The Luang Prabang Loop

[jorai]

Moto-Rex;269844 wrote: IMO, you would be better off getting your friend to fly into Vientiane, and meeting him there. This would be better for you in two ways. You wouldn't have to ride all the way to Chiang Mai, and it would cut the hassle of crossing the border with a hire bike. There are good bikes for hire in Vientiane.

this is great advise and I am persuaded already. We are discussing this but I think Vientiane it is.

brian_bkk;269853 wrote: Are you going to ride up through Laos or Thailand from Siem Reap?

I was thinking of riding up through Thailand from Siem Reap. If the starting point is Vientiane, I am much less concerned about getting there via a shortcut through O'Smach and the Northeast of Thailand than I was about driving nearly 1000km in presumable rather dense, left-hand traffic past Bangkok all the way to Chiang Mai. I assume I can get to Vientiane comfortably in two days unless their are substantial delays at either border. Remote Asia is likely one of the places that we will look at for hiring the bike.

Moto-Rex;269844 wrote:

Here is three links of mine, there's plenty more from other riders, hopefully they will give you an idea of what to expect.

Cool stuff. This looks indeed like the kind of report that helps developing an idea of what to expect and it is indeed a pretty close approximation of the kind of trip I have in mind. I am much looking forward to the arrival of the GTR-maps. It seems most Laos-posts reference this map and without the map it is hard to follow the routes described in many trip reports. Which map was loaded on the GPS?

 

[DavidFL]

19th May - 2nd June 2012 & another slow gentle ride through Northern Laos on a Luang Prabang Loop.
The weather Humid & heavy overcast most days, but no rain until the last day Den Chai - Lampang 150 kms from home!

The Rider: David Unk, alone on his "trusty" Africa Twin.

Overnight stops
1. Chiang Rai
2. Chiang Khong
3. Houei Xai ( BoKeo)
4. Luang Namtha
5. Muang Sing
6. Luang Namtha
7-8-9. Luang Prabang
10. Vang Vieng.
11-12-13. Vientiane.
14. Loei.
15. Home Chiang Mai.

Total distance 2,300 kms on a dodgy front sprocket.

After topping up GT Rider map distributors in Chiang Rai with new Laos maps it was onto Chiang Khong in fine weather.

more coming..but at least it is a start..

 

[Rhodie]

The light and visual clarity are looking great there David.
Waiting for the rest...

 

[DavidFL]

Sunday night in Chiang Khong (ready to cross over into Laos Monday morning) & it was MotoGP night.

Fortunately Rin's Bar in Chiang Khong is now open & you can watch MotoGP

Breakfast at the Tammila the next morning & you have to get up early to get a good table by the river.

The beauty of this bug caused me to do a double take & watch my step

In Chiang Khong Jeab Coffee by the cargo port now has GT Rider Laos guide maps for sale.

Waiting for my Houei Xai map checker to turn up the weather changed dramatically & heavy rain set in so not wanting to be stuck out on the ferry in the pouring rain I was delayed in CK another couple of hours.

Eventually the weather cleared & I was on the ferry.

The line up of trucks waiting to cross is impressive & it is funny watching the traffic jams they cause getting on & off the ferry.

the truck drivers on the ferry were all from Bangkok, & going straight through to Boten & the China border were they swap loads with Chinese trucks & go straight back to Bangkok. "Non-stop" sleeping only at Luang Namtha in their trucks I understood.

Houei Xai port cargo boats.

 

[DavidFL]

In Houei Xai Miss Ying the AGL Insurance rep at the port now sells GT Rider Laos guide maps in addition to Insurance.

Ying is a strong GT Rider supporter, so support her & make sure you buy AGL Insurance when you go into Laos.

In Houei Xai the big new eating / drinking spot is owned by the Gateway Hotel group; & is riverside adjoining the immigration but the entrance is just downstream.

Houei Xai - Luang Namtha the road is now a breeze with the road in pretty much perfect condition.
I got away from HX at 2pm & was in LNT 3 hrs later.

The Vieng Phukha Eco-Trekking Centre office

has GT Rider Laos guide maps on display.

In Luang Namtha I tried another guesthouse

The Thoulasith, but was not satisfied with the small size of the rooms & will be back to staying at the Dokchampa again next trip.
The Thoulasith also has no undercover parking, like the Dokchampa.

The Forest Retreat "trekking cafe" now has GT Rider Laos guide maps for sale

The Forest Retreat also has good wfifi, cocktails, local trekking info.

Just out of Luang Namtha they are working on the road to the airport, turning it into a 4-lane highway.

& I was amused by the mickey-mouse divider they were putting in to divide the carriageway.

The Manychan is still my preferred eating spot in Luang Namtha

a fresh Manychan salad

and Mrs Manychan promises big changes to the Manychan next year

the master plan is to renovate the guesthouse upstairs - more bigger better rooms & downsize the restaurant downstairs.

& one of the Manychan cooks could not keep off the AT

 

[DavidFL]

From Luang Namtha - Muang Sing it is a delightful 58 kms asphalt "rural back road," but as bumpy as they get. Kind of like riding on a pogo stick. And it really tests out your suspension (& the front sprocket if you've got a dodgy one.)

There are always some sweet villages along the way & loads of kids playing alongside the road..

Late afternoon approaching Muang Sing

and it was a glorious day to be riding out to what was once the ancient Tai Lue kingdom.

Wat Nam Keo Luang

Muang Sing has possibly had its heyday, which is a shame as it was gem of a town /backwater years ago. However there's definitely a Chinese onslaught going on & the town is losing a lot of its charm.
However I often like to go Muang Sing for the morning market & Akhas.

The grounds of the market are now concrete & you can literally ride right in (or at least I did on the AT.)

but the bright shiny new concrete floor certainly makes the photography less attractive.

Inside the sheltered market

Of note too in Muang Sing is the local tourist office has & uses GT Rider Laos guide map.

On another note too is that the floor of the Sing Chalern guesthouse is extremely slippery.
Ha. Ha. I found out from experience.
Coming out of the shower searching for a non-existent bath towell & dripping water all over the floor. Whilst the tiled floor in the bathroom was no problem wet, the tiled floor in the room is totally treacherous & like ice.
Down I went, like a 95 kg sack of potatoes, landing on my side with full force.
Good luck I thought - I never hit my head on any of the furniture or the floor!
I could just imagine the news headlines - farang motorcyclist falls over in his room in MS & dies waiting for the Luang Namtha amnbulance to take him to Bo Keo & Thailand.
You've been warned: beware of the wet floor in the rooms of the Sing Chalern guesthouse in Muang Sing.

 

[DavidFL]

This school classroom in Muang Sing was a beauty

and I thought it wouldn't take much to do something good for them.
But looking at the dilapated building I had to have a chuckle at the boys pouring out of the between the slats with their mobile phone taking photos of the Africa Twin.

I backtracked then to Luang Namtha for another night, to pick up my gear at the Thoulasith plus meet up with the guys from Forest Retreat, just home from NZ & Oz.
Another night in LNT saw me at the morning market looking for a few pix, but nothing brilliant eventuated.

I got away from LNT mid-late morning.
LNT- Oudom Xai the road is a race track surface all the way

albeit a narrow one.
LNT - UX travel time is about 2 hrs on this great surface.

I arrived in UX just in time for their regular power failure, so just managed a super baguette with Miss Lae at Siso Bakery

Lae probably has the best breakfast, coffee & baguettes in town.

The shop is in a new location, across the road from the old shop & about 80 metres south / further out of town, right by the police box & roundabout to the airport.
GPS Waypoint: N20 41.141 E101 59.255

Udom Xai -Pak Mong the road sucks big time & is in worse condition than my last ride through in December 2011.

Nice scenery UX - Pak Mong

Whilst some of the asphalt has been patched up, what has not is much worse from the heavy truck traffic on the road - the potholes are bigger & deeper, plus the drop off from the asphalt to the dirt is sharper & higher.

Once you cross the provincial boundary from UX to LPQ, the road is slightly better on the Luang Prabang side.

The first hour from Udom Xai saw me only manage 37 kms, something of a shameful record you might say.

The good stuff UX - Pak Mong

Crossing the Nam Ou, Pak Mong - Luang Prabang

Arrival time in LPQ was 5.45PM.

 

[Rod Page]

So good to see you back on the long & winding road recounting your adventures. Loving the post.

 

[DavidFL]

In Luang Prabang for 3 nights & for 1 1/2 days it was wet.
I was lucky I was not on the road.
I savoured the cool charming relaxing atmosphere of LPQ.
After so many trips to LPQ just being there & chilling out beside the river & with friends is enough.
Although talk on the continued Chinese onslaught is worrying: the new Chinese city across the river & upstream definitely sounds as it will be happening in just a few more years, once the airport upgrade is complete. Bridge over the river first & then city is underway....
Enjoy charming world heritage LPQ while you can folks!

The Rice Price Fixing Shop sign in LPQ amused me

more coming, photo upload hiccup. ooopss.

 

[Rod Page]

Sad to read of the Chinese onslaught - LPQ was very much on our list when we decided to move to VN. We are lucky to be moving through SE Asia at this time; now is indeed the time to be there.......doesn't every generation, though, say the same thing.

 

[DavidFL]

Arh yes, back to lazy days in LPQ after the Chiang Mai ToyRide event in Chiang Dao....

How idyllic it is to hang out in LPQ & enjoy peaceful scenes like this

How much longer - many more years - will the locals be able to walk out / wade out in the river & go fishing like this:

After 3 nights it was time to leave LPQ or the LP Wine Bar / Muang Sua / Dao Fah night spots would be too tempting.

It was a damp start to the day, but I tempted fate & left my rain gear strapped on the bike. If it rained it would not be too much, such that I could not dry out, yet if I wore the rain gear in the tropical heat & at slow speed I would have sweltered & sweated profusely inside my waterproofs.

AND

I was lucky....

The Phou Khoun Phieng Va restaurant view:

LIFE WAS GOOD was my only thought whilst inhaling this view.

A few hundred metres down the road there was a light shower & the road turned to a black ice like surface. I followed 2 Lao guys on a Honda Wave down the treacherous surface, & both our bikes literally skating as we went. I wondered how long it would last without dropping the bike & fortunately it was over in a few quivering minutes. Life again was good.

The sun came out as I approached Vang Vieng

Happy Hour was taken at the Ban Sabai Bungalows & time for another stupendous view

It rained most of the night & I got trapped in a foot massage shop. The massage dragged on & over a few beers I think I got the life story of most of the staff - I was the only customer & they had nothing to do but chat to Lung & enjoy a beer with him. Eventually at 10PM late I trudged off in the rain back to my room at the Vilayvong Guesthouse just a hop step & a wet jump from the massage shop.

The Chinese fast train construction staff were gone from the VV & I had a good sleep. Plus was up early for a few lovely pix of early morning VV.

Vang Vieng might be getting a bad rap for the "sex, drugs, rock'n roll, alcohol & tubing deaths" with the rowdy backpackers; but if you get away from the top end of town it is still a very beautiful place to go & chill out for a day or two.

The Vang Vieng Villa Riverside resort

The Villa Vang Vieng Riverside is definitely one of the best, if not best, riverside establishments in Vang Vieng.

with room rates from US$35 - US$75 a night it is now on my hit list of places to stay in VV.

 

[DavidFL]

In December 2011 R13 North from Vientiane - Pha Tang, just north of Vang Vieng sucked big time.
Most of the road has been repaired & there was approx 15-25 kms of broken asphalt & potholes left.
There is about approx 5-8 kms of rough road north of Vang Vieng, & then from about 10 south of Vang Vieng approx another 10-15 kms of old road.
All of this seems to be under repair, & maybe in 3 more months it is all ok.
However in the meantime that which is not being repaired is worse than before again due to the heavy traffic - bigger deeper potholes & bigger bumps / drops going from asphalt to dirt surface.

R13 south of Tha Heua

The culprits for the broken up potholed road

and there were a few of them

and on the way down I noted there were a lot of these logging trucks just north of Pak Ou, where they are building one of the 6 dams on the Nam Ou river, plus at just south of Vang Vieng at Tha Heua (coming out of Xaysomboune?)
No doubt logging / clearing trees & the forest for new dams; & nowadays everything has value & has got to go - north to China.
The deforestation I've seen in Laos in the last 7-8 years is much worse than I've seen in North Thailand in the last 20 years, such is the terrific pace of "development."

 

[DavidFL]

Vientiane it was then for a final 3 nights + link up with my Vientiane - Laos map distributor.

I always enjoy Vientiane & the night life / socializing - good restaurants / pubs / people / music.
Vientiane was once the party capital of S E Asia, before the communists took over many years ago; & with the new found wealth the capital is booming & really rocking with good pubs at night.
My favourites are
1. Kop Chai Deu
2. Wind West.
3. Galaxy.

and the Kop Chai Deu is where I start my nights

At the Galaxy, Miss Apple is the singer

and what a gal & what a powerful voice she has.

At the Windwest - Deep Heart is the Band

Ningnong is their dynamo singer

Miss Pat (singer at Nok Noi & Ex Windwest) with M/s Tukta ex Windwest "super bartendee'.

Over the years Tukta has been an amazing bartendee at Windwest

& GT Rider drinking companion.

Even on this last visit she amazed me:

had enough beer, so Tukta took hold of my Jameson's & poured it straight into her Beer Laos bottle, without spilling a drop & just continued drinking - Beer & Jamesons - straight from the bottle.
:clap:

And the band finished playing, hubby arrived at the bar, said hello, shook hands & off they went home. Lucky man I thought. :wave:

Last but not least one of the things I missed dearly on this trip was my fave restaurant in LPQ - the Soudaphone, closed.
So it was with great pleasure that I met up with the family "the Soudaphone girls' in Vientiane for a night out - pizza at Le Provencal & then a few quiet drinks at Windwest.
Some of you guys might know them from LPQ & the superb spring rolls, larb, LPQ salad & fish that they used to churn out.

If many of you thought that this was a very layed back social trip - it was.
It was a ride to re-establish contacts & build up the GT Rider network of supporters & map sellers.

You should now be able to buy the GT Rider Laos guide map in Laos at

HOUEI XAI
AGL Insurance
Arimid Guesthouse
BAP Guesthouse
Bo Sapphire Travel
Merng Keo Travel
Oudomphone Guesthouse
Phonevijit Guesthouse
Thaveesinh Guesthouse

LUANG NAMTHA
Forest Retreat

OUDOMXAI
Muang La Resort, Muang La

LUANG PRABANG
Laos Asia Travel
Laos Siri
Chitanh Mini Mart
Kop Noi Luang Prabang LPQ
L'Etranger Books
LP Wine Bar
Maxin Luang Prabang LPQ airport
Monument Books
Yen Sabai Books

VANG VIENG
Triumph Books
Blue Lagoon Resort-Water Sports

VIENTIANE
Don Chan Palace hotel souvenir shop
Europcar Vte
Fuark Motorcycle Rental
Green Discovery (with a special GDL cover) nationwide
Jules Classic Bike Rental
Jules Classic Motorcycle Tours
M-point Mini Marts
Mekong minimart
Monument Books
Oriental Books
Papaya Spa
Pa Mini Post Office
Phimphone Mini Mart
Remote Asia
Ride Lara
Talat Sao Vte shopping mall book shop
That Dam Books
Vientiane Books Cafe

VIENTIANE WATTAY AIRPORT INTERNATIONAL & DOMESTIC
Kiosk Wattay International Terminal
Maxin Souvenir International Terminal
Maxin Souvenir Domestic Terminal

PAKXE
Monument Books

Ride & enjoy. Laos is a tremendous fun, full of wonderful loving caring people without attitude problems.

 

[Jurgen]

Fabulous pictures and information David, make me jump on my chair, but it is not time for biking for me! It is always with delight that I follow GT-Rider posts. Since you registered the Forum, I am addicted to For Runner that I have on several tools. A great way to keep in touch with the write ups

Sent from my iPod touch using Forum Runner

 

[Gary D]

Dave where did you stay in Vientianne

Gary

 

[DavidFL]

Gary D;280441 wrote: Dave where did you stay in Vientianne

Gary

ALWAYS stay at the Ekalath. Nice people. Secure under cover parking at the rear of the building.

 

[darryladrien]

Hi Mr David.

Im Darryl Adrien from Malaysia, just want to know the distance from Huay Xai - Luang Nam Tha - Boten - Luang Prabang?
I googled it but it only show from Vientiane to Luang Prabang after that i dosen’t show.

Thanks

 

[DavidFL]

darryladrien;281004 wrote: Hi Mr David.

Im Darryl Adrien from Malaysia, just want to know the distance from Huay Xai - Luang Nam Tha - Boten - Luang Prabang?
I googled it but it only show from Vientiane to Luang Prabang after that i dosen’t show.

Thanks

Approximate distances are
Houei Xai - Luang Namtha = 181 kms
Luang Namtha - Luang Prabang = 303 kms.
BTW is sounds like you need a GT Rider Laos guide map.

 

[darryladrien]

Davidfl;281041 wrote: Approximate distances are
Houei Xai - Luang Namtha = 181 kms
Luang Namtha - Luang Prabang = 303 kms.
BTW is sounds like you need a GT Rider Laos guide map.

where can i buy the guide map. im coming to Bangkok and visiting Luang Prabang, where can i buy it when im in bangkok or Laos? i will be passing vientiane via nong khai border.

 

[DavidFL]

darryladrien;281042 wrote: where can i buy the guide map. im coming to Bangkok and visiting Luang Prabang, where can i buy it when im in bangkok or Laos? i will be passing vientiane via nong khai border.

Where to buy
https://www.gt-rider.com/maps-of-thailand-laos-maps/laos-map-sales-outlets

https://www.gt-rider.com/maps-of-thailand-laos-maps/retail-map-sales-outlets-thailand

https://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/showthread.php/29986-The-Laos-Guide-Map?p=279668#post279668

 

[David]

DavidFL wrote:

Davidfl;228801 wrote: We expected a subdued breakfast the next morning, but it was definitely livened up by the” new love of my life”…. Getting off the bike outside the Keomoungkol a cute little 5 – 6 yr old girl appeared from the construction site next door ran over & said hello. Totally 100% full of confidence & precocious. I asked her if she’d eaten & had breakfast. The reply was no. Well, why not come & join us for brekky with your brother. No reply. She just walked into the restaurant, pulled out a chair & sat down. Both Rhodie & I were gobsmacked. The next 20 mins were entertaining in the extreme. What a wonderful start to the day.

It’s a long long time since I’ve met such a smart happy young kid as this one living on a construction site with mum & dad pouring concrete & putting bricks together. So if you’re ever in Oudom Xai, eat at the Keomoungkol & if they are still building the bank next door, look out for a future Miss Oudom Xai beauty & brains champion. She’s definitely going to be a winner & go places!!

20 December 2010 A couple of years later…..still an amazing little girl. Now speaks Lao / Chinese / English..

Runs Mum’s shop when she is not there. Takes orders, cooks, washes & checks the bills. Still an absolute star. Rhodie time for a “cameo comment.”

February 2016...seeking out an an old young friend in Oudom Xai.

how time has flown by when you're enjoying life & Laos.