Easy rider my arse - literally!
Trip Start
Apr 16, 2008
1
14
55
Trip End
Apr 15, 2009
Thakhek,
Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Headed off on the road towards Mahaxai bright and early on day 1 but we did some sightseeing on the way and had a few mishaps (punctures, stolen petrol, first use of First Aid kit, running out of petrol) and stopped plenty of times just to take it all in and so we didn't quite reach our destination before nightfall. That meant we had about 2 hrs driving through some bumpy muddy roads in the dark and arrived very tired a small town where we heard there was a guesthouse. We found it at last but then found out that they only had one room left with a double bed. I had got on well with Ambert but this was going to be moving pretty fast.
Met another Looper named Joel there. He was doing a similar route but by bicycle - you should have seen him fly along. He was doing about 100km a day on bad roads. He was in the only "restaurant" (the only meal on offer was fried eggs and sticky rice for dinner or breakfast) in town so he joined our table and after hearing that he had 2 beds in his room I agreed to move in with him and avoid an awkward nights sleep.
After a rain delay (just like Wimbledon) to the start of day 2 we got back on the road.
Our journey starts below some ominous clouds
This was a tough section with may parts completely covered in mud. The 110cc bikes are hardy though and we were able to power on through. The views near Lak Xao were stunning and the road also improved so the day ended with a beautiful ride in the setting sun. But it unfortunaltely involved another puncture for me (damn rental bikes). It happened right at the top of a mountain pass with no bike shops in sight so luckily I got some local help. Bert waved down a huge truck which had no cargo and the driver jumped down and helped load the bike on. He dropped me into the next town (where we actually stayed) and I got my bike sorted out. Our Loopers group grew by 2 more with the addition of Sophie and Sarah who were staying at the same guesthouse.On day 3 we had another beautiful ride (which involved a river crossing in a canoe with the motorbike - scary) all the way to KongLor - a small town famous for its cave. It is a 7.5km cave through an entire mountain through which flows a huge river. We got a boat from town into and through the cave and out the far side.Absolutely amazing sight but cruising through the pitch black cave knowing you are so far under the mountain. After the cave we did a homestay in the small town and ended the evening playing memory with some of the locals (language barrier prevented us learning their games and them learning ours if they were too difficult).
The lastday was a bit tough as our bums were really starting to hurt and we had some very heavy showers to contend with. We also saw a convoy of dog trucks heading towards Vietnam for dinner (someone elses) - I know it is strikly no different than a cattle truck but just not something that is easy to see. Back in Thakhek we had one night left and a bunch of folks from the hostel all joined us for a BBQ hotpot. Good food and good fun although you are really doing the job the chef should be doing :)
Overall a fantastic 4 days with some great memories but it signaled the end of my Laos oddysey and it was time to cross the border to Vietnam.
