Posts in Lao

Lao LabRat Run Moto Inspection: Photos and Reportage From Our New Lao Tour

Lao LabRat Run Moto Inspection: Photos and Reportage From Our New Lao Tour

03 July 23

"I would like to see even more of Thailand, but it would be nice not to have to cycle everywhere," said Echo one day during the world's recent closure. To me, this sounded reasonable whilst also providing the opportunity to scratch a little itch that had been gradually growing stronger for a while; the time had come to revisit my formative passion for motorcycling. 

Have motorcycle, will travel; and since getting our hands on our Honda Rally, travel we have. Our machine has given us much fun and freedom and taken us to parts of Thailand we probably wouldn't have seen by bicycle due to the distances between accomodation in some areas. Now with our LabRat Run in Lao just around the corner, it seemed like a blooming good excuse to load the Honda up and nip across the border to Lao for a route inspection.

The premise for the new PaintedRoads Lao trip, when planned back in 2015, was for a tour that showed people how cycling was back in the days before the classic Highway-13 tour was torn asunder by the inevitable march of "progress", and tucks and ugly SUVs tear the once lovely little byway to shreds (which they now have).

Back in the summer of 2015, my Laotian partner and I set off to find a route that visited the wonderful Luang Prabang, the capital of Vientiane, and the mysterious Plain of Jars, along with a day cruise on the Mekong River, all whilst avoiding trucks, cars, and the once wonderful HW13. And most successful we were. But, my recent gnawing concern has been how the route would be after so long.

Although the purpose of LabRat Runs is to go with a group of laidback PaintedRoads regulars to inspect a trip I have, for some reason, not cycled or seen for some time, I am always anxious that the 'Rats, being such an adorable body of persons, should have a great holiday. And so, Echo and I were delighted to find ourselves plodding along meandering byways on our single cylinder four stroke enjoying an endless series of spectacular views that our photography skills can do no justice whatsoever.

Was our inspections a success? Most certainly. Am I looking forward to the Lao tour in December? Oh yes. Will I manage to cycle it after succumbing to a motorised two-wheeler? Um, well, the LabRats will be able to answer that whilst we enjoy post-tour, pre-Christmas wining and dining in the beautiful World Heritage town of Luang Prabang.

We plan to keep the group size cosy, so just three places remain available on the December trip. If you're a 'Rat and fancy coming along, give me a shout; if the trip sounds appealing and you're curious as to what it's all about, please follow this link for maps and an itinerary; I hope we'll run it again next autumn. I will now leave you with some pics from our recent Laotian adventure; it's what you'll see if you join us.

Typical Laotian scenery. The views on this tour are stunning, and capturing them is, alas, well beyond my limited photographic abilities

The iconic Beer Lao, available everywhere

The Patuxai monument in Vientiane is dedicated to those who fought for independence from France

Lao noodle soup with fresh herbs

We have time to visit The Plain of Jars at Phonsavan, a collection of mysterious jars dating back millennia, whose origin and purpose are unknown

Many of the jars, such as this one, were torn apart by American bombs during their secret and devastating bombing campaign of the '60s and '70s; this million-dollar-a-day endeavour, a violation of The International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos signed in 1962, left Lao with the dubious title of the most bombed country per capita in history. At the current rate of clearance, the 80 million unexploded bombs still littering Lao will be all tidied up by the year 2800, or soon after.

A splendid colonial hotel

The sunsets over the riverfront road that becomes an evening promenade in Vientiane

The riverside village at the foot of the mountain is our rest day venue

Larp, minced pork with herbs and spices is a deliciouse local meal

The little streets of the World Heritage town of Luang Prabang are a joy to wander

A tuk tuk in Luang Prabang

Quietly sitting in with the chanting monks in Luang Prabang

A cosy cafe

Stewed porkleg and rice

Coffee in Nong Kiaw, our rest day venue

Working the rice fields

Happy 4:28

Tri Nations Tour Review

Tri Nations Tour Review

09 November 16

The idea of a tour through Vietnam, Lao, and Thailand has been on my mind for years, and so I am delighted that the inaugural Tri-Nations tour was such a great success - so good in fact that Arthur, a veteran of no fewer than twelve Asian cycling tours, declared it his best tour to date, quite an accolade.

Make no mistake, the tour was no walk in the park. With an average daily distance of nigh on one hundred kilometres, days with over 2000 metres of climbing, and, in Thailand, gradients of up to 18% this was far from downhill all the way. But then again Paul is in his 60s, Arthur is in his 70s, and Caroline, although still youthful, is a relative newcomer to cycling and has never tackled anything quite like this before, and they all found it a most rewarding and enjoyable ride.

The group was boosted tremendously by the late (very) joining of Roman. We had transferred from Hanoi to the old French hill station of Sapa on a beautiful sunny day. As we prepared our bicycles for the journey ahead Roman wandered past by chance, and, after observing our antics for a wee while enquired as to what we were up to. We explained we were beginning our journey in the morning and riding from here to Chiang Rai in Thailand, via Lao. Roman could hardly believe his luck as it was just the tour he had been looking for. He joined us for dinner, we had a bike sent up from Hanoi overnight, and Roman became a valuable contributor to the fun of our Indo China adventure.

My long-held desire to run this tour comes not just from the beautiful cycling, but from the desire to show people the amazing contrast of these three neighbouring lands. All Buddhist, two allegedly communist, one allegedly democratic - but what a contrast, what a difference as we crossed borders. Vietnam with a population of nearly one hundred million people is dynamic and full of energy, it is a country developing so quickly one can see its evolution with the naked eye. Lao, with a mere six million inhabitants, is quiet, relaxed, laid back. And Thailand, the most developed of the three nations, is relaxed and charming with a population complexed, quiet and well mannered. 

Which land did people like the most? There was no clear favourite, which I feel sums the tour up, a tour of contrasting lands, all beautiful and fascinating, and all populated by friendly welcoming people. As for me, I can’t wait to do it all again