……………………Welcome to Laos!
ITINERARY:
Day 1: Singapore – Bangkok – Chiang Khong
Day 2: Houei Xai – Vieng Phoukha – Luang Nam Tha
Day 3: Luang Nam Tha – Boten – Oudom Xai – Muang Beng – Oudom Xai
Day 4: Oudom Xai – Pak Mong – Nong Khiaw – Luang Prabang
Day 5: Luang Prabang – Pak Ou Cave – Kuang Si Waterfall – Luang Prabang
Day 6: Luang Prabang – Pak Xeng – Sam Soun – Vieng Thong
Day 7: Vieng Thong – Phou Lao – Sam Neua – Vieng Xai – Sam Neua
Day 8: Sam Neua – Phou Lao – Muang Kham – Phonsavan
Day 9: Phonsavan – Phou Khoun – Kasi – Vang Vieng
Day 10: Vang Vieng – Vientiane
Day 11: Vientiane – Paksan – Khoun Kham - Kong Lor - Khoun Kham
Day 12: Khoun Kham – Lak Sao – Nakai – Gnommalath – Mahaxai - Thakek
Day 13: Thakek – Seno – Muang Phine – Toumlan
Day 14: Toumlan – Saravan – Pakse – Champasak
Day 15: Champasak – Veun Kham – Don Khong
Day 16: Don Khong – Pakse – Paksong – Pakse
Day 17: Pakse – Vang Tao – Chong Mek – Ubon Ratchathani
Day 18: Ubon Ratchathani – Bangkok – Singapore
BEFORE THE TRIP
The trip was kind of adhoc as everything was put in place in the very last month prior to departure. The saying goes ‘if you fail to plan, you plan to fail’.
I was hesitant whether to buy a return air ticket to Vientiane to rent and return a motorbike in Vientiane versus riding my own motorbike to Laos for the period. It was purely 'time vs expenses' trade-off.
Riding up means I will lose 6 days in the process of spending the nights in Hatyai, Bangkok and Chiang Khong (to and fro), resulting lesser days to ride within Laos. On the other hand, flying + renting a bike would mean I would gain 6 more days of riding adventure in Laos.
It was until I ‘met’ Thierry online from Jules Classic Rental, who was referred by Jimoi from GT-Rider forum. Thierry mentioned that he can arrange a bike for me to pick up in Huay Xai in the North and return the bike in Pakse in the South. It was a good idea since I do not need to start and end the trip in Vientiane.
I took on the offer but waited for quite a while before I got the confirmation and price quotation from Thierry so that I can confirm my air ticket arrangements.
TRIP PREPARATIONS
Bike Equipments:
Helmet, Clover riding jacket, gloves (x02 pairs), 3M N95 facemask, boots, rain pants, motorbike basic tools, cable ties, tyre pressure gauge, black tape, bicycle hook & net (x03), GPS RAM Mount.
Electronics:
Canon 40D, lithium battery (x03), Canon charger, CF card (x03), EFS 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5, EFS 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, EF 70-200mm f/4L USM, 60mm f/2.8 macro, Speedlite 580EXII, Tamrac filter case, 77mm ND400 filter, 77mm CPL filter, Cokin 77mm adaptor ring, Cokin filter holder, Cokin GND filter (ND8), Cokin sunset filter (1-stop), flash diffuser, 77mm Expodisc, cable release, Fuji f50fd, lithium battery (x02), Fuji charger, SD card (x03), lenspen and cloth, Garmin etrex Vista HCX, Acer AIO, Logitec wireless mouse, USB cable (x02), power cable (x02), Acer charger, 16Gb thumbdrive, torchlight (x02), multiple plug adaptor, Sony Ericsson handphone charger, camera to TV output cable, shaver, AA batteries (x40).
Documentations:
Laos maps (x02), travel insurance, personal accident insurance, passport, photocopy of passport, airline booking slips.
Personal Equipments:
Wallet, cash, handphone, pen, paper, tissue papers (x06), t-shirt (x05), long sleeve tee (x04), cargo pants, shorts (x02), underwear (x05), socks (x04), towel, slippers, laundy bag (x02), waist pouch, jungle hat, pullover hat, face mask, windbreaker.
Toiletries:
Shampoo, shower gel, facial wash, toothbrush, toothpaste, face moisturizer, acne cream, lip moist, body lotion, powder, sunblock, cotton buds, nailclipper, perfume, comb.
Miscellaneous:
Benro tripod & ballhead, water resistant raincover (x02), ziplock bags (x04) mosquito repellant, clothes washing powder, comms cord, toilet roll, giant plastic bag (x02), diahhorea pills, cold tablets, Panadol tablets, padlocks (x03), caribina hooks (x05), laptop lock, thermometer & compass.
DAY 1 (20 December 2008, Saturday)
Right up to the day of departure, I somehow do not have a good feeling that this trip will turn out well. It’s just that 6th sense in me that tells me so.
I departed from Changi International Airport for my flight on FD3502 at 1055hrs to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. Armed with 23kg of baggage, including 8.3kg of camera equipments, I was struggling to balance myself with the load.
From Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, it was a short journey to the Victory Monument on the Airport Express bus for 150baht. I had a walk and some quick bites along the streets near the Victory Monument before heading to the BTS station for a train ride to Mo Chit station.
Coming out of Mo Chit station is the Chatuchak Market. The Chatuchak Weekend Market is as bustling as before, with almost everything you can find under the sun. I simply love the pet’s section where these cute and adorable little puppies were put on sale.
It’s not a long way to the Mo Chit 2 bus station, however with the load that I’m carrying, I opted for a taxi to get me there. The taxi driver must be thinking that I’m a tourist and had decided to pull some stunts on me. He diverted quite a bit thinking that I’m not aware of it. However, with my GPS, I know that he intentionally went the wrong way. I confronted him, but he claimed that he can’t turn left at where he is suppose to turn, thus he went straight and then did a U-turn at the next junction.
Mo Chit 2 bus station is the main gateway for buses departing Bangkok to Northern and North-Eastern Thailand. There are more than a hundred counters selling bus tickets to different parts of North and North-Eastern Thailand, operated by different bus companies. Each offering different class at a different price.
I bought my ticket to Chiang Khong on a 32-seater VIP bus for 680Baht, departing at 1900hrs. It was a boring long wait at the bus station. I was watching some local TV and then suddenly everyone around me stood up. The TV shows the National anthem, and the Thais (as well as foreigners) stood up to show their respect. I later learnt that the National anthem is broadcasted daily at 1800hrs, on all Thai TV channels.
Finally at 1900hrs, it’s time to board the VIP bus to Chiang Khong. The bus captain is dressed smartly in uniform, and the assistant offered a sandwich box, drink packet, wet napkins, and a hygienically sealed blanket to each passenger. The movie screened was i-robot, however it was in Thai and there was no English subtitle!
2hrs later, the bus scheduled to stop for a supper break at a restaurant. Food and drinks were served free of charge since we had paid for the VIP bus. I was rather impressed with their bus services.
DAY 2 (21 December 2008, Sunday)
I had a good night’s rest throughout the journey on the sleeping bus till the bus starts stopping on the last section near Chiang Khong. Local passengers requested to alight at different points until the bus reaches the final stop in Chiang Khong town.
From the town, it’s a short tuk tuk ride to the Thai-Laos immigration centre to get to Huay Xai.
I got my passport stamped out of Thailand and proceeded down to the river for a boat ride over to Huay Xai.
At Huay Xai, after clearing immigration, I contacted Mr. Niay with the help of some locals. It was quite a hassle as Mr. Niay do not speak English.
The journey to from Huay Xai to Luang Nam Tha on Route 3 is a breeze. It is easily the best road in Laos as Route 3 connects Mengla, China to Chiang Khong, Thailand, where plenty of trading were done between the countries. The winding roads were scenic and great to ride on.
I had a stop in Vieng Phoukha for lunch for a bowl of rice noodles for only 5,000 kips.
Arriving in Luang Nam Tha, I found Zeula Guesthouse for 70,000 kips per night. The rooms were nice and clean, and had hot water shower in the attached bathrooms. Motorbike parking is safe as the bike is stored within the guesthouse premises.
Following which, I proceeded to Nam Dee waterfalls for some photos.
And to a newly constructed stupa at the top of the hill in Luang Nam Tha.
By about 1800hrs, the sky is turning dark, and the town gets real quiet thereafter. There’s a few pubs and restaurants patronized mainly by tourists. Other than that, it’s a really quiet town at night.
DAY 3 (22 December 2008, Monday)
I got up for a hearty breakfast at the homely guesthouse, and departed for Boten, the border town between Laos and China. The journey was smooth and the roads were fantastic.
Boten is a Chinese town, purely with people settling from Yunnan Province. The shops sell mainly Chinese products, with abundant Chinese street side stalls.
Fancy a game of snooker or table tennis?
A posh hotel in Boten
I spent about an hour walking around the town before I push on the journey to Na Tuay, and then Oudom Xai. The section between Na Tuay and Oudom Xai is bad. The roads were broken, with huge pot holes that you have to be extremely careful with. On some sections, the tracks were unsealed and if you happen to travel behind some huge trucks, you will be smoked out by the grey/brown dust.
Oudom Xai is the crossroad in Northern Laos. The journey to Phongsali, Luang Nam Tha, Boten, Luang Prabang, Pak Beng, and Nong Khiaw all begins here. I stopped for a quick lunch here before proceeding onto Nong Khiaw.
Unfortunately, with the glaring sun against my eyes on my next leg of the journey, I missed a turn and did not notice that until 60km later when I ended up in Muang Beng. A quick check on my GPS shows that I’ve traveled for 1hr15mins in the wrong direction!!! Damm….
Made an immediate U-turn and head back to Oudom Xai. I had wanted to push on to Nong Khiaw but as the sun is setting fast, I figured that I’ll probably be riding in the night. So I had no choice but to put up in Oudom Xai at Vivanh Guesthouse for 50,000 kips. The room is simple, has attached bathroom with hot shower and the bike is stored in the storeroom with the main gate locked at night.
Dinner at a Szechuan (Chinese) stall along the road. It was all meat, flavoured with some really spicy herbs. I had also drank a bit of local lemon wine (fermented with lemon instead of rice) with the locals during dinner.
DAY 4 (23 December 2008, Tuesday)
The day began with a 30km not-too-good road to Pak Mong, where I headed another 30km to Nong Khiaw to catch up with where I am suppose to be yesterday.
Between Nong Khiaw and Ban Sop Houn sits a bridge over the Nam Ou and Nam Houn River, where the backdrop scenery is a dramatic piece of landscape.
2.5km to the east of Route 1 is Tham Pha Thok limestone cave. Here I paid 5000 kips to enter the cave opening at the top of a flight of steep stairs.
Here, the villages lived in the limestone cave during the second Indochina war. The steep decent to the foot of the cave with just 2 bamboo poles made me think twice about it.
There was another cave opening about 15mins away by foot, where you need to walk through some narrow paths and difficult slopes to reach the opening of the cave. This cave was formerly a bank during the war. As I got deeper inside the cave, the tunnel got narrower and narrower until a point where I was unable to proceed further with my bulky camera + laptop bag.
These guys can’t speak much English, but they made the climb so easy with their flip flops. At the end of the journey, they demanded a lot more cash than I expected. I have to shun them off after giving them 20,000 kips when they continued pestering me for more money and gifts.
I had a quick lunch at Sunset Guesthouse and Restaurant, with a stunning view of the Nam Ou river before proceeding onto Luang Prabang. Due to the Christmas peak period, most hotels/guesthouses are either full, or had marked up their rates ridiculously. After few attempts, I managed to find Vouthivong Guesthouse for 90,000kips a night. The guesthouse has just 6 units, however it is pretty clean and has a safe motorbike parking right in front of the unit.
I began my sightseeing in Luang Prabang at the 100m high Phu Si hill during sunset. The steps going up the hill is tiring enough, where I had to stop a few times just to catch my breadth. However, I was rewarded with an excellent view at the top of the hill, showcasing the entire Luang Prabang town.
The handicraft night market boasts a colourful selection of silk scarves, wall hangings, Hmong blankets, clothings, shoes, bags, ceramic, lamp shades and more. The handicraft night market is one of Luang Prabang’s tourist lures, however you will need to bargain hard to agree on a price you are happy with.
I surfed the Internet for a while before having steamboat buffet dinner at one of the riverside restaurants near Vouthivong Guesthouse. It’s nice to have a warm steamboat dinner with wood-fire charcoal when the temperature at night is cold and chilling.
DAY 5 (24 December 2008, Wednesday)
It was a beautiful morning where I started my day at Bakery Café for a nice pastry and coffee before my half day tour to the Pak Ou Caves by boat on the Mekong River for 75,000 kips. The mini bus brought us from the travel agency to the ferry pier, where we took a long tail boat to the Pak Ou Caves.
After an hour of boat ride, we stopped here for a ‘toilet break’ where the locals sell their handmade souvenirs.
Soon we were on the way again, up-stream towards Pak Ou Caves. On arrival, there are two caves that showcased the Buddha images of all sizes. The lower cave is known as the Tham Ting, while the upper cave is known as the Tham Phun, where it is huge and pitch dark inside. Torches are avialble for rental in case you need one to see Tham Phun. These caves are visited by boat-loads of tourist daily.
This cute little girl posed for me while I walked past her with my camera. I stopped to take a few pictures of her without hesitation. However, immediately after that, she came and demanded for 'photo money' from me. What a way to make money!
The downstream boat ride back to Luang Prabang took just an hour, and I was back in Luang Prabang by around 1300hrs. I took my bike out for a short 32km ride to the Tat Kuang Si Waterfalls. This is the most beautiful falls I have ever seen, where the wide, many-tiered waterfall tumbles over the limestone formations into a series of cool, turquoise pools. The fairy-tale pools are simply picturesque and photogenic.
Back in Luang Prabang, I had a nice clean shower and went for dinner at Bakery Café for a nice slow dinner, as the café offers free wi-fi for dining customers.
Although it is Christmas Eve but most restaurants/pubs/bars close at 11pm like any other days. I managed to find Hive Restaurant and Bar around the corner that opens past midnight. The bar gave out Santa hats to all the customers, and they have quite a crowd celebrating the Christmas party countdown.
DAY 6 (25 December 2008, Thursday)
I set my alarm to wake up at 0530hrs so as to witness the monks’ routine duties of collecting alms in the morning. The kind people offering alms would be seated by the road side with their sticky rice in bamboo containers. The group of about 10-20 monks from each temple would walk in a line, along the streets every morning, to collect alms from these people. The monks carry a huge ‘pot’ to collect rice/food from these kind souls, and bring them back to the temple for their daily food supply.
While the monks are going around the town to collect their alms, the morning fresh produce market has already begun its bustling life, with all sorts of items on sale, like the leafy green vegetable, fresh meat cuts, rats and dog meat from 0530hrs daily.
This is one of the nicest porridge I’ve eaten, at the corner of Wat Mai and the fresh produce market.
At the northern tip of the peninsular formed by the Mekong River and the Nam Khan River, is Luang Prabang’s most magnificent temple. I was one of the earliest visitors at Wat Xieng Thong during my early morning temple visit.
Moving on by foot, I arrived at the Royal Palace Museum and the Wat Ho Pha Bang for a short visit.
Luang Prabang is a nice UNESCO World Heritage town, and given more time, I’ll definitely stay longer. However, with tight schedule ahead of me, I’ll have to move on and proceed with my planned itinerary.
I left checked-out and left Luang Prabang at 0915hrs to head on toward Vieng Thong as a stopover point on the way to Sam Neua and Vieng Xai. Route 13 and Route 1 may be the easy way to get to Vieng Thong but that defeats the purpose of renting an off-road bike. So I figured that I take the dirt route through Pak Xeng to Vieng Thong.
The dirt section started with an easy climb, with occasional mudslides covering the entire path of the dirt section. While waiting for the tractor to clear the earth, the cars had formed a long queue waiting behind.
Soon I arrived in Pak Xeng, and had a quick lunch at one of the stalls.
Moving on, the dirt road got more challenging as the path got narrower and steeper up to over 1300m altitude. It becomes particularly dangerous when I almost had 2 head on collisions with oncoming cars around the narrow bends on the mountains.
The difficult ride was however rewarded with some nice views along the way. There was this particularly narrow section where it was a drop-off on BOTH sides of the valley!!! I was practically riding along the narrow strip of track at the peak of the mountain! Simply breathtaking!!
I soon arrived at this junction, where some nice people had written in English, to make a correct turn to Sam Soun.
Once I hit Sam Soun, that ends the dirt track section, and began the 90km semi-sealed road to Vieng Thong. The sealed roads were pretty bad at times, with large potholes that can cause you to sink in and tumble if you are going fast.
Arriving at Vieng Thong, Souksavan Guesthouse (50,000kips) is one of the two available accommodations in the small village, mainly inhabited by a collection of Hmong hilltribes, and lowland Lao people. The village has a pleasant mountain setting alongside the Nam Khao river.
There is a hot spring, which is well-labelled from the main road, about 1km away. Many people (male and female) bath there in the open or wash their clothes there under the luke warm water flowing out from the pipes.
Dinner was an simple affair at a modest coffeeshop next to the guesthouse, and the town was almost in complete darkness once the sun goes down. I had dinner with an English and Australian couple who stayed next to me and we shared a couple of trip stories over dinner. They had came from Vieng Xai to Sam Neua to Vieng Thong and onto Nong Khiaw, while I am heading the other way to where they came from.
DAY 7 (26 December 2008, Friday)
Having slept early the previous night, I woke up early to kick start the day at 0645hrs to ensure that I will arrive early in Vieng Xai for the English Cave Tour at 1300hrs. As mentioned by the English and Australian couple, the journey to Sam Neua will be foggy and wet as the mountainous roads goes into high elevation at about 1600m above sea level before ascending to Sam Neua Valley at 1200m altitude.
Arriving at Sam Neua Valley.
In Sam Neua, Kheamxam Guesthouse is the popular choice for backpackers, for 50,000kips. However, the room that I had was on the 3rd floor, where I had to climb a flight of stairs to get to the room.
Arriving in Sam Neua at 1100hrs was way earlier than planned. So I had lunch at a nearby coffeeshop prior to heading out to Vieng Xai, 29km from Sam Neau on Route 6 towards the Vietnamese border.
Vieng Xai is worth wandering for its scenic beauty. The karst formation, many with cave entrances, along with pretty little valleys terraced in rice.
The beautiful town with lots of Dok Houm Deng (literally means red-blood flower) along almost every street.
Several of the caves in Vieng Xai were used to shelter Pathet Lao officers during the second Indochina War. I went straight to the Vieng Xai tourist office in the centre of the town for the English speaking tour to the Vieng Xai Caves. I was the only tourist today, so the cave tour (30,000 kips) went ahead with just me and the English-speaking guide. He was very knowledgeable about the history of the Laos war in the 70s and is able to explain everything in clear and good English.
We first went to the Kaysone Phomvihane’s Cave, the home to Kayson, who is the General of the Lao Communist Party in the 70s. This cave was the central meeting area for the Politburo.
Kaysone's bed.
Kaysone's washing basin.
Next was within walking distance to the Nouhak Phoumsavan’s Cave. The cave was used by Noukhak, Minister of Finance and the Economy in the Pathet Lao government, who then went on to become the President of the Lao PDR.
Emergency room, for fresh oxygen in the event of a chemical warfare.
We then move on to Prince Souphannouvong’s Cave, who had designed his home outside the caves in 1973. There was also a tree-filled garden as a monument to his son, who was assassinated by an anti-Pathet Lao agent in 1967. It was his idea to fill the town with the Dok Houm Deng plant, as this represents Lao people’s blood that was lost during the Lao war.
At the Khamtay Siphandone’s Cave and Military Headquarters, Khamtay was a Politburo member with respobsibility for the military and defence, and later the President of the Lao PDR. His cave connects to other military caves. This large complex may also have been used as barracks during bombing raids.
Walking through the tunnels from Khamtay Siphadone’s Cave, we arrived at Xanglot Cave. This huge natural cave was a central arena for large rallies and meetings, like a concert threatre! The cave was also a space for relaxing and entertainment, with musical and dance performances by local artistes and visiting troupes.
After 2hrs of cave touring, the guide brought me to the open field where the Hmong tribes are having their new year celebration. Here, many young girls and boys were dressed up in colourful traditional costumes, and participated in some ball games to promote cohesiveness amongst themselves.
While I was back in Sam Neua in the late afternoon, I had a short tour around Sam Neua, and ended up at Wat PhoXaysanalam.
The colourful market with lots of products from China and Vietnam.
Fresh produce at the wet market.
In places like such, Playstation never existed.... wooden skateboards do.
DAY 8 (27 December 2008, Saturday)
The day started wet, with continuous rainfall since the previous night. I had to put on my rain gear and waterproof all the luggage to ensure that nothing gets wet. The ride has to be slow on the winding mountainous roads along Route 6 due to the rain and fog.
The plan to visit Suan Hin world heritage site has to be abandoned due to the unfavourable muddy 6km track conditions leading to the site. Suan Hin is a stone garden much of a mystery like the Plain of Jars, where nobody has any idea how these 2m stone uprights got there, but were believed to be 2000 yrs old.
For the slow wet ride, it took me more than 2.5hrs to get from Sam Neua to the Phou Lao junction (105km) where I turned left to head towards NamNeun, Muang Kham and Phonsavan.
When I arrived in Phonsavan at 1400hrs, it was still drizzling. After hunting around town and seeking a few hotels/guesthouses, I managed to find Koukham Guesthouse for 50,000kips, located along the main road.
At 1200m altitude, Phonsavan in Xieng Khuang Province has a distinct landscape where the brownish, semi-flat terrain is laid bare from logging and slash and burn agriculture in most part of the province.
There's a rainbow after the rain!
The main reason for tourism in Phonsavan is the Plain of Jars. The Plain of Jars is a large area where huge jars of unknown origin are scattered about in over a dozen groupings. They are either of solid stone or granite, and varies in sizes. I heard that many of the smaller jars have been taken away by collectors but there are still few hundreds over the 3 main sites in the province, weighing 600kg to a tonne each.
The Plain of Jars Site 1 is the nearest from Phonsavan town, and is the most visited and most accessible site, only 15km from Phonsavan. There are 250 jars that wigh from 600 kg to one tonne heare. The largest jar on the plain weighs 6 tonnes. Site 2 features 90 jars spread across two hills, while Site 3 features 150 jars, and is located on a hill near a Lao village which has a small monastery with Buddha images damaged during the war.
Xieng Khuang Province is also one of the most heavily bombed province in the most heavily bombed country, per capita, in the world. At least 1.36 metric tonnes of ordnance was dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973. It is estimated that 30% of these ordnance did not detonate. These Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) can explode if disturbed, and continues to kill and injure. It also keeps people from poverty by preventing them from using the land.
Back in Phonsavan for dinner in the evening, I came across the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) office along the main road, where you can make donations to this British organization that has been clearing UXO in Laos since 1994. The office has all the information about what MAG has done in reducing UXO and the casualties in Laos, as well as sell t-shirts and DVDs to fund the operations.
DAY 9 (28 December 2008, Sunday)
The west-bound Route 7 links Phonsavan to Phou Khoun across Xieng Khuang Province. The first 60km is a continuous high speed, sealed tarmac road with an average riding speed of 100km/h. Subsequently it connects to a mountainous winding road until I reached Phou Khoun.
The most scenic section along Route 7
Once on Route 13 towards Kasi, the southbound journey skirts around the mountains with a few excellent viewpoints along the way. Traffic gets a little heaver along this section as this is the main route connecting Vientiane and Luang Prabang.
It took less than 5hrs to get from Phonsavan to Vang Vieng. In Vang Vieng, I managed to locate the centrally located Dokkoun 1 Guesthouse for 70,000kips per night, one of the more recommended guesthouses in Vang Vieng.
Vang Vieng is nestled beside the Nam Song River amid the stunningly beautiful limestone karst terrain. Also known as Lao’s chill-out town, the entire town is filled with tourist, western restaurants, guesthouses, travel agents, bars, internet cafés, etc.
Most tourist who visits Vang Vieng will combine a trip to Tham Jang Cave, located south of Vang Vieng Resort, where you need to pay 2000kips to get into the resort. The entrance fee to the cave is another 15,000kips, and bike parking is 3000kips.
A long flight of stairs lead up to the main cave entrance. The limestone cave within is decorated with colourful lighting to enhance the looks.
Through an opening in the limestone wall, it offers a magnificent view of the Vang Vieng river valley.
Next was a visit to the popular Tham Phu Kham Cave, considered sacred by Lao, and is popular due to the clear blue lagoon just outside the cave. I had to cross the Nam Song River on a toll bridge where I paid 10,000kips for the crossing and ride 6km of dusty dirt track to get to Ban Na Thong village. From Ban Na Thong village, it’s a short distance to get to Tham Phu Kham Cave (entrance fee 10,000kips).
Just as I least expected, the 200m climb up to the entrance of the Tham Phu Kham Cave was seriously steep, slippery and tough with my flip flops! On most occasions, you are required to hold onto bamboo railings to ascend the climb. When I eventually got to the cave entrance, a Thai bronze reclining Buddha awaits.
While time was on my side, I made my way to Tam Nong, 4km north of Vang Vieng. This is the starting point of the tubing journey down the Nam Song River on an inflatable tyre tube, ending the journey back in Vang Vieng town. Plenty of bars and restaurants are common by the riverside selling food and beer.
Tourists are widely seen partying around the ‘campfire’, enjoying beach soccer or beach volleyball with some of the locals.
There is also a slide, about 4 story high, and a tarzan swing where for those who dares to swing over the Nam Song River and plunge straight into the river, for free. The restaurant that operates this only ask that you buy beer/food from them to support their business, hence allowing free usage of the facilities.
Back in Vang Vieng town at night, many backpackers/tourist are seen slouching at most restaurants/bars on sofas that converts into a flat bed.
‘Happy’ is a common term widely heard in restaurants/bars when you order a pizza or whatever deem fit. If you are innocent enough to ask about the term ‘happy’, you will most likely be told that there are extra pineapple toppings on your pizza, but the fact is that you’ll probably get marijuana, mushrooms, yaba or opium on your pizza!! Well, I learnt about this when I was in Phnom Penh 2 years ago.
At night, the bridges crossing to Don Khang leads you to few drinking holes. I had mine at the Island Bucket Bar where alcoholic drinks were sold in buckets for only 10,000kips. I sat around on one of the many stilt platform, sipping my drink, and watching people dance around the wood fire on the cold, chilly night.
DAY 10 (29 December 2008, Monday)
The 3hr journey from Vang Vieng to Vientiane was a boring ride consisting of straight, unscenic views along the way. On arrival in Vientiane, I stayed at the Ekalath Metropole Hotel for 60,000kips, on the 3rd floor of the hotel, with a balcony view of ‘That Dam’.
It was a hot and sunny afternoon when I made a visit to Patuxay. Patuxay is a reminiscent of the Arc De Triomphe in Paris. It was built in the 60s with cement that was supposed to have been used for the construction of a new airport. Thus, the Patuxay has been commonly termed as the ‘vertical runway’. The blue sky and clouds formed a great contrast for landscape photography.
Pha That Luang is the most important national monument of Laos. It looks like a gilded missile cluster from a distance and has high-walled cloister with tiny windows as a defence against invaders in the early 19th century.
Wat Sok Pa Luang also termed ‘forest temple’ sits in a shady semirural setting that is famous for its herbal saunas and massage, where the masseurs are generally lay people who resides at the temple. When I was there, it seemed like there was a ceremony at the temple compound and did not see any sauna/massage service available.
From the hotel, it’s only a stone throw away from Jules Classic Rental, where I met up with Thierry. He helped me sent the bike to the workshop (few kms from the rental shop) for some servicing and maintenance of the bike.
I then did a walking tour around the capital city, and onto the riverside for some drinks. Some of the stalls here sell some very nice paintings.
In the evening, I was back at Jules Classic Rental to collect the bike and make payment for my bike rental. Thierry managed to get the guys to change the valve and did an engine oil change for the bike. The bike runs really smooth and quiet after the work.
As suggested by Thierry, I had a nice dinner at a fine French Restaurant - La Cave Des Chateaux. The food was excellent!!
DAY 11 (30 December 2008, Tuesday)
The day started with a fast straight ride from Vientiane to Ban Lao, before I made a turn off onto Route 8 to head towards Ban Khoun Kham. The journey on Route 8 cuts through winding mountains, and there were few bridges under construction.
Sala Viewpoint is 8km before Ban Khoun Kham, and offers a nice view of the karst limestone caves.
At the Ban Khoun Kham, I stayed at the Mi Thuna Guesthouse for 60,000kips, the much acclaimed guesthouse that is known by many backpackers who stays in this quiet town. The main reason for any tourist stopping over in this town is definitely for the visit to Kong Lor Cave.
Once upon a time, to get to Kong Lor, one has to take a slow boat, or endure the 2hr, 40km long, bumpy and dusty dirt track ride from Route 8. Now, a sealed road has just been completed except for the first 2km which is carpeted with loose stones, waiting for the final pave of the hot black tarmac onto it.
At the ticketing counter, I met a French couple, who were purchasing tickets for the boat ride into Kong Lor. We struck an agreement to share the cost of the boat ride since the boat can take up to 3 person (including 2 boatmen), and they charge by per boat rental of 100,000kips.
It started with a 5 minutes walk to the entrance of the cave where we were told to take off our shoes as we have to step into the water at some point of the boat ride. It was total darkness in the cave, so dark you couldn’t even see your own hands! A boatman was sitting in front, with a head mount torch to watch out and guide the other boatman sitting at the rear, who operates the motor propeller of the boat.
After about 30mins, the boat stopped and we were told to get out of the boat, walk on the slippery rocks under the shallow waters, to get up a steep slope with bamboo handrails. The boatman then turned on the lights to display a colourful array of lights, turning the entire place into a stunning showcase display!
Back on the boat, it continued upstream for the 45mins on the shallow waters, where we had to get off the boat occasionally when the boat hits the river bed. When we finally got out at the end of the 7km long cave, the boat stopped by a village for a short break.
As expected, the village sells some refreshments and a few souvenirs. We had a short 15mins break before we hopped onto the boat for the journey back. This is truly one of the natural wonders of Laos, but I’m rather surprised that there are not many tourist here, which I guess its mainly due to the infrastructure/inaccessibility of this place.
DAY 12 (31 December 2008, Wednesday)
Waking up early at 0630hrs, I hit the road at 0730hrs in the morning to head towards Lak Sao. Route 8 from Ban Lao to Lak Sao is a popular link for travelers plying between Thailand and Vietnam (Laos is in between the 2 countries). It’s fast, sealed tarmac with strong winds along the straight section to Lak Sao.
First 20km from Lak Sao to Nakai is some bumpy and dusty dirt road. Subsequently is mostly fast dirt section along the dusty track. From Nakai, its some nice sealed roads, fast and straight through Gnommalath, onto Mahaxai.
If you ride through this section, you will notice a huge dam that under construction for a major project.
The section from Mahaxai to Thakek has some nice sealed road, wide and spacious almost throughout the entire ride, except for few sections that are under construction.
I arrived in Thakek to put up at the Khammoune Mekong Hotel for 100,000 kips. It’s a big hotel facing the Mekong River, with a view of Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, on the other side of the river. In Thakek, 60% of the inhabitants here are Vietnamese.
I made my way to the Tham Pha Pa (Buddha Cave) for a visit. The cave has become a pilgrimage site for Buddhists from around Laos and Thailand. According to guidebooks, its difficult to say exactly how long the buddha images have been there, but experts think they are more than 600 years old.
On my way to Tham Xieng Liap, I met some kids at the entrance of the dirt road, where they offered to show me to the cave. We took a long walk through bushes, rivers, rocks, climed high and low, before arriving at the entrance of the cave. The entrance of Xieng Liap Cave is a 300m high cliff, and its about 200m long.
As the walk is too tedious, I didn't complete the cave tour. I took a relaxing ride back to Thakek for a tour of the town for some photos of the Franco-Chinese architecture, with tall trees shading quiet streets, and the people living in a slow/relaxed lifestyle.
Sunset in Thakek
This is Smiles Restaurant and Bar, where I had dinner and 2009 New Year celebrations here. Past midnight, on the opposite side of the river where Nakhon Panom lies, fireworks were all over the sky for the New Year celebrations!
DAY 13 (01 January 2009, Thursday)
On a brand new year, brand new day, it was the most unlucky day of the trip. I was back on Route 13 highway for a fast ride from Thakek to Seno. Since I’ve rented a dirt bike and has been on the road most of the time, I’ve decided to do a bit of dirt track riding today. I diverted off Route 13 at Seno to head towards Muang Phine, where I had planned to top up fuel before riding southwards towards Toumlan and Saravan. However, there wasn’t any petrol kiosk in Muang Phine (or rather I didn’t notice any).
That symptom didn’t stop me from pushing on since I figured that I should be able to cover another 80-100km with the remaining fuel. The track was a little rocky in the beginning few kilometres, but became fast and dusty thereafter. The 35km dusty track ride took me about 1.5hrs, till I reached a cliff over a huge river.
There was a small village next to the cliffs where some naked kids directed me down the steep, sandy slope to the bottom of the cliff next to the river. There was a bridge that was destroyed but had never been rebuilt. While no one helped me with the bike on the steep terrain, the kids were all laughing at me as I slipped and slided down the slope.
At the side of the river, there was a boat where the lady charged me 50,000 kips to cross the river with my motorbike on it. At this moment in time, I only had 2 options: (1) to pay and proceed; (2) or to turn around and back track 164km back to Seno on a 4hr ride. Needless to say, I chose the first option. We carried the entire bike up the boat, and made it lie on the side. It was a scary experience having the boat to rock and roll through the river with the bike balancing on its side.
After getting the bike off the boat on the other side of the river, getting up the slope on is tough due to the soft sand and steep gradient. There is very little traction even when I tried pushing the bike upslope with the engine engaged in 1st gear.
The next 38km was a hell of a ride. There are steep rocky terrains like you have to do rock climbing on your bike, as well as I had to cross about a dozen rivers/steams/creeks in the process.
Most of them were like steep gradient down slopes, through the rivers/streams/creeks, and up the rocky/uneven slopes again. I fell on the right side at one of the rocky steps while ascending.
There were also certain sections where the bamboo terrain was quite narrow and I had encountered a couple of fallen trees in the path. So I had to detour and 'bash' through the scrubs/bushes on the side.
On one of the steep down slope just before crossing a stream, I gained enough speed hoping to ride through the stream for the uphill climb, however there were some soft sand at the bottom of the slope and that left me crashing on my right for the second time in succession.
Being stuck at the bottom of the slope, I pushed the bike across the stream and was faced with a steep uphill task with lots of uneven rocks. On a quick throttle push, the bike went up, however there was still insufficient momentum to get the bike up, so I fell off the bike on my right again, and had my right foot pinned under the bike this time. A hunter who strolled upon me came to my rescue and helped me get the bike up the slope after many attempts.
At this point of time, my right foot was hurting like hell, and I was damm thirsty after my water had finished. Asked him if there is a town ahead that sells drinks, he pointed to the river and told me to drink from the river! Nevermind, I hang on and surged forward in hope for a town that sells drinks and petrol.
Before I reach the next civilization, I crossed yet another stream….. and you guessed it… I fell off the bike again! This time, after crossing the stream successfully, on the other side of the river bank, the bike got stuck in some deep and sticky mud. As I wasn’t able to get out of the mud in time, I fell off on the left. With an injured right foot, I struggled to pull the bike out of the mud for more than half an hour but was unable to do so. I was so thirsty that I had no choice but to drink water from the stream.
The worse has yet to come. While trying hard to get the bike out of the mud, I saw bubbles coming out from the mud, below the rear tyre!! My mind is blank now… all I can pray for is not a punctured tyre! I’m now all alone, with a sprained right foot, with no food, no water, running dangerously low on fuel, faced with a punctured rear tyre, the bike is stucked in some sticky gluey mud, have used up all my energy trying to pull the bike out, my handphone shows ‘no network coverage’, I shouted for help but no one hears or response, and the sun is setting fast…………….
After like more than 45mins of wrestling with the bike, I manage to lie the bike down on the side, and pull the bike bit by bit out from the mud. It was the toughest moment of my life!
I had used up all my energy trying to get the bike out of the mud, and I've left with some soft, jelly arms and legs to ride with. While hoping to arrive in some civilisation, I felt my rear slidding. It was a flat rear tyre! Damm, I was really out of luck! I pushed on however, trying to control the bike, riding it without rear traction. Going at around 30-40km/h, I had to negotiate bends and river crossings with due care.
All of a sudden, the bike just died on me. No matter how I tried to move, the bike just won't move. Just when I thought that I'll have to camp there overnite, I found out that the rear tyre tube has came out and got stuck in between the rear brake calipers, causing the rear wheel to jam up. Without a jack-knife, I tried means to pull that out, but failed. Left with no choice, I had to lie the bike down on it's side and force it out with my remaining strength.
Fuel continues flowing out from the carburettor each time I lie the bike down, and I know that I'm going to run out of fuel anytime soon. So I can't take my time, and have to do it quickly. When I eventually got the stuck tube out of the brake calipers, I quickly continued my journey - on a bursted tyre without a tyre tube!!
Few kilometres later, I stumbled across a village. The villagers all looked at me as if I am an alien.
I was pretty blessed as I was granted permission by the village chief to have a homestay at their village. He was delighted to welcome me, and I was more than delighted to be accomodated in such situations!
Also he had his fellow villagers to help me with the tyre repair. I was too grateful with that when the tyre was fixed. This was the culprit that caused the puncture.
As neither of us could speak other party's language, communication remains as purely hand/finger languages. There isn't any bathing facilities, no proper room, its just stilt houses. In the house that I stayed in, it houses at least 10 people.
Dinner was sticky rice with laap (minced fish with spice). I wasn't given any cutlery to eat with, except my bare, muddy and dirty hands. Under their culture, the guest gets to eat ahead of the rest. So while I was having my meal, I had more than 20 pair of eyes staring at me!
Having been in great pain on my right foot, I couldn't walk around. So I just took some pain killers and went to bed early. This was how bad I had injured my foot during the falls.
DAY 14 (02 January 2009, Friday)
I slept in fear as the wind whirl as if a thunderstorm is going to stir up. However, luck is on my side when I first see daylight. The sky is clear, and I'm set to go!
When I got up, I tried asking for directions to Toumlan and Saravan, but nobody seemed to understand what I'm trying to ask. The host had prepared breakfast for me, where I had sticky rice and laap, and more than 20 pair of eyes looking at me having breakfast!
As I leave the village, the entire village came to send me off. I rode towards Toumlan, still with a badly bruised/swollen/sprained foot. It was 18km from the village to Toumlan, where I crossed few river/stream crossings and had a couple of uneven terrains. Other than that its some easy riding dirt track.
I had a fuel top up at Toumlan, before I head towards Saravan. There is another huge river crossing 28km after Toumlan, however there is a boat with platform here for motorbike crossing. I paid 20,000 kips for the boat crossing, and arrived in Saravan just before 1000hrs.
From Saravan, it is a 137km good sealed straight road to Champasak, including a boat crossing over the Mekong River for 10,000kips. Getting up the slope on the Champasak side is a little tricky with soft sand on the upslope.
In Champasak, I put up at Khamphoui Guesthouse for 30,000 kips a nite.
The Wat Phu Champasak is one highlight of any trip to Laos. Stretching 1400m up to the lower slopes of the Phu Phasak range, Wat Phu is small compared to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap.
The UNESCO World Heritage site consist of tumbledown pavilions, ornate Shiva-lingam sanctury, enigmatic crocodile stone and tall trees that shroud much of the site in soothing shade, giving Wat Phu an almost mystical atmosphere.
DAY 15 (03 January 2009, Saturday)
Being dampened by the foot injury, I continued the journey on paracetamol dosage. Setting off from Champasak on a late morning, I continued my southern run on the good sealed road to visit Uo Moung, Veun Kham, Khon Phapheng Falls, and ended up at Don Khong for the night.
The Khmer temple ruin of Uo Moung is in a wonderfully shaded forest beside a small tributary of the Mekong River. It is thought to hav ebeen built late in the 9th century during the reign of the Khmer King Yasovaraman I.
Lunch was a simple affair in Veun Kham, the border town next to Cambodia. I had a fried instant mee at one of the Cambodian-run stalls as I had pretty good memories the delicious fried instant mee when I was backpacking in Cambodia 2 years ago.
The Khon Phapheng Falls on the Mekong River features a 13km stretch of powerful rapids with several sets of cascades. Millions of litres of water crash over the rocks and into Cambodia every second!
Don Khong is the largest island within Si Phan Don (four-thousand islands). It is like a laid back and sleepy island with better lodgings. I crossed the Mekong River to get to Don Khong on a 10,000kips boat ride on a large car/truck platform.
At the island, the Souk Sabay Guesthouse for 40,000 kips is one of the best options due to its sparkling clean, neat, and value for money room.
Just next door to Souk Sabay Guesthouse is the over-rated Pon's River Guesthouse that was rated to highly by most guidebooks, that they charge 100,000 kips per nite! Although I didn't stay there, I had a wonderful dinner at Pon's Restaurant in the evening.
DAY 16 (04 January 2009, Sunday)
From Don Khong, I crossed the Mekong and took a relaxing 3hr ride back to Pakse on a 143km journey on Route 13. At the final night in Laos, I put up at the Thaluang Hotel for 80,000 kips.
Pakse is the main gateway to Thailand from Southern Laos. At the VIP bus station, I pre purchased a bus ticket for tomorrow, to get to Ubon Ratchathani, for 200Baht. Then it was another 37km relaxing ride uphill (till 1200m elevation) on Route 23 to get to Tat Fane Resort, where I felt the temperature dropping for every meter I ascend.
Tat Fane is the most spectacular water falls in Laos, with parallel streams of water plunging out of the dense forest at over 120m high. The best location to view Tat Fane is from Tat Fane Resort.
From Tat Fane, it was merely a 13km ride through the Bolevan Plateau to get to Paksong - Laos's coffee capital. The high flat ground of the Bolaven Plateau is ideal for growing coffee and the region produces some of the best and most expensive bean on earth. I had a nice chilled coffee at one of the coffee shop in Paksong.
Paksong has plans to develop some basic tourist infrastructure, but it is still in the early stages. In a very undevelop small town, these are the common sights and the common vehicles used for daily communications and for business.
When I got back to Pakse, I had the bike returned to one of Thierry's contacts who is based here. At this point, I kinda felt sad to part with the bike which has gone through thick and thin with me over the past 2 weeks.
DAY 17 (05 January 2009, Monday)
I had an early breakfast and made my way to the VIP bus station for the bus journey to Ubon Ratchathani via Vang Tao and Chong Mek border.
The 139km journey took 4hrs, where I arrived in Ubon bus terminal and was transferred to Tokyo Hotel on a tuk tuk.
Tokyo Hotel near downtown, at 400Baht per night.
It was a totally different experience back in Thailand where the roads are clean and less dusty. The environment is green, not brown! Buildings are brightly coloured, not brown. Houses are concrete, not stilts.
Typical 'feel' of Ubon Ratchathani
Nevada Entertainment Complex
Oyster omelette by the road side stall.
DAY 18 (06 January 2009, Tuesday)
On the last day of the trip, I checked out of the hotel and had breakfast at one of the coffeeshop nearby Tokyo Hotel. The shop owner, who is a Chinese-Thai, was please to know that I'm from Singapore, and we started chatting in Chinese. Just before I leave for the airport, she even gave me a nice roll of glutinous rice that she claimed its very popular in Ubon Ratchathani. She also helped me flag a taxi and negotatiated a flat fare of 50 Baht to get to the airport. What a nice lady!
From Ubon Ratchathani, its a morning transit flight to Bangkok, prior to an evening flight from Bangkok to Singapore.
MORE PHOTOS
Photos Part I
Photos Part II
Photos Part III
FAST FACTS
Expenses in Singapore: S$346
Expenses in Thailand: S$133
Expenses in Laos: S$1315
---------------------
Travel Insurance: S$54
Flight: S$292
Bus/train/tuktuk: S$58
Bike Rental: S$616
Accommodation: S$171
Petrol: S$133
River Crossing Fees: S$19
Tours and Entrance Fees: S$54
Internet Usage: S$12
Prepaid phone card: S$20
Shopping/Massage: S$116
Food/Drinks/Miscellaneous: S$249
TOTAL EXPENDITURE: S$1,794
Distance on a motorbike: 3,621km
Fuel consumed: 125ltrs
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 28.92 km/ltr
TOTAL TRIP DISTANCE: 3,736km
TRAVEL GUIDES / NEWS / MAGAZINES
ITIS Laos
http://www.itisnet.com/english/asia/laos/laostop.htm
iExplore Thailand and Laos itinerary
http://www.iexplore.com/itinerary/result/46855
Asian Travel Mate Laos itinerary
http://www.asianatravelmate.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=480&Itemid=107&loc=laos&clickTab=&cida=175&cot=1&cit=0
Remote Asia
http://www.remoteasia.com/Laos.html
Dragon Travel
http://www.dragontravel.co.uk/laos.html
Virtual Tourist
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Laos/TravelGuide-Laos.html
Travel info on Vientiane by Isaac
http://cousinisaac.com/welcome_to_vte.html
Paksong Laos Coffee Capital
http://www.paksong.info/
Weather Forecast
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=Lao%20Peoples%20Republic&wuSelect=WEATHER
Transportation from Bangkok Airport
http://www.airportthai.co.th/airportnew/sun/transportation1.asp?lang=en&sub=bmta#bmta
MOTORBIKING IN LAOS
Golden Triangle Riders
http://www.gt-rider.com/
http://board.gt-rider.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2795
Asian Bike Tour
http://www.asianbiketour.com/Motorcycle_tour_Asia_30-Day_Thai-Lao_Expedition.htm
Green Discovery
http://www.greendiscoverylaos.com/
Mototours Asia
http://www.voyagevietnam.net/eng/35.php
Explore Indochina
http://www.exploreindochina.com/
Offroad Vietnam
http://www.offroadvietnam.com/eng/33.php
Adventure Rider Forum
http://www.advrider.com/
TRIP REPORTS & BLOGS
http://adventurevacationtrip.com/northern-laos-loop-1-introduction
http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/blog-139252.html
http://www.worldflyingadventure.com/leg13.htm
http://www.marimari.com/cOnTENT/categories/express_it/travel_articles/siam_bike.html
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/gregfrazier/news/2003-03-30.shtml
http://spearwalsh.com/?p=362
http://travelerstales.com/carpet/002550.shtml
MAPS
http://www.ecotourismlaos.com/maps.htm
http://asiagps.org/
http://laos-travel.itgo.com/map/
http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/map-of-laos.html
http://www.theboatlanding.laopdr.com/laosmap.html
http://www.theboatlanding.laopdr.com/nlaosmap.html
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