Blasting through central Laos (Central Laos)

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(Day 240 on the road)Driving across beautiful Laos on my own motorbike is an immensely liberating experience. Not that I have been constrained much at all on my trip in the last seven months (as compared to my "previous life" with all its obligations that came with it), but blasting through this amazing country with its incredibly friendly people takes the entire experience to a whole new level.

From Savannakhet in the south we did a 750km loop north-east and then west again towards Vientiane, leaving the paved road on day three past the city of Tha Khaek and only getting back onto it on day six as we were approaching the capital. The first day (and actually the whole week) on our new bikes went surprisingly smooth. We had purchased cheap Chinese-made bikes, and pretty much everyone we had talked to suggested we should rather buy Japanese bikes. But even though we did have numerous repairs on our bikes throughout the week (three flat tires, loose electric cabling, spark-plug replacement, engine-problems, rear-brake breakdown, running out of petrol and so on), all in all we were pretty impressed by how well our bikes performed. Plus, the absolute abundance of bike-repair shops everywhere (most of the times literally only 50 meters down the road, never more than one kilometre) made break-downs much less painful than we had anticipated.

The experiences and adventures of this first week on our bikes were numerous and varied. We really got up close to the traditional Laos way of life, as our bikes allowed us to go to places that would have been impossible or at least very difficult to get to on public transport. On many of the smaller villages we passed through it seemed that everyone we passed was smiling and waving at us.

One of the nicer experiences was visiting a local school along the way: We were sitting by the side of the road having a rest and some dragon fruits when the head teacher of the school pulled up on his motorbike and invited us back to his school to attend the English class that was about to start. So the next thing we knew were in a Laos school; talking to the kids eager to practice their English and helping them with vocabulary and pronunciation was a perfect way to spend a part of the afternoon.

Another memorable things included me "truck-surfing" after a flat tire on my bike: I somehow managed to stop a small truck with four very friendly Laos' guys, and before I knew it, my bike and me were on the back of the truck whilst it drove me to the next repair shop, me making sure the bike (and myself) weren't falling off the truck as it rattled along.

After day three (when we left the paved road) things became a lot more basic in general. We stayed in very rural places, often with no shower (if they had one, with cold water) or even no electricity. All three of us were incredibly dusty after a few days on the road, making washing almost pointless on these dry unpaved roads. Sharing double-rooms between the three of us and eating local food really cut down our expenses, and was part of the experience.

The highlight of the week however was a visit to a hidden waterfall accessible through a jungle trek and a huge flooded cave called Tham Konglor. The cave is about 7km long and up to 100 meters high in some points, cutting right across a whole mountain range. We took a boat-ride through the cave which lasted for about 1 1/2 hours each way. As this is the dry season here in Laos, we had on numerous occasion leave our small boat in the middle of the cave as it was running aground and drag it across some of the shallower parts. Wading through the pitch-black, massive cave with only a torch and pulling the boat along was an experience very hard to describe. A nice swim afterwards in the refreshing waters completed this amazing day.

After that, we headed back to Vientiane, where we enjoyed the comforts of the city. I also managed to pick up my Myanmar visa (which I had applied for before I left for Savannakhet last week) and extend my visa for Laos on the same day, both of which were extremely straight-forward and painless what bureaucracy concerns. After a few days rest, good food and numerous fresh fruit shakes, we set off again, heading north.

Next stop: Vang Vieng (Central Laos).



To view my photos, have a look at pictures.beiske.com. And to read the full account of my journey, have a look at the complete book about my trip at Amazon (and most other online book shops).

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Comments

[Pontus]

Moped in Laos
Hi Ben! Sorry to disturb, just wanted to ask you about moped buying - drivin - selling in Lao. I was in Lao 9 years ago and opted for local busses to get around. This time I would like to be more free in terms of where to go (almost anywhere) and where not (VangVieng). Me and a friend are planning a much shorter trip than you made. Thinking to cross into Huay Xai, drive mopeds north to Luang Namtha and the slowly make our way to Luang Prabang where we will meet up with my wife who is there with work. My question: How much do you think we need to spenf for two decent bikes? We are not experienced motorbike drivers so I want to opt for moped style. Is it hard to buy them? Hard to sell them? And how many km can you cover in a day kind of? Would be great to hear from you if you have time! Thanks very much! Pontus, Sweden