The Golden Triangle Rider

[Franki]

I have gotten some good info from this site prior to my Laos trip. David was kind enough to ask me to write a trip report. As a typical Hong Kong People, I had work up to my chin and apology must be made for this late report.

I am not much of a writer, so my story is boring. I have attached a link to my Yahoo Photos so you can look at the pictures and hopfully they will do a better job than I can.

[url]http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/yansermc/slideshow?&.dir=/c225&.src=ph[/url]

07/03 HK-BKK to Udon Thani. picked up by BMWMCT group and stayed in hotel in Nongkai.

08/03 Nongkai > Vientiane > Vang Vieng
Pillion from Nongkai to Vientiane to pick up the rental bike, a Honda Baja 250cc. With BMWMCT¡¦s pre-arrangement, border crossing took 20mins, most of the time was spent on taking group photos and checking out the dutyfree shop. Bike has been reserved upon arrival. The engine condition is good but not the tyres. What can you expect for US$15/day? At least the lady manager was friendly enough to give me a bottle of chain lub for free. Off we went for a tour of the city before heading for Vang Vieng. Staying at a riverside resort in Vang Viang, the late afternoon swim in the river was very welcoming after a hot day¡¦s riding. The scenery is very beautiful. The town is packed with foreign backpackers. Thus Pizza palour is available. Decided to get a roadside haircut as my souvenir toLoas only to find out the price is the same as in a saloon in Thailand, afterwards. Night is cool.

09/03 Vang Viang > Chiang Kuang/ Plain of Jars
It took us a while to figure out how to get to the site of the Plain of Jars. But we found it. The mysterious Plain of Jars is an undeveloped area near Phonsavan in Xieng Khuang Province where huge jars of unknown origin are scattered, the biggest weighing as much as six tonnes (6.6 tons). The jars have been fashioned from solid stone, which doesn't seem to have come from the area. Many of the smaller jars have been taken away by collectors, but there are still several hundred in the five major groups. Thong Hai Hin, the biggest and most accessible site. We stayed in an old Laos house converted into a hotel in Phonsavan, a quiet little town.

10/03 Chiang Kuang > Luang Pra Bang / The Heritage Town
Luang Prabang
This 'city' is just barely waking from a long slumber brought on by decades of war and revolution. Luang Prabang has only 16,000 residents and few concessions to 20th-century living, save for infrequent electricity and a few cars and trucks. Rush hour occurs when school students are let out and the streets fill with bicycles.
Its main tourist attractions are its historic temples - 32 of the original 66 built before French colonisation still stand - and its lovely setting encircled by mountains at the confluence of the Khan and Mekong rivers. Sights include the Royal Palace Museum, Wat Xieng Thong and Wat Wisunlat. Just 25km (15.5mi) along the Mekong River are the famous Pak Ou caves, some of which are filled with Buddha images, while 29km (18mi) south of the town are the beautiful Kuang Si waterfalls.

11/03 Luang Prabang > Phou Khoun > Vientiane > Nongkai > Udon Thani
Departed early morning from Luang Prabang and made a quick dash to Phou Khoun for refuel and a quick drink, than ran the same road back to Vientiane stopping only for fuel and ate the lunch box prepared the night before. Arrive Vientiane around 4pm to return the rental bike. Then ride as pillion again back to Nongkai and say farewell to most of the group. Hitched a ride to Udon Thani to prepare for my return flight to Hong Kong.

I must thank all my riding buddies from BMWMCT, especially Peera for their generous support and assistant to make my trip possible. I am looking forward to a revisit of Laos as another of my motorcycle adventure. Next stop Tibet.

Ride on,

Franki

[Kyle]

Great photos: I saw the BMW's but was the Baja necessary? Can I sport bike make it thru Laos like you did?

thanks,
kyle
kylerallen@yahoo.com

[MikeBMW]

Hi Franki []

Enjoyed your excellent pix of Laos. I spent 2yrs on the road with my BMW R100GS/PD from Singapore to Africa ++ and thought you'd like to see a few pix on my website; http://www.geocities.com/mpfcv/index.html
It's always nice to see other riders continuing the global biker tradition. If you travel further I can provide you with some excellent contacts between Thailand, Europe and Africa.

Cheers,

Mike []

Keep the Rubber-side down!

[Franki]

Hay Kyle, Sorry for the late reply. I don't usually visit this site until I need to ride there again. Yap,I want to visit Southern Laos this time. To answer your question, sport bike is ok for all of the paved roads in Laos during dry season. XR250 is the best suited bike for Laos. Small roads and twisties....

I didn't shipmy bike from HK, so I rented the XR250. It is the fastest bike of the group[:p]

Hi Mike, When I retire, I may want to do a round the world tour. By then, don't be surprised if I ask you for advise. For the moment, I must settle for the short trip of 7-21 days.[]

Franki