Topic: Motorcycle trip to Laos

[andy750]

I just spent a week touring Cambodia then went to Laos for a motorcycle trip. I had always wanted to ride in Laos and when I saw the road from Vientiane to Luang Prabang I knew I had to do it by motorcycle!

 I rented a Honda XR250 from www.remoteasia.com. Very easy to deal with.

Here is the route I took from Vientiane, capital  of Laos:

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Vientiane,+Laos&daddr=Luang+Prabang,+Laos&hl=en&sll=19.621751,102.621621&sspn=4.345395,4.938354&geocode=FREXEgEdncUdBikhe-0GhmgkMTHf7sEYhrGTHw%3BFURoLwEdoo4WBimjGz1BPyovMTFWao5gqUmXrA&mra=ls&t=m&z=9.

After watching the sunrise over Bangkok



I caught the 10am flight from Bangkok to Vientiane and met my old friend Noon who is a Vientiane native and is passionate about her country so that she wanted to show me everything and tell me all the history etc. She would drive me around Vientiane, take me to get the bike and then fly to Luang Prabang to meet me there.

First of all we had lunch by the Mekong River - on the other side is Thailand





Then it was car tour time - the Chevy costs $29, 500 in Laos! There is a VW club apparently that do tours together - I also saw a club of old Citroen CVs touring



We went to the National Assembly



and saw drag racing scooters in the car park



then onto the Golden Stuppa for sunset







next to which was Lazy Reclining Buddha





At this point I was a little nervous about riding in Laos...we went to pick up the bike from "remoteasia.com" and I had to leave my passport behind as security - this made me nervous the whole time! Picked it up and rode it back to the hotel 



The hotel was 5 floors and had a rooftop bar



The Scottish bar along the street



Got hungry for some street food 





then it was off to bed ready for the 9 hr ride tomorrow to Luang Prabang (LPR) -what a first day already! Sunrise over the Mekong...



The receptionist at the hotel told me it took him 12 hrs to ride to LPR and this made me more nervous! Left the hotel at 7.30am and once out of town encountered the first of many cows on the road



Not a lot of traffic on the road mainly slow moving scooters and slow moving trucks...my top speed on a straight section was 50 mph but usually on the twisties more like 25 -40 mph which felt faster than usual!

Now some scenic road shots 









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Lot of farmland on the flat parts










Some road shots - pretty good roads overall







and more scenic shots





I make it to Vang Vieng in 3 hrs and think wow that was easy and GPS says only another 175 miles to Luang Prabang - only this would take 6 hours!!

This was not the road I took but I thought it made a good shot



Stopped for lunch at a very cool restraunt with a view and met a Czech couple who were driving a car and told me it took them 10 hrs to drive to LPR and it was raining 4 days ok - luck for me it was all blue skies! We both mentioned the oil in the corners from the slow moving trucks 





You can see the road cutting across the top of the hillside





and the Hmong villages that cling to the side of the mountain





Pit stop



They have these shelters periodically along the road - used by farmers for lunch breaks, bus stops, rest stops etc



the view from it



Finally arrived in LPR at 4.45 pm just in time to celebrate Lao National Day with Noon (she had been worried I had got lost), the hotel owner and his friends - parked outside the hotel and in front of the patio by the river



the hotel was in the old part of town  - family owned





along the road were a bunch of big bikes from Thailand





and for the Versys people





and these two old Mercs



So after a celebratory Lao beer on the patio we went for a walk around town and got some food at the Night Market - this guy was making rice cakes with coconut milk mmmmmm









and opposite him this old Hmong lady was selling LPR sausages and spicy burgers (which were very spicy!)



Next Noon wanted me to try the dried pork (center) - sooo good!



We bought some black pudding sausage but my tester (Noon) told me they were too spicy!!



The buffet was popular with tourists - all you can eat for $5





Our collection of things to try washed down with some Lao beer - second day in Laos comes to a close...



bbq chicken on skewers



Spring rolls



that spicy burger



Tomorrow morning we would be up at 6am to go feed the monks....

To be continued...

cheers
Andy

[70CB750]

You live the good life!

Thanks for sharing.

[brooze72]

Oh boy, beautiful country & pics are great! Looking forward to the next part, seems like it was a great experience, I envy you   

[MoMo]

thanks for sharing Andy.  Great photos and storylines...Larry

[Duke McDukiedook]

Oh man, I can't see pictures at work but I want to see them!
I saw a show that had some tour riders going through northern Laos where the US carpet bombed during the Vietnam conflict and everything was "Crater" this and "crater" that- you had to be careful goin out on foottrails due to unexploded ordinances.

Eventually I am going to visit there with the wife and visit family in Vientiane and maybe take a bike out for a day.
Only problem is my wife refuses to ride on a bike with me so I may be going solo. 
Can't wait to see these pics!
 

[Jay Ace]

WOW what beautiful scenery!
Hope you are having a lot of fun traveling and tasting all the delicious food.
Share more when you can

[Duke McDukiedook]

Be careful when they offer you Papaya salad, it is extremely spicy!!!
Tastes good but I can only eat a little because it is so hot!
I bet there is some good pho at the night markets there.

[MikeZ]

WOW
Sounds like a trip of a life time. 
I'm super jealous.
Amazing pics and story.
Stay safe.  Can't wait to see more.
Thanks for sharing
Mike Z

[70CB750]

Only problem is my wife refuses to ride on a bike with me so I may be going solo. 

Why solo, take some local girl for a ride 

[bwaller]

Awesome Andy, standing by.

[dave500]

excellent!

[Duanob]

Andy you do the absolute coolest trips on two wheels! Makes me envious. Ever thought of doing travel vids? Lot's of people do travel shows like Rick Steves and Rudy Maxa but nobody does them on motorcycles. Just a thought.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Dewd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stev-o]

You are the Man, so jealous.  Great write up...

[BobbyR]

Great pics Andy. It is nice to see how far the Country has come. The Mountains are truly beautiful. Great write up!

[fmctm1sw]

Amazing. .  Send this stuff to a magazine or something....

[jerry h]

Amazing pictures! Thanks for sharing.....  Feeling kind of hungry now

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Hey, when you want to do the Alps, etc again just let me know! Or if you have a better idea.... I'm into renting bikes these days unfortunately  so I just need a good excuse otherwise I'm not riding. Just had the metal taken out of my leg so I should be good to go soon plus I have beau coup FF miles to burn...... The Alps or Fly n ride Alaska make good rental rides 

Or, another Asian expedition. I hear the Asian women are hot  and I know you're into them too.

Hell, why not an African safari??

I gotta get my miles in somehow these days..........

[Duke McDukiedook]

Nice pics Andy, they make me want to go there more now.
We have our passports so all we have to do is get the time and money!

[andy750]

Thanks for all the feedback!

When I picked up the bike (Honda xr250) I immediately thought - what have I got myself into !! It was an adventure for sure. Was told to check oil twice per day, small oil weep from head gasket and was given a tool kit with 2 inner tubes and tire irons to change if I get a puncture. Eh,  I have never changed a tube on the road I say - ah it's easy says he! Oh dear.....and I was given implicit instructions not to go to any local mechanic!! So this thought was with me the whole time riding. I might have gone back the more adventurous way - Rt 4 which apparently is unpaved, probe to landslides but being on my own I went back down Rt 13. Turns out this was the right move as a landslide had causes a massive traffic jam!

Ride to Luang Prabang took a total of 9 hrs (with breaks). Weather was cooler than Cambodia but still in 80s but cool in the evenings and at the end of the day riding in the mountains wearing only a summer jacket I was shocked how cold I was getting. I was lucky to arrive before sunset! It was only 390 km but most of it was 30-40 mph!!

More photos to follow
cheers
Andy

[Kevin D]

Looks like it was a fun time! 
Family members tuned in for more pictures!!

[andy750]

The next day we got up at 5.30 am to give food to the monks. There are eighty temples in Luang Prabang alone, and this adds up to hundreds of hungry monks! The practice of offering food to monks is most visible in Theravada Buddhism -In Luang Prabang from 5:30 in the morning onward, silent lines of saffron-clad monks walk down the streets to collect alms. The locals (and tourists) are there ahead of them, ready with bowls full of the Lao staple sticky rice; every monk gets a scoopful in their bowl. Its important not to touch the bowl with your hands as you put the rice in.

Photos were taken from afar so as not to disrespect the monks (they are in meditation and dont speak nor should be spoken to).





Tourists engaging in the practice



Locals waiting to give food



It was cold in the morning and so I had to drink a lot of hot tea and coffee to keep warm as we were having breakfast on the hotel patio by the river  -this would come back to bite me later in the morning when we took a 1.5 hr boat ride up the Mekong  -a boat for 6 people with no toilet - I am sure you get the idea



Fisherman going up river to cast his nets then come down trawling the wide river for fish



River boats waiting to ferry us up river to go see a cave full of Buddha statues - it would be a cold ride up on the boat!



We passed a few of these



Farming is good on the Mekong banks



We stopped at a Hmong village half-way up (thank goodness they had a toilet!) - here they had homemade scarfs for sale (great quality) and rice wine - potent stuff!



Then it was back on the boat  -note the safety planks



and the sun came out



getting closer





Finally the cave





As promised lots of statues





Boats waiting for the return journey





then it was back downriver



Lunch was $5 for 2



After lunch we decided to go check out a waterfall...and found this young lady posing for the cameras







and more young ladies swinging from trees





and then finally the waterfall!



Yours truly



it was this big...



and then it was sunset from Mount Phou Si (sounds like pussy), Luang Prabang





then it was time to check out the night market in front of the Royal palace - bought some Lao coffee from the Bolaven plateau (south laos) - great coffee!!





and see some more Hmong textiles - bed covers this time - very cheap!



and finish off the day with a fruit drink





Tomorrow would be riding back down Rt 13 to Vang Vieng where more adventure was to be had - here is a teaser...








cheers
Andy

[flybox1]

*&^$## AWESOME!!!! 

[Damfino]

When I die, I want to be re-incarnated as Andy!!

[Stev-o]

Looks like a most excellent adventure!  Was the entire trip pleasure? Or part business??