Blue lines indicate where we biked, and random way-points show the places we took buses to.
View Vietnam and Laos bike route in a larger map
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Fixing the bike and moving on
After a few days of staking out the lone western bike shop in Lao, hoping to find a solution to my current equipment problem, I was finally rewarded today. I assumed that I would need to buy a new crank set to replace the one stripped out arm, but it turns out the friendly owner of the bike shop can simply re-thread the arm, which means I only have to buy a new set of pedals. Now that we have our Thai visas in hand all we have to do is hop on our bikes tomorrow and head out of Lao, and start biking in a new country. It works out well, because our Lao visas expire tomorrow, so if my bike breaks again we could be SOL.
Vang Vieng onto Vientiane
After the short bus ride back to Phoukoun, we grabbed the bikes and made a break for Kasi about 50k away, taking advantage of the mid-afternoon clouds and resulting cooler temperatures. The road wound along the ridgeline from Phoukoun before dropping us amid the jagged limestone remains of eons of erosion. We've seen karsts everywhere in Lao, but they never cease to blow me away. Kasi was an unexciting town, but one with spectacular scenery. No karsts, but rolling hills scattered with rice paddies and stilted bamboo huts overlooking it all.
The ride to Vang Vieng the next day took us up a small pass before sending us tumbling down to the Nam Song river, as it sliced through the karsts towering over the road. All the downhill put us into town around 10am, leaving us with plenty of time to wander around and get our bearing for the next few days.
Before we arrived, plenty of people had warned us about the drugged out, tourist party culture that permeates throughout the town; they definitely weren't lying and it is over the top. Walking the main drag your ears are assualted by bars and restaurants running continuous loops of Friends and The Family Guy. Hearing the soundtrack for Friends felt oddly discordant while walking down a street in Lao.
Despite the over-development of some parts of Vang Vieng, it takes only a short trip across the river to leave it all behind and enter a world of jagged karsts, winding networks of limestone caves, and tranquil lagoons of cool clear water. We spent many of our days on the winding dirt roads across the river enjoying the sharp limestone ridgelines or exploring the various networks of narrow caves.
As someone who has always been a bit shy of confined spaces, the cave exploration put my nerves to the test a few times. I persevered when I could, but I was definitely turned back by more than a few narrow crawl spaces. Mentally there was only so much I could handle, plus being 6'5" doesn't really help the situation.
But, out of the caves flowed beautiful springs of cool, clear water; perfect places to take a midday siesta to beat the heat. My favorite location came equipped with a rope swing and oppurtunities to gain some altitude in the trees before entering the water. For the low price of $1.25 it was a relaxing way to kill an afternoon, and wash off all the sweat from the morning rides.
Alas our time in Vang Vieng had to come to an end. After six days in town we tried to leave but my bike wouldn't cooperate, or more accurately my pedals wouldn't cooperate. I tried to pedal up to the road from our hotel, but soon found that while my shoe was still clipped into the pedal, the pedal was no longer attached to the bike; a bit of a perplexing problem. After some careful consideration, we decided that riding wasn't going to be an option until my pedals could be fixed (unlikely) or replaced. I ultimately purchased some cheap replacement pedals at the local market hoping that they would last the final 150k or so into Vientiane.
Unfortunately the next day the pedals managed to make it about 15k out town before breaking. Or more accurately they took me 15k out of town and completely stripped out the threading on one of my crank arms in the process. I went from needing new pedals, to needing new pedals and a new crank arm as well. Joyous day. I wish I could say I maintained a calm relaxed demeanor in the face of my equipment problem, but I didn't. Somethings were thrown (the faulty pedal, possibly a wrench) before I mellowed out a bit.
After my tantrum we faced the more immediate dilemma of whether to head back to town to catch a bus, or try and hail one from the road. As luck would have it (the only lucky moment of the day) a bus rolled up in the midst of our decision making and solved the problem. Two hours later we arrived in Vientiane, broken bike and all. T
The ride to Vang Vieng the next day took us up a small pass before sending us tumbling down to the Nam Song river, as it sliced through the karsts towering over the road. All the downhill put us into town around 10am, leaving us with plenty of time to wander around and get our bearing for the next few days.
Before we arrived, plenty of people had warned us about the drugged out, tourist party culture that permeates throughout the town; they definitely weren't lying and it is over the top. Walking the main drag your ears are assualted by bars and restaurants running continuous loops of Friends and The Family Guy. Hearing the soundtrack for Friends felt oddly discordant while walking down a street in Lao.
Despite the over-development of some parts of Vang Vieng, it takes only a short trip across the river to leave it all behind and enter a world of jagged karsts, winding networks of limestone caves, and tranquil lagoons of cool clear water. We spent many of our days on the winding dirt roads across the river enjoying the sharp limestone ridgelines or exploring the various networks of narrow caves.
As someone who has always been a bit shy of confined spaces, the cave exploration put my nerves to the test a few times. I persevered when I could, but I was definitely turned back by more than a few narrow crawl spaces. Mentally there was only so much I could handle, plus being 6'5" doesn't really help the situation.
But, out of the caves flowed beautiful springs of cool, clear water; perfect places to take a midday siesta to beat the heat. My favorite location came equipped with a rope swing and oppurtunities to gain some altitude in the trees before entering the water. For the low price of $1.25 it was a relaxing way to kill an afternoon, and wash off all the sweat from the morning rides.
Alas our time in Vang Vieng had to come to an end. After six days in town we tried to leave but my bike wouldn't cooperate, or more accurately my pedals wouldn't cooperate. I tried to pedal up to the road from our hotel, but soon found that while my shoe was still clipped into the pedal, the pedal was no longer attached to the bike; a bit of a perplexing problem. After some careful consideration, we decided that riding wasn't going to be an option until my pedals could be fixed (unlikely) or replaced. I ultimately purchased some cheap replacement pedals at the local market hoping that they would last the final 150k or so into Vientiane.
Unfortunately the next day the pedals managed to make it about 15k out town before breaking. Or more accurately they took me 15k out of town and completely stripped out the threading on one of my crank arms in the process. I went from needing new pedals, to needing new pedals and a new crank arm as well. Joyous day. I wish I could say I maintained a calm relaxed demeanor in the face of my equipment problem, but I didn't. Somethings were thrown (the faulty pedal, possibly a wrench) before I mellowed out a bit.
After my tantrum we faced the more immediate dilemma of whether to head back to town to catch a bus, or try and hail one from the road. As luck would have it (the only lucky moment of the day) a bus rolled up in the midst of our decision making and solved the problem. Two hours later we arrived in Vientiane, broken bike and all. T
Plain of Jars
Kiawakuchum led us to Phoukoun, a short 50k away, and our departure point for Phonesavan and the Plain of Jars. In the interest of time and perhaps a bit of laziness we decided to stash our bikes in Phoukoun and hop a bus to Phonesavan, which conveniently arrived in town about 30 minutes after us and sent us on our way.
The Plain of Jars...was, well...plains full of Jars. 3,000 year old stone burial relics, scattered about the cratered fields of Phonesavan. I don't know if archaeologist are entirely sure why they were used, but the basic idea was bodies (or maybe it was ashes) were placed in the jars after they passed away, some with lids and some without. Not necessarily and exhilarating experience but definitely a unique sight, and well worth the side trip to Phonesavan.
The more depressing aspect of Phonesavan is the thousands of unexploded bombs dropped by the US during the Vietnam war that continue to wreak havoc in the area. Definitely a situation that leaves you feeling a little less than proud of the US.
Minus the bomb craters Phonesavan felt strangely familiar, rolling green hills dotted with clusters of pine trees. Expansive fields covered in a ceiling of gray misting clouds. On the otherside of the world in a largely tropical country, the landscape was oddly reminiscent of the Willamette Valley. The landscape was a beautiful amalgamation of familiar terrain in a foreign country.
The Plain of Jars...was, well...plains full of Jars. 3,000 year old stone burial relics, scattered about the cratered fields of Phonesavan. I don't know if archaeologist are entirely sure why they were used, but the basic idea was bodies (or maybe it was ashes) were placed in the jars after they passed away, some with lids and some without. Not necessarily and exhilarating experience but definitely a unique sight, and well worth the side trip to Phonesavan.
The more depressing aspect of Phonesavan is the thousands of unexploded bombs dropped by the US during the Vietnam war that continue to wreak havoc in the area. Definitely a situation that leaves you feeling a little less than proud of the US.
Minus the bomb craters Phonesavan felt strangely familiar, rolling green hills dotted with clusters of pine trees. Expansive fields covered in a ceiling of gray misting clouds. On the otherside of the world in a largely tropical country, the landscape was oddly reminiscent of the Willamette Valley. The landscape was a beautiful amalgamation of familiar terrain in a foreign country.
Tackling the hills
Based on some conversations with other cyclists we knew heading south out of Luang Prabang we were going to be tackling a series of steep climbs over the next 210k to Vang Vieng. Sure enough it didn't take all that long, about 20k south of town we started with an absolutely lovely 8k climb on some windy roads up to a nice ridgeline view point. The view was nice, but sadly it was nowhere near the top of the climb, that was still another 6k away. After mashing out the last 6k we were treated to a nice long 16k descent, leaving us at just about the same elevation that we started at four hours earlier, wahoo. Which left us starting the truly beastly climb of the day, all 25k of it, just as the mid-afternoon heat was ratcheting up. I know I bitch alot about sweating profusely and the heat, but its really damn hot here, and I'm from Seattle, where the thermometer hardly ever goes north of 85. The climb was beautiful, it just necessitated frequent snack and water breaks to make sure we didn't pass out in the road halfway up. Probably a little dramatic, but it felt pretty brutal at the time.
Our destination for the day was Kiawakuchum, a humble roadside town perched atop a sinuous ridgeline overlooking the distant peaks, and the valley's below. After a day of brutal climbing it was nice to take in a ridge-top sunset, while attempting to inhale all of the calories I had burned off during the day, thank god for sticky rice.
Our destination for the day was Kiawakuchum, a humble roadside town perched atop a sinuous ridgeline overlooking the distant peaks, and the valley's below. After a day of brutal climbing it was nice to take in a ridge-top sunset, while attempting to inhale all of the calories I had burned off during the day, thank god for sticky rice.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Luang Prabang
The morning we took off for Luang Prabang we were treated to a massive down pouring of rain that provided a nice end to the Lao New Year, since it cleared the smoke from the air and provided us with our first unimpeded views of Laos. Disappoint they did not. In the early morning light the limestone cliffs were magnificent, touching the sky all around us. Ridgelines extending miles up the river previously cloaked in a thick haze. We had entered a completely different world, fresh and clean and full of beauty. My head was on a swivel the entire ride, trying to take in all the spectacular views that had suddenly materialized out of the smoke.
The ride from Nong Khiaw to Luang Prabang was tackled in two days, with the first day to the unexceptional Pak Mong, a way-point for those on longer journeys. Luang Prabang was a 110k ride through rolling hills backed by beautiful limestone cliffs. We started early and rolled into Luang Prabang before the heat of the day set in, a beautiful town lying at the convergence of the Mekong and Nam Ou rivers. If I wasn't so far behind in the blog I would spend a little more time describing our time there, but I am that far behind, essentially Luang Prabang boiled down to a series of disappointments.
Our attempt to see the normally beautiful Tat Sae waterfall fizzled out due to natural causes. Somebody tried to tell us before we paid for admission that it wasn't worth it since there was no water. We nodded and said we'd think about it, but ultimately figured it would be worth seeing even if it wasn't gushing. Turns out when he said there was no water, he meant absolutely no water. The falls were bone dry, leaving us with a beautiful views of moss and artificial sand bag walls. Truly epic. So sad because in full flow the falls look unbelievable with a series of steps of cascading turquoise water leading down to the river. Pak Ou cave also provided us with a less than memorable experience. Maybe it was the cost of the ferry and the admission that soured it for me, but for one of the Holier sites in Lao, they did not use the money all that efficiently to help with the upkeep. Again less than memorable.
Luang Prabang did have its moments, a beautiful sunset from a hilltop shrine, my first view of the mighty mighty Mekong, and an noverall mellow atmosphere despite the abundance of tourists. I'm sure I've glossed over quite a bit, but I imagine if you're reading this you probably don't mind.
The ride from Nong Khiaw to Luang Prabang was tackled in two days, with the first day to the unexceptional Pak Mong, a way-point for those on longer journeys. Luang Prabang was a 110k ride through rolling hills backed by beautiful limestone cliffs. We started early and rolled into Luang Prabang before the heat of the day set in, a beautiful town lying at the convergence of the Mekong and Nam Ou rivers. If I wasn't so far behind in the blog I would spend a little more time describing our time there, but I am that far behind, essentially Luang Prabang boiled down to a series of disappointments.
Our attempt to see the normally beautiful Tat Sae waterfall fizzled out due to natural causes. Somebody tried to tell us before we paid for admission that it wasn't worth it since there was no water. We nodded and said we'd think about it, but ultimately figured it would be worth seeing even if it wasn't gushing. Turns out when he said there was no water, he meant absolutely no water. The falls were bone dry, leaving us with a beautiful views of moss and artificial sand bag walls. Truly epic. So sad because in full flow the falls look unbelievable with a series of steps of cascading turquoise water leading down to the river. Pak Ou cave also provided us with a less than memorable experience. Maybe it was the cost of the ferry and the admission that soured it for me, but for one of the Holier sites in Lao, they did not use the money all that efficiently to help with the upkeep. Again less than memorable.
Luang Prabang did have its moments, a beautiful sunset from a hilltop shrine, my first view of the mighty mighty Mekong, and an noverall mellow atmosphere despite the abundance of tourists. I'm sure I've glossed over quite a bit, but I imagine if you're reading this you probably don't mind.
Celebrating the new year
From Nong Khiaw we took a day trip up the river to the small town of Muang Ngoi to catch what supposed to be some amazing scenery. In Nong Khiaw it was easy to forget it was the Lao New Year because the town played it pretty low key. Our first look at the boats heading up to Muang Ngoi, or at least the cargo that was heading up there, hinted at a slightly more boisterous celebration of the New Year. While we ate breakfast above the river, we watched as two proters made a continuous circuit to and from the beach, each carrying two cases of 12 bottles of 700ml beers apiece. The result of this procession was as one would expect, a very large formation of beer cases stacked on the beach ready to be shipped up the river.
A little over an hour after we had shoved off we puttered into Muang Ngoi the party was already getting started at 11am. On the opposite bank of the river there were a couple of tents set up, a makeshift soundsystem, and plenty of Beer Lao. This complicated our original plans to make our trip to Muang Ngoi just a day, seeing as anybody that could potentially give us a ride back down the river was well on their way to having trouble walking, let alone steering a boat.
We decided to head out for a hike and weigh our options when we returned. The hike was serene, but as usual most of the views were obscured by smoke. We spent an hour or two wandering out to a nearby village, than meandering back through the open fields. The heat of the day required a mid-afternoon plunge in the cleanest part of the river we could find. Apparently others had the same idea because just down stream we found about 10-15 water buffaloes placidly standing and lying in the river avoiding the heat.
We made some quick tracks back to town, only to find the town dock more-or-less deserted and a huge party raging across the river. I say more-or-less because there was a blue tarp party boat shuttling stragglers to the party as well as dispensing beer along the way. When it came down to it we really didn't have much of a choice, stay on the empty beach...or join the party. As soon as the party boat floated up, we hopped on and joined the party. Since celebrating the New Year involves throwing water on everybody in sight, and we were by a river, total saturation occurred in about 30 seconds.
Luckily when we arrived on the opposite bank we managed to find our ferry driver and surprisingly he was sober and heading back down the river in a few hours. Until then we joined in on the festivities, drank beer, swam in the river, and threw water on anybody in sight. Our ride back down the river an hour or so later provided absolutely stunning views. Although smoke limited the views, it also managed to illuminate the karsts with a beautiful fiery red aura as the sun descended below the horizon and we glided down the Nam Ou.
A little over an hour after we had shoved off we puttered into Muang Ngoi the party was already getting started at 11am. On the opposite bank of the river there were a couple of tents set up, a makeshift soundsystem, and plenty of Beer Lao. This complicated our original plans to make our trip to Muang Ngoi just a day, seeing as anybody that could potentially give us a ride back down the river was well on their way to having trouble walking, let alone steering a boat.
We decided to head out for a hike and weigh our options when we returned. The hike was serene, but as usual most of the views were obscured by smoke. We spent an hour or two wandering out to a nearby village, than meandering back through the open fields. The heat of the day required a mid-afternoon plunge in the cleanest part of the river we could find. Apparently others had the same idea because just down stream we found about 10-15 water buffaloes placidly standing and lying in the river avoiding the heat.
We made some quick tracks back to town, only to find the town dock more-or-less deserted and a huge party raging across the river. I say more-or-less because there was a blue tarp party boat shuttling stragglers to the party as well as dispensing beer along the way. When it came down to it we really didn't have much of a choice, stay on the empty beach...or join the party. As soon as the party boat floated up, we hopped on and joined the party. Since celebrating the New Year involves throwing water on everybody in sight, and we were by a river, total saturation occurred in about 30 seconds.
Luckily when we arrived on the opposite bank we managed to find our ferry driver and surprisingly he was sober and heading back down the river in a few hours. Until then we joined in on the festivities, drank beer, swam in the river, and threw water on anybody in sight. Our ride back down the river an hour or so later provided absolutely stunning views. Although smoke limited the views, it also managed to illuminate the karsts with a beautiful fiery red aura as the sun descended below the horizon and we glided down the Nam Ou.
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