18 Apr 2015
19. Laos
Lovely littl’ Laos, such a wonderful country it’s difficult to decide where to start.
The ‘ao’ is pronounced the same as the ‘ow’ in how whilst the ‘s’ is actually silent.
The population is about 6.8 million people with their currency being the Kip, £1 converting to about 11,830.00 and rather surprisingly and unfortunately remains one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
After filling-in the brief entry form and paying the U.S. $35 at the Boten border check-point we’re in the country - and exhale. Having immensely enjoyed China I still felt a load off of my shoulders taking a huge sigh of relief as we stood at the gates to this new kingdom, albeit uncertain as to what Laos itself would actually bring to the table.
So now with no particular rush, and less than 100 kilometres on the clock we decide to stop for the night at one of the small villages, it felt sooooo good not to be riding against a visa’s ticking clock and having the ‘freedom’ to simply stop wherever we chose without incurring the following day’s penalty of catching up with lost distance from this day. Buying some snacks at the village shop we’re soon shown an area just behind it where we can camp, whilst making camp a few shy youngsters watch from a distance with naughty grins on their faces.
Talking about our route options Eunate was thinking of a south-westerly route, firstly from the northerly province of Luang Namtha to its capital - of the same name, then toward the Bokeo province capital of Huay Xai - situated on the bank of the mighty Mekong River for a boat trip along it, so without hesitation I decide to join her. From where we'd camped the following day’s ride to Luang Namtha was just 43 kilometres, this sort of daily distance along with the forthcoming leisurely boat trip would prove a great way of recovering from China’s crazy pace.
The town had little to offer in the way of things to see and do within but served as a base for back-packers and travellers to arrange treks and mountain bike trails through the dense forest / jungle terrain - there were many lodges and hostels all advertising the available guided tours from the many operators. Being such a short day on the saddle I effectively considered it a day of rest, after booking in at a guest house we ponder around the town and in the evening visit the night market where many different foods are available, this turned out to be a popular place for many of the travellers to visit and soon we’re sitting at a table exchanging stories while munching on the tasty food, all washed down with the country’s best beer.
The following day - after a continental breakfast - we head out of town, I was well enjoying my new found rhythm to the point I became a backseat-driver and Eunate set the day’s pace, on stopping for a lunchtime break under the shade of a bamboo shelter she had a read of her e-reader book whilst I lay down….and fell asleep! Yes, I think for the first time in all of my bicycle touring I actually had a mid-day sleep, maybe I’m getting old, maybe it was the good company, maybe I was worn out from China, but all the same I fell asleep.
With low mileage from the previous day we decide to have a big one and push ourselves…just a bit harder squeezed out an extra 5km, stopping at 48…ohhh I was loving Laos! Asking at a village school if we could camp there we’re gladly invited to sleep within one of the classes - school time was over but there were still many kids running around playing in the field and soon I - as ever the silly uncle Mark - was playing with them. Making out I was a big monster they’d run away, some screaming some laughing but always coming back giggling for more. Still very timid and scared of coming close to me I walk over to one of my panniers taking out a small bag, sitting back down I hold my arm out within seconds they’re all at my feet, the magical powers of a bag of sweets eh?!
Soon I try to teach them some English words, pointing to my nose, eyes, ears and saying the words with my ‘students’ doing their best to copy, Eunate appears behind me and points to my head, then shoulders and she’s soon singing the “Head, shoulders knees and toes” song, copying all the actions and doing their best with the words they loved every moment of it, big smiles and laughs galore. As news of our presence spread around the small village we’re soon joined by other curious children. Two of the teachers lived in a house on the school grounds and cooking their food on a small fire outside invite us to join them. The following morning as we’re packing down the kids start to arrive, many of them really excited knowing we had slept in their very classroom.
The dense greenery continued over gentle rolling hills and clear-water streams meandering over the land, villages and small towns every so often, stopping at one of them Eunate wanted to have a nosey around the market, I soon learnt that she loved these places and was a market-junkie, so I followed behind whilst she got her ‘fix’, although I’d occasional get my fix and buy one of the colourful jelly and soy-based / coconut-milk drinks, rich in sugar and sold in elastic-band sealed bags are totally yummy.
Was this a highway hold-up? Na, just some kids on their way to the stream to fish using their bamboo/ rubber-loop harpoons - this is what I love about many of the non-western countries, young kids learning and using skills they’ve learnt that are not out-ruled by a nanny-state.
On the second day the gentle climbs start to increase in size and became hard work in the mid-day’s humidity, but with no rush whatsoever neither of us were too bothered by them. On the third day the hills became even steeper, like a big roller coaster - 10% gradients up and 10% down and on these I soon got into the habit of walking up them whilst Eunate stayed on the pedals.
Camping 10 km out from Huay Xai the following day we cruise into town, with almost an entire day free we firstly find the ferry port to enquire about boat tickets for the two day cruise to Luang Prabang and then look for a guesthouse. Later having a walk around the town we wander up the hill to the monastery to view the many gold decorated buildings.
Also on the hill is Fort Carrot, a crumbling remnant from Laos’ once French occupancy, fortunately the lookout tower had been strengthened and open to visitors, this gave a great view of the town and the epic Mekong River - Thailand can be seen on the opposite bank. Being a numbers person here are some facts and figures about the Mekong:
1. It’s a Trans-boundary river, meaning it crosses at least one political border.
2. It’s the world's 12th-longest river, and the 7th-longest in Asia, estimated to be 4,350 km.
3. It drains an area of 795,000 square km.
4. It discharges 16,000 cubic metres of water per second, that’s 457 cubic kilometres per year!
Fortunately for Eunate the town had a market place, so whilst she wandered around I refreshed myself with some of the local brew;
The two day boat trip along the river was great, albeit rather packed with little else to do than stay seated but with several other cyclists aboard - two of them a Swiss couple on a world tour gave ample to talk about, as expected the passing scenery was excellent and a welcomed break from the saddle - here is a picture slide-show of the cruise.
The destination town of Luang Prabang was where Eunate and I would part company, she was to help out at a donkey sanctuary for a few weeks at a town further along whilst I continued south toward the capital city Vientiane for some Christmas / new-year eve celebrations. This town was another tourist hot-spot and catered for all tastes, as did the night-time market of which there was no avoiding with my present company!
The next morning Eunate and I rode about twenty kilometres together before our split in the road, I was sorry to see her go but stayed optimistic about the possibility of hooking up again maybe at the capital.
Taking the road no’4 - an alternative to the main road toward the capital was presumably lesser travelled by westerners so upon passing through the villages and being spotted by the locals - or more specifically the children, especially when passing a school would come running over the school field shouting Sa-bye-deeee! - 'hello!'. Occasionally I’d shout an English ‘hello’ to them and they’d reply in English which would always cause great laughter from them having joyfully communicated using the small amount of English they’d [so far] been taught. Passing children - some walking but always many cycling to and from school I’d raise my hand for a hi-five which was always excitedly reciprocated followed by big smiles and laughter.
On the fourth day just a few kilometres out of Pak Lay I depart the No’4 route and take a ‘long-tail double-boat’ ferry across the Mekong, here a brand new bridge was under construction so eventually the charm of crossing the mighty river would be lost, along with the trade and business for the ferry operators. The opposite bank proved a change of terrain with gentle hills being replaced by 10+% climbs that lay within the small mountain range, one climb was about 1 kilometre long and with a gradient of 14% even pushing my bike was hard work, having to stop every 100 metres or so for a breather, upon reaching the top within seconds of being back on the saddle I’m zipping down the other side at 50 km/h and with several of these hills it was a process of <repeat>, <repeat>. That evening I manage to find a crackin’ place top camp next to the river, shown within the following picture slideshow;
With the country’s population being less than a small Chinese city its capital Vientiane felt more like a town, vibrant enough with a reasonable amount of things to do and see but not so hectic as to be in a rush to leave. The second hostel I enquire at proves to be just the ticket - a safe place to leave my bike, friendly staff, plenty of travellers coming and going, a comfortable place to sit for blog-writing and a mattress padded floor TV / chill-out room, so with Christmas just three days away I couldn’t ask for more - needing to draft the next blog-post, apply for the Vietnamese visa and clean the bike along with Christmas and the new-year’s celebrations I expected to be at the hostel for at least a week.
Soon I’m making friends with travellers from all corners of the world; Argentina, New Zealand, U.S.A., Israel, France - including the lovely hostel receptionist Axelle, Scottish Robbie - and he was a true scot that loved the beer!, Malaysian Nalini and Alissa - agreeing to meet up when I pass through Kuala Lumpur three months later, English Patrick - a free-lance video editor on year-long+ tour of south-east Asia and last but not least; Spanish Jose’ - the cyclist whom was one of the ten I’d previously met and rode with through Georgia with that was now in Laos also en-route to Vientiane and arrive in a day or so - knowing we’d met so far away in a totally different country reuniting here would make celebrations even better. With a mass of photos to trawl through I’ve selected some of the best in the following slideshow;
Visiting the city’s tourist centre I find that Laos is not only listed as the one of the most corrupt countries in the world; From 1964 to 1973, the U.S.A. dropped more than two million tons of ordnance on Laos during 580,000 bombing missions - equal to a planeload of bombs every 8 minutes, 24-hours a day, for 9 years - making lovely littl’ Laos the most heavily bombed country in the world, surely this was global bullying and mass murder that makes modern day terrorism appear tame?
Up to 30% of bombs failed to explode, remaining ‘live’ in the ground after the end of the war, but with no reliable estimate of the extent of contamination remaining. By the end of 2012 there had been at least 50,000 casualties - including 29,000 deaths from incidents involving this unexploded ordnance (UXO). All 17 of the country’s provinces and around a quarter of all villages still suffer from UXO contamination, more than 90% of people living in these areas live in fear of UXO, the most common worry is that children will be killed or injured whilst they are playing. 80% of people in affected areas are still using land that they know or suspect to be contaminated with deadly explosives.
With the Vietnamese visa ready, having now spent ten days in the city I was eager press on. Having had an excellent time with memories galore and future plans to meet some of the people I’d met meant I wouldn’t be forgetting Vientiane in a rush. New-year’s day nursing a slight hangover I peel myself out of the bed and back onto the saddle heading easterly toward the Namphao border crossing about half way down the length of Laos. Firstly avoiding the main road I follow a dirt road the hugs the Mekong River with villages dotted along it every kilometre or so - each one with its own Monastery, by now I’d got used to them and a passing glance was enough, unless it was evening time whereby I’d assess their suitability to sleep at…although with all of them having a tap and toilet/wash room meant none of them failed my needs!
On the fourth day I visit Konglor Cave, a limestone cave of incredible scale! Firstly, at almost eight kilometres long with a river running through it requires a motorised boat to traverse its snakelike length to the other side. Secondly, the width of the river within is more than 20 metres so really looks and feels like a real river - not just a rocky stream running through another tiny cave. Thirdly, in places the height of the cave exceeds 50 metres above the river, and for the most part is 25 metres.
Given a head-torch to see within the dark cave, as the boat chugs along at one point I’m dropped off at a path that leads through a length of the cave to a viewing area to see some huge stalagmites / stalactites, continuing along the path and down a few carved steps to where the boat was awaiting. On exiting the cave the boat briefly stops at a riverside café to serve the need of thirsty tourists before ‘all-aboard’ for the return trip. After the boat trip at the cave entrance I notice the crystal-clear swimming area so in the mid-morning’s heat without hesitation do the obvious.
In the afternoon of the day I approach the border-crossing something appeared that I hadn’t seen for a long time - sky-blanketing gloomy clouds hovering around the low dividing mountains. Maybe they were a caution to the approaching country or possibly my moods reflection of how I felt about leaving lovely littl’ Laos, from the start as its doors slowly opened it felt different to other countries I’d travelled through, it offered something unique - okay I suppose most other countries had their own uniqueness not found elsewhere but Laos was different; Welcoming villages, excitement and smiles galore from the children, relatively quiet roads along with Vientiane’s relaxing vibe I’d enjoyed every moment and would never be forgotten.
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