| Laos Quickie - Sept '08 - Part 2 |
| After riding several hours from Phu Khoun, it was nice to arrive in Luang Prabang muddy and damp to check into a posh riverside place. |
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| The Sayo River Guesthouse is my latest pick. Huge room, nice vibe |
| Time to chill out and wander the streets |
| We still had the bike a couple more days so rode out to various spots like Tat Kuang Si and Tat Sae |
| Tat Sae waterfalls are good for a refreshing dip. The rapids were really flowing at this time. |
| The Mekong Sun luxury cruise vessel was pulled up near our place |
| I saw this sign on the way to the speed boat pier. Naughty! |
| Pricing for slow boats and speed boats as of September '08. This being partially an info-gathering trip, we always checked boats/buses. |
| We decided to take a private speed boat up river to Pakbeng to check out the guesthouse and travel scene. It had been a few years |
| After a quick stop at Pak Ou cave to drop off a friend, we whizzed up the Mekong for 3 hours. I was sorry when it was over. Yahoo!!! |
| Back in Pakbeng, things have certainly grown. Many guesthouses |
| We hung around and got to talking with most of the guesthouse folks and waited for the feeding frenzy when the slow boat arrived. |
| Up the road it's almost completely full of guesthouses and restaurants |
| The best budget option seemed to be Phonethip Guesthouse. |
| A more luxurious option is Pakbeng Lodge on the edge of town. The rooms are nice and they have their own boat landing so you can arrive and depart in peace. Email: sofimek@laotel.com |
| There is a huge riverside veranda and restaurant to enjoy |
| Time to get the morning bus to Oudomxai. G'bye kitty |
| Just a few km before Oudomxai the bus stopped so everyone could have a pee and a smoke. This is common practice in Laos - guess they can't handle using the public toilets at the station? (I checked and they were very clean, probably because no one uses them). |
| I always make a point to get the latest price list and schedule |
| We took a private taxi to Luang Namtha. Good thing as the road was pretty bad in some places after recent flooding. Lots of big trucks up to their axles in mud. |
| This is what you really need in the mud - made in China |
| Driving around in this area you see more and more hilltribe life. Always see folks walking selling, kids playing or (hopefully) going to school |
| In Luang Namtha - brilliant weather |
| A replica of Vientiane's That Luang has been recently built here |
| Out at the Boat Landing, nice place but empty this time of year |
| Stopping to check out the new airport. Smells like a new car inside. |
| We went back to see our friends at the Panda Restaurant |
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| Phad grapao gai - excellent! |
| One day spent motorbiking around the surrounding countryside |
| Gorgeous! |
| A local Thai Dam village. Little kids funny, big kid unimpressed |
| And yes of course we have to visit the bus station |
| The road to Muang Sing. Nice but not this time. Goin' home. |
| On the road to Huay Xai, driver running for a pee |
| This 200km of route 4 has been totally upgraded. Good road! |
| Just a few obstacles on the way |
| Back at the Mekong, Thailand waiting for us |
| One more bus station and our work here is done. |
| Arrival at the "gateway" back to Thailand. Note the picture above taken Aug-11 (from GT-Rider) with severe flooding and my picture left just a few weeks later. The Mekong can fluctuate dramatically. |
| The Namkong guesthouse in Chiang Kong. Good business contacts so we always stop in (but sleep at the nicer hotel up the road). Next day ride home =) |
| Seems like downhill almost the whole way - good idea on a bike. |