It is so quiet here! They don't blow their horns and there aren't that many of them. Six millions people altogether. What a difference! Our first stop in Luang Nam Tha was very close to the border and suffered from frontier town-itis, see a previous blog. Apparently bag packers go there to chill out (including our two older sons in the past). Deep frozen perhaps. Except it is very very hot and humid. VERY! Sticky all sorts of things when sat on a motorbike.
Having said goodbye to China we also said goodbye to our eight travelling biker buddies. We are now on our own. No more booked hotels in advance, no more back-up assistance...the real adventure begins; not sure we are that ready for it! We had planned to stay in Luang Nam Tha for a couple of days but even a couple of hours was a bit excessive, so we set off the next day for Luang Prabang. In the old days when Laos had a king, pre communism, Luang Prabang used to be the capital. They don't anymore and it isn't now either.
We had the customary 85km of road works on twisty roads of which half of it was not a known European road service. But we took our time and with so much less traffic, it wasn't quite as stressful as China. The villages seem an awful lot quieter than in China , a lot poorer too and almost sleepy. Most villages seem to be only equipped with a standing water pipe and road construction, or the dust and dirt created by it. It doesn't do them any aesthetic favours. Lots of people sitting around seemingly waiting for something... Lots of pigs roaming freely, lots of dogs too and quite larger than the ones in China. Clearly they have an appetite for different things here. Lots of very large butterflies and the skinniest chickens imaginable. Also lots of babies and plenty of small children who hang around by and on the edge of the road, but don't dart out onto it. A very peaceful, sedated atmosphere.
Our accommodation in Luang Prabang was basic but quite satisfactory. And a short walk from the town's Night Market. Luang Prabang is a really vibrant place full to the brim with back packers. We can understand why a lot of the world's youth want to hang out here with a BeerLao in their hands. We can also suspect why a number of single men of a certain age are also hanging out here. Every good side seems to have a flip side. Having spent a day less than anticipated in Nam Tha, we decided to spend a day extra in Prabang. We could have spent more.
On our extra day we went elephant riding. What a fantastic experience! Francoise wanted to 'drive' for a change and it was the only thing we could think of that was bigger and more unwieldy than a Harley. But it seemed more attune to off-road conditions!
We also visited one of the many Buddhist temples. We were lucky enough to have Ken as a guide. He had spent all his teenage years as a monk. It is quite common for the elder son of the family to become a monk and quite an honour too. Firstly Buddhism was a way of life and not a religion. Adherents were supposed to follow five basic rules that increased to 100 for Buddhist teachers and 227 for monks. The five basic ones were not to lie, use drugs, steal, be adulterous and kill animals. Not all Buddhists are vegetarian so the last one can cause problems in a Buddhist country where you then need a few friendly non- Buddhists to work in the abattoirs or import slaughtered meat. But apart from that, doesn't it all sound very similar? Some of the other 'rules' were also things that our parents tried to teach us; don't slouch at table, stand up straight etc.
We reluctantly left Luang Prabang and had to evict a lizard that had found one of our bags a comfortable place to stay whilst in our room. We headed South, always South for the moment, towards the capital Vientiane. We were attracted by an alternative route suggested by Mr. Garmin which promised 60km less and a quicker time. We had 75km of absolutely lovely road with stunning scenery and we climbed to nearly 2000m altitude in the Laos highlands. We were actually in the clouds and mist. And then the road disappeared. Literally! It just stopped and became a steeply inclined mud slide with no visibility. It was too much for us to contemplate. Laos isn't like the UK in a number of ways, but one of the ways it is not the same is with regards to options on routes. if the M1 is problematic you take the A1. Well here if you can't get by on the road you just have to turn around and go back and start again in a different direction. Even if that means retracing your steps 75km or 150km overall or @ 4 hours of riding. Ah well!
The alternative road which is the main road linking Vientiane with Luang Prabang, current to ex-capital, didn't have one bit of straight road longer than 50m for over 200km. Look it up on Google maps or something but make sure you zoom in. And whilst there, ask Mr Google about what happened to Laos during the Viet Nam war - its quite shocking and we were not aware of it. The scenery was absolutely magnificent - the best mountain scenery we have seen anywhere in the world. We had a wonderful late lunch in a mountain top cafe - what must be the best biker's caff in the world; they even served tea in a mug and sausages. This was THE as opposed to 'a' mountain top cafe as we have not come across others. Perhaps they even had Carlsberg...We also bought seven bananas from a road side stall for 1p each, OK they were little but nonetheless...
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We are not the fastest riders. But cows have priority on the roads here and they really get in the way and slow you down. Its there fault that our average speed is so low. We could not see any marks of ownership on them so, like the pigs and the chickens how do they get back to wherever? Maybe the same applies to the small children too, a real community spirit...
Despite the extra 150km and the intended @ 380km normal itinerary that day, we decided to press on for Vientiane nonetheless. We passed through a lively town called Vang Vieng and considered stopping. We decided to press on and boy, That was a mistake! At seven o'clock at night the sun goes down and it's not gradual. There are no street lights in the rain forest and houses in villages don't have many houselights. Pot-holes are not sign posted and lit.
It got scary and we stopped 85km short of Vientiane at a sign indicating Pele 2 Guesthouse under a yellow BeerLao sign and next to a rough looking cafe. We had a room for the night for £3.10. There was electricity and a fan and a tap and an empty ten gallon paint container to wash in and a hole in the floor. And a lizard and some ants. DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING ON THE FLOOR. We dined on a BeerLao and a packet of crisps each at the roadside cafe. Following advice from our sons we do travel with silk sleeping bag liners and pillow cases as well as mosquito repellants. We availed ourselves of them. We actually slept and quite well at that. The photo, like those of roadworks, doesn't do justice to our sentiments at the time. No 13 also looks a bit better in the daylight than in the pitch black - and you can't see the inside...
Next morning we did however leave quite early - there was little point in discussing what sort of fruit juice for breakfast was included in the price. We covered the remaining 85km in little time and were booked into a slightly more expensive hotel in Vientiane by 10.00am and we treated ourselves to a bath and a coffee/croissant in what was the hub of France's colonial Indochine. So far it's been a pretty boring place but maybe that is because it is a Sunday and they are all sleeping off a different sort of Saturday night adventure to us. Nonetheless it is a bit strange to look across the river, the Mekong, knowing it is Thailand on the other side and that Viet Nam is just 125 miles to the North East.
Paul & Francoise
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