops have been just that. Touristy. Tomorrow we will make a run for the Vietnam border and hope that re-entry is as easy as leaving !

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Day 14-16: Exploring Luang Prabang, Pig Brains and Waterfalls

Day 14:

We took a day off the motorcycles to explore Luang Prabang by bicycle. We took the ferry across the Mekong River (10,000 kip each) on our rented, crappy single speed bicycles. I don’t recommend this. Either rent a proper mountain bike for 100,000 kip, walk or take your motorcycles. For off road moto fun, head east on the dirt road. For a paved adventure, head straight. On crappy bikes, call it a day and head back to the peninsula for a beer. They just can’t handle the climbs.

After our brief ride we hit some of the temples, including Wat Xieng Thong. Then we hit the UXO Lao Visior Center. For a donation of your choosing, you can explore this small museum and watch two short films on the history of the bombings of Lao. Definitely worthwhile to appreciate the extent of the ongoing problems faced by the Laotian people from unexploded ordinances. Laos is, after all, the country most bombed per capital in the world.

From here we hit Phu Si for the sunset. Unless you are a sunset junkie with extreme patience, skip this insanely crowded tourist attraction. The views are definitely beautiful, but fighting the crowds  didn’t make this worthwhile. I give this a 3/5 for overall enjoyment. Sunrise or mid-day would be the time to go, when it’s less crowded. To really enjoy the sunset, hire a boat to take you up the Mekong river. If you walk along the Mekong, you can easily find a boat operator to take you on a journey.

Then we hit the Garavek Storytelling Theatre. The storyteller was good, and the music enjoyable but overall not our thing. We had hoped to learn more about Lao’s history and culture. This was fables and children’s story. Another 3/5.

Then the fun began. To make up for our expensive meal last night, we hit the night market for dinner. Pork sausage, whole grilled fish, rice, pigs brain and coconut pancakes. Wait, what?

I really wanted to try pigs brain, but it was a no go for Shawn. I needed a buddy, as I wasn’t game to try it on my own. Luckily for me, a nice Dutchman sat next to us to enjoy the grilled fish, and he was game. I had my buddy! Off we went to try it from a street vendor. Two American women we were also sitting with were convinced to try it as well after somewhat convincing nods from the Dutchman and I as we gave it a go.

It was one of these women who best described the flavour and texture. Tofu. Overall not something I would go out of my way to have again, but certainly not cringe worthy.

It turned out to be a fun night with our culinary adventurous new friends.

Day 15:

Today we went to Tad Sae waterfall. Keep walking past the restaurants for hidden pools high above the main pools. We enjoyed swimming in the pools, jumping off pool ledges and relaxing in the sun. Dinner tonight with new friends from Paris at L’Elephant. We had the Laos Supreme tasting menu. It wasn’t nearly as good as Manda De Laos.

Day 16:

Started the day with yoga at Oasis. The teacher was great, and the setting was lovely, but the class was very basic. This caters more to tourists than those looking for a good workout.

Then it was off to Kuang Si waterfall. We trekked up to the cave, then enjoyed the “log crossing” competition at the upper pool by the cave. If you make it across, you get a free beer. This was definitely more fun than the cave.

After enjoying swimming in the pools at Kuang Si, it was off to a cooking class at Tamarind Restaurant. This was our compromise. I wanted to do the adventure menuoffered by Tamarind (including pigs brain and insects), Shawn did not. Somehow the cooking class became the compromise. It was very enjoyable, and much better than our meal at L’Elephant. If you have an interest in taking a cooking class while in Laos, Tamarind offers a beautiful setting and professional staff to ensure you have an enjoyable evening with delicious foods traditional to Laos.

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Laos – Adventure Motorcycle Perfection

If epic adventure is your thing, motorcycling Laos is a must. 

  1. It’s beautiful. Incredibly beautiful. Never ending mountains and valleys, covered in lush jungle and dotted with  the small villages of the hill tribes. 
  2. Kids running from schools, homes and out of the jungle, screaming with delight, waving and giving you high fives as you ride by. 
  3. Epic roads – paved and off road. Never ending twists, turns and roller coasters. 
  4. Amazing food, culture and people. 

Muang Hiam: Early morning. 

We were awakened early by something other than a rooster for once. The daily morning news that is blared through loudspeakers every day, morning and night in every town we had been in. Apparently a carry over from Soviet aid times.

Well, we wanted an early start. 

After breakfast at Tontavahn Restaurant (which cost 70,000 kip – the same as our hotel for the night), we were off – hoping to make it to Luang Prabang. This was a lofty goal as the previous day we had only ridden 155 km, and today’s ride would be closer to 300km. On the road for 8:30 am we were immediately hopeful. Although the road was still fun twists and turns, they weren’t as sharp as the previous day so our speed was already improved. And it was just as beautiful, if not more so. Low lying clouds hung over the valleys, and as we rode we watched as the sun burned away the cloud cover, first revealing wisps of white clinging to the mountain tops, then revealing lush, green jungle and the brightest of blue skies. The home of the Laotian big cats. The jungle was so thick and vast, I half expected to see a tiger dart out in front of us. 

After 100 km we had a decision to make. Take the short cut to Luang Prabang, a road we could find almost no information on (Pak Xeng – Sam Soun Rd) or stick to the main highway (1C) North towards Nong Khiaw. To help us make this decision, lunch was in order – it was 11:30 am by this time. Luckily for us, there was a small town at this intersection. We stopped and “asked” (I.e acted out eating a delicious bowl of air) if there was a restaurant in town. Happy nods and finger pointing towards a roadside hut a short way up the road led us to an unnamed “restaurant” with a single table (1.5 km past the turn to Pak Xeng). A group of young men excitedly raced over to “hang” with us. With some help from the young men, we managed to order noodle soup with meat. We had no idea what the meat would be, but having darn near run over cows, pigs and chickens for the last 200 km, we figured it would at least be fresh. We weren’t disappointed. The soup with pork and pigs blood was wonderful, the best soup we’ve had in Asia so far. 

After taking a chance on the soup, we decided to take our chances on the short cut. The town had a gas station 1 km past the restaurant, so after filling up we were back on the road for 12:10 m. 

The short cut landed up being another great decision. The next 60 km proved to be the most breathtaking off road riding I’ve ever done. 60 km of hard packed dirt, deep ruts and gaping holes along a nonstop mountain ridge line. Phenomenal views on both sides, as the mountain cut away to reveal more jungle, more crops and more breathtaking beauty. Riding along the top of the ridge line, you could see mountains into the distance for endless miles, rows and rows of mountains growing dimmer until they were almost more imagination than reality. Between the crazy fun road and the incredible scenery, Laos quickly skyrocketed as one of the best palaces to adventure motorcycle. 

After 60 km of fun, more surprises were in store. The last 80 km to Luang Prabang was a newly paved, wide road along a river that sparkles in the sun. The Honda 150’s proved to be a riot on the dirt track, time to see what the 150’s could do on open road. 

Not bad. We kept up to the Honda 250 ahead of us no problem on the dirt, and no problem on the highway. The bikes proved to be the perfect all round bike for motorcycling Vietnam and Laos. 

We arrived in Luang Prabang at 4:30 pm and decided to celebrate with a nice dinner. After checking into the wonderful and quiet Malida Guesthouse ($45 USD for the family suite), it was off to Manda de Laos for a superb meal. We had the Namkong menu and it was devine. Water buffalo, fish, chicken, vegetables, rice and coconut creme brûlée topped off a perfect day in two wheel paradise. 

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Day 12 – Motorcycling Laos – Wow!

Wow! Motorcycling Laos is incredible. Today was by far the most stunning and incredible riding we have done so far in SE Asia. Maybe the fact it was our first blue sky helped!

Started our day in Sam Neua at “Many Coffees” restaurant. A great place to get a proper cup of coffee, eggs and bread with butter and jam. We had read that Sam Neua had plenty of accommodation, but that quality restaurants were lacking. This has recently changed as we were presented with multiple good options for dinner and breakfast – all of which looked new.

Then the real fun began. On the road for a leisurely 10:15 am under beautiful blue skies that made the jungle colours pop. Deep hunter greens and bright greens were dotted with vibrant yellow flowers. The perfume on the air alternated between a light floral scent, to a strong sweet scent as the altitude quickly changed through the steep valley roads.

A motorcyclist’s paradise. The windiest roads you can imagine, up and down lush valley after lush valley. Cool air suddenly becoming hot, stifling air, then cool again as you snake your way to the next mountain crest. Small towns with waving children coming and going, as you keep winding you way through yet another amazing panorama. Wow!

Exactly 35 km out of Sam Neua we had our first stop. Watch for a small sign marking “Saleui Waterfall”. Definitely worth the 30 minutes to get off the bikes and stretch your legs by climbing the steep but short path to the top of the Tad Saleui falls.

The falls aren’t the only attraction in the Sam Neua area. An under rated tourist destination to date, this area will likely boom in the near future for all it has to offer. Besides the stunning scenery and fun roads for two wheelers, ecotourism in Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected area is growing. The last wild tigers in Laos can be found here, as well as leopard, clouded leopard, golden cat, Asian black bears and sun bears. Try the Nam Nern night safari or a multi day trek (although seeing any wildlife on these tours is rare). There is also the “Plain of Jars” at Phonsavan and the surrounding Ka waterfall and Tham Xang Cave. For a more off the beaten track experience, there is the Hintang Archeological Park and many hot springs to explore!

After an exhausting day of only 155 km over a 5.5 hour period (our average speed was no more than 40 km/hr for most of the day due to the crazy, twisty roads, a stop to hand out candy to some of the local children and some road construction), we checked into the Dokkhoun Guest House in Muang Hiam and dinner at Tontavanh Restaurant with a lovely couple, he from Germany and she from London. After many drinks with our new friends Wolfram and Katarina, it’s off to plan a route for tomorrow’s adventure!