Wow. Laos was an experience. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but in speaking with the lady who ran the hostel in Houay Xai, I came up with another route that was probably more challenging and rewarding – not that it was too “out there”.
I didn’t have much idea about what to expect along the route, but I managed to see that there were villages and towns that were spaced out along the way and they fitted pretty well into a good series of day rides. As well, there seemed to be some guesthouses at each place as I hadn’t brought a tent on this trip.
What followed was a rewarding journey over some ever undulating hills, steep inclines, through small villages beside some stunning mountains and rivers. The people were the highlight though. The kids constantly screamed “Falang, Falang” as they ran inside to alert their friends and families that there was a stranger on a bicycle coming through the place. Adults laughed or smiled or simply ignored me as I passed through. Wherever I stopped, there was an instant crowd.
I decided to take the ferry to Pakbeng and then ride from there to Luang Prabang via Xayaboury. Most backpackers and tourists would have done this journey by boat, along the mighty Mekong River. That’s how I got to Pakbeng, and as the boat approached, the mountains seemed to grow much larger, filling me with trepidation about the days ahead. That’s just fear of the unknown and something to acknowledge and dismiss. In the end, the five days of riding was hard but fantastic, the guesthouses dusty but fine, the food simple and the locals friendly.
The language barrier wasn’t always a problem. Some restaurants only sold one thing – Noodle Soup. Wherever I went, people stopped what they were doing and gawked at me. You get a bit self conscious when this is constantly happening.
From Pakbeng, I had a fairly short ride of 50km to Muang Ngeung. Unfortunately, there was 1400m of uphill. Sounds terrible, but here, that means some great scenery. The next day to Hongsa was even shorter, with plenty of uphill and some rain at the start. The only dependable way to get a coffee in Laos is to get a can of the stuff, which is available at any corner store.
The first two days of the five I planned, were surprisingly spent on a well paved road, and I began to wonder if this would continue the whole way. As I neared Hongsa, I realised why – there was a power station in Hongsa and they had probably paid for it. No complaints for me, but on the outskirts of Hongsa, the road I took veered away from the power station and the potholes and mud started immediately.
I didn’t expect much in Hongsa, but to my surprise, there was a pizza place that also did coffee. Arriving, at lunchtime, I thought I was hallucinating until I tasted both… Give me noodle soup anyday. The afternoon consisted of wandering around town where the markets were in operation and trying to grab some zzzz’s at the guestouse while half a dozen karaoke machines competed for the honour of being loudest and worst. For dinner, I found a nice eatery around the corner and had my Thai favourite Pad Kpao Moo Kai Dao. This was all just prep for tomorrow. I also stocked up on bananas and any snacks I could find as the biggest day was next.
The next day’s ride was tough but absolutely beautiful. Tons of locals shook their heads and laughed when they realised where I was going. It was steep, beautiful, exhausting, rewarding riding full of hike-a-bike sections where the roads casually rose above 15% regularly. I went through villages full of people waving and laughing as I chomped through every bit of food I could get. Eventually, I came out of the hillier area and there was the occasional corner shop with some things I could eat to keep going, and water to cool me down.
I arrived in Xayaboury completely exhausted, stopped to check for a guesthouse and realised I was outside a nice hotel. Decision made. There was even a place with food and beer around the corner, and I realised that I was back in a large town – and it turned out to be very nice, as I decided immediately on a rest day.
My next ride day took me to Muang Nan, a mere 41kms up the road. I crossed the Mekong and realised there was a dam close by. The river wasn’t flowing and I could see remnants of a village that had been moved to escape the flooded area. It was a case of another small town with me being a novelty, but food and accommodation was easy to get.
I was excited about the next day’s ride. I was to follow a dirt road that went alongside the Mekong for the first half, then it was onto tarmac for a climb and a descent into the wonderful town of Luang Prabang.
Overnight rain meant there was plenty of mud, but lots of friendly locals wondering what I was doing there too. Today was one of the best one day rides I’ve ever done. The road was a goat track in part, but always interesting and at the end, was a nice hotel, great food and nice people.
Other cyclists would look at this five day route and probably say it looked just ok. To me, it was an exercise in getting out of my comfort zone completely and trusting my skills to get through it. As such, it was rewarding and confidence building for the journeys ahead.
Other posts from Laos
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