China to Thailand via Laos

robrone9 · Dec 5, 2003

I am planning a trip in January from southwest China through Laos, and on to Bangkok, Thailand. I was wondering about the road conditions from Boten to Huay Sai, and if I would be able to do it on a Chinese road bike.

Since I will be traveling for several days on both sides of Laos, I want to use the bike I have now, instead of buying a dirt bike.

I have seen pictures of horrible roads but I was wondering if they are really that bad... maybe they were taken during the rainy season, or on side roads... or they just found the worst places in the roads to photograph. Or maybe they really are that bad.

If anyone has done this trip before, or even traveled the road from Boten to Huay Sai and could give me any assistance I would appreciate it greatly.

thanks,
rob

DavidFL · Dec 7, 2003

Rob
The road from Boten to Luang Nam Tha is “basically” all asphalt & quite good.
The road from Luang Nam Tha – Huay Sai is nearly all dirt, good and bad, depending on the season & you dirt road experience.
If you are an experienced dirt road rider, then it is not bad, unless it is raining or just after the wet season.
The locals do the road on their Honda Dreams.
If you are on a road bike and don’t have any experience riding on steep & winding dusty dirt roads, then my guess is that you might find the road bad. To exactly what degree will be relative to your experience and riding skill.
I hope this is a help. When and if you do the trip, please make sure you make a road report for us to read & keep up to date with the latest conditions.

Davidfl
Keep the power on

robrone9 · Jan 3, 2004

Well, I went ahead and bought the dirt bike, and I leave for my trip in just under a week. I was wondering if anyone could give me approximate distances from the border at Boten to the Thailand border at Huay Sai? (and the distance from Huay Sai to Chaing Rai

Also, I was planning on taking an extra fuel container, as my bike has a range of about 200 kilometers (its about 250 on a highway). I just need to know if extra fuel is going to be needed, and if so, how much to take. Thanks a ton. I will let you know how it goes.

DavidFL · Jan 6, 2004

Rob
Boten - Na Teuy = 23 kms
Na Teuy - Luang Nam = 39 kms
Luang Nam Tha - Huay Sai = 193 kms
Fuel you can generally get every 80 kms (somewhere - bottle or drum)
There are "drum petrol stations" in
Na Teuy
Luang Nam Tha
Vieng Phukha
Huay Sai
Vieng Phukha is half way between LNT & HS.
If you pick up a copy of my Laos guide map in Luang Nam Tha, you will have all the right kms for the trip.
You might also want to take a look at
Link removed
to see a summary of my ride times for 5 weeks in Laos. Some of these might be a help.

Chiang Khong – Chiang Rai = 119 kms via route 1129 / 110 / 1.
Chiang Rai – Chiang Mai = 183 kms via route 118
See you at the Sax Bar or Kafe in Chiang Mai.

Davidfl
Keep the power on

robrone9 · Feb 20, 2004

Well, I made it down and back... I think it was around 5,500 kilometers all told. Trip report to follow but right now I am trying to catch up on work. A month long vacation will fill a "to do" box like no other!

robrone9 · Feb 20, 2004

Ok so I got up this morning to write my trip report and found phil has allready put up his. (Im one of the 3 Americans he met along the way, and yes, it was my bike with the throttle problem.) Overall I would say that the ride is better in the rain though, as the dust on the return trip was very bad. I kind of liked sliding around corners in the rain too. And while my bike was no monster (only a 150cc) it held together rather well, having only a few slight problems on the way down... and my bike was the only one to complete the 5,500 or so kilometers without a flat. So... I wont bore you with the same info over again. I will give you some info on china if you want. Should I make a new topic or just post it here??

DavidFL · Feb 21, 2004

Rob
It's good to know that you survived your trip alright.
It'd would also be great to see your report for the whole trip, as what you did was different to all the others, and we'd like to learn from your experience.
A full report might also encourage a few couch potato riders to get inspired and have a go as well.
Many thanks in advance....

Davidfl
Keep the power on