Final Report - China to laos - the ride of a lifetime!

kurisu

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Feb 14, 2008
14
0
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It took me way too long to post this report! The ride started on August 18th and ended on Dec. 19th, 2008. I began with the first bike near Shanghai in Wuxi and made it to Huangshan where I ditched the bike (Suzuki knockoff 125) and took buses and trains across the mainland to Yunnan where I started the real ride. Here are photos, and trip highlights. There are tons of info and stories on my website.

YUNNAN, CHINA

* Started in NW Corner, just a few kms from the Tibet border in the town of Deqing. Switched to a dirt-bike style Zongshen 150. Great bike

Check out my website for the blow-by-blow as well as details and how tos. my website

* Road from Shangrila to Deqing is a hard, 6 hour ride! Cold, and 14,000m altitude. Hazards include yaks, mountain bends and dangerous roads. max speed 30km/hr.
* Bought the bike in Shangrila - ZS150GY Zongshen 150cc. $600 USD from a guy on the street.
* Shangrila is GREAT riding - tibetan villages, temples etc. Even if you are just renting, it is highly worth it!
* Made my way to Dali - lots of fun to be had there - and plenty to see in a few days' ride. Lots of stuff to check out.
* Kunming - a mad house! Stay out if you can. City center is packed with cops.
* South Yunnan: Arrested by cops near Myanmar border.. Dangerous women... Awesome SE Asia scenery, crossed the border and left China with the bike

my website

Laos

* Incredibly Beautiful Country. Cannot be overstated.
* Entered without any customs papers!
* Riding from Ou Dom Xai to Muang Khua was tough - landslides, washouts and worse.
* Put the bike on a boat from Muang Khua to Luang Prabang
* Stayed with a Lao family outside Vientianne
* Fantastic scenery on the way to Vang Vieng.. utterly stunning! Drunken river floating with Israelis in Vang Vieng.. be careful! :mwink:
* Ride South through Laos to Tha Kaek, Savannakhet and Pakse was easy going - no mountains!

Cambodia

* Had a nasty accident and screwed up my shoulder on first day. Had to hang out in Stung Treng for a week while it healed.
* Made way down to Phnum Penh. Dire place- but interesting. A girl tried to trade sex with me for clothes. (No, I didn't do it!)
* Awesome sights at Siem Reap and Angkor! Unbelievable!
* Road out from Siem Reap to Thailand was pure sh*t.

Thailand

* What's to say. It's thailand - it's been done
* Highly recommend area south of Chumphon - great beach front dives for next to nothing - no tourists.
* Bangkok is a trash heap.
* Koh Samui was overpriced, but I made it this far south at the farthest point of the trip.
* Sold bike for only $150 in Bangkok... crap. Left Thailand on Dec. 19th. Trip over.

It took me way too long to post this report! The ride started on August 18th and ended on Dec. 19th, 2008. I began with the first bike near Shanghai in Wuxi and made it to Huangshan where I ditched the bike (Suzuki knockoff 125) and took buses and trains across the mainland to Yunnan where I started the real ride. Here are photos, and trip highlights. There are tons of info and stories on my website.

YUNNAN, CHINA

* Started in NW Corner, just a few kms from the Tibet border in the town of Deqing. Switched to a dirt-bike style Zongshen 150. Great bike

Check out my website for the blow-by-blow as well as details and how tos. my website

* Road from Shangrila to Deqing is a hard, 6 hour ride! Cold, and 14,000m altitude. Hazards include yaks, mountain bends and dangerous roads. max speed 30km/hr.
* Bought the bike in Shangrila - ZS150GY Zongshen 150cc. $600 USD from a guy on the street.
* Shangrila is GREAT riding - tibetan villages, temples etc. Even if you are just renting, it is highly worth it!
* Made my way to Dali - lots of fun to be had there - and plenty to see in a few days' ride. Lots of stuff to check out.
* Kunming - a mad house! Stay out if you can. City center is packed with cops.
* South Yunnan: Arrested by cops near Myanmar border.. Dangerous women... Awesome SE Asia scenery, crossed the border and left China with the bike

my website

Laos

* Incredibly Beautiful Country. Cannot be overstated.
* Entered without any customs papers!
* Riding from Ou Dom Xai to Muang Khua was tough - landslides, washouts and worse.
* Put the bike on a boat from Muang Khua to Luang Prabang
* Stayed with a Lao family outside Vientianne
* Fantastic scenery on the way to Vang Vieng.. utterly stunning! Drunken river floating with Israelis in Vang Vieng.. be careful! :mwink:
* Ride South through Laos to Tha Kaek, Savannakhet and Pakse was easy going - no mountains!

Cambodia

* Had a nasty accident and screwed up my shoulder on first day. Had to hang out in Stung Treng for a week while it healed.
* Made way down to Phnum Penh. Dire place- but interesting. A girl tried to trade sex with me for clothes. (No, I didn't do it!)
* Awesome sights at Siem Reap and Angkor! Unbelievable!
* Road out from Siem Reap to Thailand was pure sh*t.

Thailand

* What's to say. It's thailand - it's been done
* Highly recommend area south of Chumphon - great beach front dives for next to nothing - no tourists.
* Bangkok is a trash heap.
* Koh Samui was overpriced, but I made it this far south at the farthest point of the trip.
* Sold bike for only $150 in Bangkok... crap. Left Thailand on Dec. 19th. Trip over.

Here are some how-to articles that might be good for 1st-timers wanting to do the same:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4732733_cross-chinalaos-border-motorcycle.html

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