4 day trip July 2008

jimoi

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Nov 17, 2004
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Departing Vientiane on July 26
Bikes:
8 Honda Baja
3 Honda XR
1 Yamaha WR
Photos and Video online at http://www.remoteasia.com/Prunty.php
Route:
Day 1: Vientiane - Pak Lay along the Mekong west out of VTE
Day 2: Pak Lay - Luang Prabang
Day 3: Luang Prabang - Vang Vieng Vegas
Day 4: Vang Vegas - Vientiane via Hwy 10

Notes
Day 1:
Lots of mud and lots of water. The road construction has stalled for rainy season and while bad in sections, very passable. My runs to Pak Lay ususally take 6 - 7 hours with stops but this one took 9, a few punctures and large group moving a bit slower on the first day.
tn_Crazybridgecrossing.gif


Day 2
The road out of Pak Lay is a little worse than last February but still in good all weather dirt condition with some exception around 60 km north of Pak Lay. Nothing really out of order on the road but still is not paved(yes) and some sections in rainy season are slick as snot(Bungee). The ferry crossing after Xayaboury was a bit fun, I spent way too long repairing the Yamaha WR and the group took the car ferry and I bobbed across on the longboat. Ferry prices are still reasonable at 35000 - 50000 but the wait is long sometimes. The last 60 km before meeting Hwy 13 can be slick as well, I did it early evening in the rain and the Yamaha liked to bounce a little too much.
tn_OvercrowdedFerry2.gif

Day 3
Luang Prabang to Vang Vegas is still an easy and beautiful ride. There were lots of landslides from the heavy rain of the second week of July and looks like a few more sections between KM 280 - 366 are prime to slide down as well.
group-photoredux.gif

Day 4
Vang Vegas was a little too much fun for one rider and an extra 2 hours rest was in order but the group departed about on time. The three turns after Phonhong are not marked anymore with directions to Ban Keun.
Easy ride into Vientiane. This group came to me from Digby at Explore Indochina.