We have just arrived in Luang Namtha (northern Laos) after 64km morning ride through the mist from Vieng Phou Kha and are now sitting in our guesthouse restaurant waiting for espressos and banana pancakes.
Recap on the past week of riding:
Chiang Mai to Chiang Dao (78km)
Flat with one easy hill. Got a little lost trying to take back roads out of Chiang Mai. The back roads were quiet and narrow, while the main road was busy but with a wide shoulder. Had a great coffee stop along the way. It was lovely and cool in the morning but we started noticing the heat by 10am. Rode through a number of bustling towns. Had lunch in Chiang Dao before heading out to find Rainbow Guest House. Our cabana overlooked rice paddies and limestone mogotes, similar to those we saw in Cuba and expect to see in Halong Bay. Spent the afternoon lazing around reading books, napping (on pink sheets beneath pink mosquito net) and practicing our Thai massage skills.
Chiang Dao to Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park, near Fang (91km)
Early start, chilly and misty. Easy to moderate hills. No shoulder but this was not an issue as the road was less busy. Road through some beautiful bush and busy villages. Didn't make the detour to Phrao but took pics of us next to the sign. Coffee and internet break at a place that served civet coffee, forked out the 400 baht to try some, tasted delicious as far as our cold-dampened taste buds could tell. I chatted with a local that was originally from Oregon, he was at the coffee shop with his young son who was very cute. It was interesting, and a little sad, to hear his take on Thailand schools. Apparently all students pass regardless of grades and cheating is rife. He has been teaching here for a number of years and even the private schools are bad. After our coffee shop we continued to ride through town for a very long time as the houses and shops seemed to only line the the main road and just past them on either side crops were grown in large quantities. After only another hour of riding we stopped for lunch on outskirts of Fang at a karaoke joint. Unfortunately (or fortunately) it was too early for karaoke. We stocked up on food at the Tesco across the road for a camping mission at the national park 10km out of town. The ride out there was spectacular, through little villages and green crop fields backed by mountains. The main draw card of the park is the hot pools, some of which are REALLY HOT and in which Thai visitors boil eggs. Others - which we made b line for as soon as we rented a pre-erected tent and some bedding - are bathable temperature. Hot pools were a little run down but no worse than some of the ones we have in NZ. It was great to have a soak and do some stretching, although it was segregated bathing and the women and children were fully clothed! We then had a picnic dinner by our tent, a little envious of the brazier the Thai family next to us were cooking their evening meal on! They did offer us some but we had already stuffed ourselves full of cheese sandwiches and fruit by that stage that so we had to politely decline.
Fang to Tha Ton (33km), boat to Chiang Rai.
Slept in to 7am and breakfasted with our feet in a hot pool. Quick ride through to Tha Ton where we booked a place on the 12.30pm boat to Chiang Rai. Bought some souvenirs from two hill tribe women and then went in search of a place to have brunch. 1.5 hours later and our meal and coffees still haven't arrived, Nick getting tetchy and about to walk out when the lady comes back on her scooter with freshly bought ingredients and whips up delicious eggy baguettes for us, just in time for us to get back to the dock to catch our boat. Boat ride was very scenic and relaxing, glad we had head phones though as it was powered by a small but noisy outboard motor. Short ride from the Chiang Rai dock to our very chic guesthouse in the middle of the Sunday night market, which we prowled for tasty treats and beardwear once it got dark. We were done and ready for bed by 10pm but our bedroom was about 50m from the karaoke band's PA system - and all the locals were gleefully line-dancing - so we were at the mercy of the local entertainment.
Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong (113km), boat to Huay Xai (Laos)
Early start, on the road by 6.40am. Luckily Chiang Rai's dog population was rather docile and more interested in each other than they are with humans riding bikes. Nick had found a route for us that skirts around all the hills so we made good time. Had a coffee stop at one of the cross roads we passed through and were convinced to try sweetened condensed milk toasties. Delicious! Had one other break at a deserted temple. The last 20kms was a hot slog on a newly built road. Stopped for supplies in Chiang Khong and then headed straight for the border crossing which was a breeze. It consist of a Thai immigration office, a 5 minute boat trip and then a Laos immigration office/visa-on-arrival and no queues on either side. After checking into basic accommodation at a hotel called Sabaydee (the word used in Laos to greet someone), we headed out for a late lunch and a well-earned beer, then back to the room for a nap. Even though lunch was late we decided not to skip dinner, so we found a cute little restaurant with good food and hydrating fruit shakes. Town is fairly quiet so didn't feel bad about being in bed by 10pm again.
Huay Xai to Vieng Phoukha (125km)
Early start, ate cereal and yogurt and drank a can of iced coffee in our room before hitting the rode for our biggest day yet, although at this point we were still thinking we will either stay in Ban Donchai or get a songtheaw (taxi) up the big hill. The ride through town was the most interesting morning start for us so far as the monks were out collecting offerings and praying for the people. After we passed the monks we got caught up in the school kid traffic and ended up riding with the kids until they turned off into the school grounds. They were all very friendly and practicing their English greetings on us. We rode through villages more frequently than when we were in Thailand. The villages are smaller, more rustic and there are lots for children who are super excited to see us, most wave and yell "bye bye" or "sabaydee" at us. Two hours into the ride and we were very hungry and hanging out for a coffee (we were very spoilt with espresso coffee every day in Thailand) so we picked a small rustic shop (their version of a NZ dairy) and tried our luck. They had zero English and we had zero Lao so we resorted to hand signals to make ourselves understood and managed to get some instant coffee and an omelette whipped up for us - delicious and the perfect fuel to tackle the first big hill of the day. By midday we had conquered two big hills and taken in the beautiful views that come with this mountainous terrain. We were happy with our progress but our legs were tired and ready for a rest so very happy to ride into Ban Donchai. We stopped at the first place we came to and used hand signals to communicate that we were hungry and would like some lunch. They disappeared out back through door beneath the skin of some spotted big cat and then came back with noddle soup which we devoured under the watchful eyes of a number of the village folk who have come to see (ie stare at) us. After eating we decided that we had a bit more energy in the tank and that we should tackle the huge hill that is between Ban Donchai and Vieng Phoukha, with the fallback option of hitching a lift if our legs gave out....We made it! It was tough as it was stonking hot and there was no shade. The views were spectacular, most of the truck drivers courteous and encouraging. Nick made it up to 75km/hr on the downhill! Vieng Phoukha was smaller than expected but we found a guest house with cabanas overlooking the river for less than $4/night. First order of business was to get clean; the shower was cold but we needed to cool off anyway. Second order of business was a celebratory beer, which we enjoyed on our deck in the last hour of light. We then decided to explore the village and find some dinner. In hindsight perhaps we should have stayed at our guest house as there weren't many restaurants and the one we picked, which did have a great view of the river, couldn't make most of what was on their menu as they were missing ingredients. We settled on soft boiled eggs, sticky rice and fried duck. We were starving so it was delicious
Vieng Phoukha (0km)
Breakfast was ordered for 7am but arrived shortly before 8am. No problem as we are having a rest day today, our legs need it! Chatted with an Aussie and his Malaysian girlfriend/wife who are traveling on his motorbike up to the Chinese border. Also met German and Belgian couples. A local turned up and invited us all to a local wedding so we decided to take a stroll through town to see if we could find it. On our way out we bumped into the Belgian guy, all their gear is strewn all over the place outside of their cabana, they have lost their camera with all their photos from the last two months of travelling - what a downer! We wished them luck in finding it, made a mental note to back up our own photos, and headed off into town. 10 minutes later we've walked the whole town, can't find the wedding and have decided to head back and read books on our deck. It starts to rain so that is pretty much what we end up doing all day, except for a brief excursion by each of us to find food for lunch, although only one of us was successful and that was only because I resorted to buying two minute noddles. After last night's dinner adventures we decided to order food from our guesthouse, which arrived early - just before the thunder, lightning, wind and torrential rain, which was very exciting given the fact we were eating in a hut with no walls!
Vieng Phou Kha to Luang Namtha (63km)
Ordered breakfast for 6am. It arrived at 6.40am, which was perfect. On the road by 7.15am. It was overcast, cool and misty. Only one easy hill today :). Rode through some beautiful scenery and bustling villages. Arrived in Luang Namtha before midday. First order of business: HOT showers and hair washing. Second order of business: espressos and lunch.
Now we are catching up on emailing and plan to explore the town this evening when it is cooler.
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