Crusty Quinns do Northern Laos - December 2012
- Thread starter Pounce
- Start date
Bloody Swiss Pizza Man
Hi Pounce
Nice Report at all i hope it was not too disappointing for you to drop over these bloody SexTourists out there in the middle of nowhere with their GF from Pattaya on the Sozius with AT Tyres and a Shitload of Luggage on the Bike but we did it like you Guys we reached our Goal and had a great Trip.
Cheers and Happy Trails
Hi Pounce
Nice Report at all i hope it was not too disappointing for you to drop over these bloody SexTourists out there in the middle of nowhere with their GF from Pattaya on the Sozius with AT Tyres and a Shitload of Luggage on the Bike but we did it like you Guys we reached our Goal and had a great Trip.
Cheers and Happy Trails
Ally
Well-known member
Brilliant trip report Pounce, your mates look like they had the time of their lives !
Well done.
Ally
Well done.
Ally
Day 17 – 19[SUP]th[/SUP] Dec 2012 – Vang Vieng
Just hanging around here today.
I get woken around sunrise by a hot air balloon floating past the back of the guesthouse.
And we see a real life garden gnome
3 of the guys seem a wee bit out of sorts this morning? Why would that be.
Mike has decided he’d like to do a hot air balloon ride today. Sounds like a good plan so after breakfast we go & get that sorted. Paying the $80US turns into a major event. I pay in Thai Baht, someone else pays in Kips, another in Aussie dollars, another in US dollars. Poor bloke didn’t know what was going on.
As we’re here all day for a rest, we guess we might as well do the tubing thing that the town is infamous for, so after lunch we pay our money, jump in the taxi & head upstream to the drop off point.
We grab a beer each then hit the river.
It should take us around 2 hours to float downstream to the town.
We stop half way to grab another beer. All our money, wallets etc are in Tommy’s drybag.
Tip of the day: never let the apprentice do up the drybag. The bags full of water & everything is soaking wet
After seeing the media reports & searching for images of the tubing, personally I’m rather glad they have shut all the bars along the river, unfortunately a lot of people have lost money from this but there’s no need to make the place famous for pisshead tourists, there’s enough places for that already.
Come 5pm it’s time for our romantic evening balloon ride.
Poor Carl ends up getting his head bbq’d because he has to stand under the burner.
While trying to find a place to land, the pilot plays silly buggers & takes us through some bamboo.
We land on a clear spot but the balloon following us misses the mark & puts it down on some villagers front doorstep.
After last nights shenanigans, we have a couple of quiet beers tonight.
If you’re ever in VV with some time to spare, both the tubing & hotair balloon are cheap & worth it for a great relaxing day.
Tomorrow is just a short run down the highway back to Vientiane & the end of our journey
Just hanging around here today.
I get woken around sunrise by a hot air balloon floating past the back of the guesthouse.
And we see a real life garden gnome
3 of the guys seem a wee bit out of sorts this morning? Why would that be.
Mike has decided he’d like to do a hot air balloon ride today. Sounds like a good plan so after breakfast we go & get that sorted. Paying the $80US turns into a major event. I pay in Thai Baht, someone else pays in Kips, another in Aussie dollars, another in US dollars. Poor bloke didn’t know what was going on.
As we’re here all day for a rest, we guess we might as well do the tubing thing that the town is infamous for, so after lunch we pay our money, jump in the taxi & head upstream to the drop off point.
We grab a beer each then hit the river.
It should take us around 2 hours to float downstream to the town.
We stop half way to grab another beer. All our money, wallets etc are in Tommy’s drybag.
Tip of the day: never let the apprentice do up the drybag. The bags full of water & everything is soaking wet
After seeing the media reports & searching for images of the tubing, personally I’m rather glad they have shut all the bars along the river, unfortunately a lot of people have lost money from this but there’s no need to make the place famous for pisshead tourists, there’s enough places for that already.
Come 5pm it’s time for our romantic evening balloon ride.
Poor Carl ends up getting his head bbq’d because he has to stand under the burner.
While trying to find a place to land, the pilot plays silly buggers & takes us through some bamboo.
We land on a clear spot but the balloon following us misses the mark & puts it down on some villagers front doorstep.
After last nights shenanigans, we have a couple of quiet beers tonight.
If you’re ever in VV with some time to spare, both the tubing & hotair balloon are cheap & worth it for a great relaxing day.
Tomorrow is just a short run down the highway back to Vientiane & the end of our journey
Day 18 – 20[SUP]th[/SUP] Dec 2012 – Vang Vieng - Vientiane
153klm’s Maximum Elevation 296m
Moving Time – 2h 29m Stopped Time –17m
Moving Average - 62kph Overall Average - 55kph
On the road at 9.30am
No need for an early start today. Last night I asked if anyone would like to do some dirt on the last day. Carls bike is stuffed again as it needs another (3[SUP]rd[/SUP]) valve adjustment & everyone else is too relaxed after VV & we really couldn’t be bothered with dust.
So today’s ride is a rather boring run down the main highway. No real curves or hills either. The fun doesn’t start until we reach the populated areas with traffic. Ash & I are having a ball & probably getting into dangerous situations while the others are just taking it easy.
We get back to Villa Laos just after 12.
The bikes have (sort of) served us well. No real complaints as they are old & the maintenance by the owner really isn’t top notch when you look into them closely.
We just hang around doing nothing for the afternoon as tonight we drink.
The end of the world is tomorrow, so stuff it, we’re going to see it in with style.
We have been told of a some rooftop bar full of expats & tourists, so we decide to go elsewhere.
There’s a great local bar/restaurant called N or 3 or something. If you’re after a good night out, hit this place up.
Let’s drink for tomorrow we may be dead.
We think we need Jack Daniels now. Bugger, they don’t sell any. We ask one of the waiters to duck up the road & get us a bottle. Tommy gives him half a million & doesn’t expect to ever see him again. No dramas as he’s back in 5 minutes & got coke for us too. Big tip for him coming.
Damn it, we’re still alive as the clock ticks over.
Day 19 – 21[SUP]st[/SUP] Dec 2012 – Vientiane – Perth
It’s all over. Shit that went fast.
Close on 3 weeks with 4 other great blokes, travelling around a fantastic country by motorbike.
Why would you want to do anything else? Ash had one of the best quotes of the whole trip. “I’m smiling so much, my teeth have gone dry”.
This report only touches on a few things that made up the trip. There are hundreds of little things that occur everyday, people & sites you see, that when they are happening fill you with joy, awe & wonder.
In the majority of villages we passed through, the people are extremely poor by our standards, but I think they are so much happier. Everywhere we went we were welcomed, if they couldn’t help us or language was a problem, it would always solicit an unnecessary apology from them. The food while basic is some of the best I’ve had anywhere.
Thanks to everyone for a trip I won’t forget.
153klm’s Maximum Elevation 296m
Moving Time – 2h 29m Stopped Time –17m
Moving Average - 62kph Overall Average - 55kph
On the road at 9.30am
No need for an early start today. Last night I asked if anyone would like to do some dirt on the last day. Carls bike is stuffed again as it needs another (3[SUP]rd[/SUP]) valve adjustment & everyone else is too relaxed after VV & we really couldn’t be bothered with dust.
So today’s ride is a rather boring run down the main highway. No real curves or hills either. The fun doesn’t start until we reach the populated areas with traffic. Ash & I are having a ball & probably getting into dangerous situations while the others are just taking it easy.
We get back to Villa Laos just after 12.
The bikes have (sort of) served us well. No real complaints as they are old & the maintenance by the owner really isn’t top notch when you look into them closely.
We just hang around doing nothing for the afternoon as tonight we drink.
The end of the world is tomorrow, so stuff it, we’re going to see it in with style.
We have been told of a some rooftop bar full of expats & tourists, so we decide to go elsewhere.
There’s a great local bar/restaurant called N or 3 or something. If you’re after a good night out, hit this place up.
Let’s drink for tomorrow we may be dead.
We think we need Jack Daniels now. Bugger, they don’t sell any. We ask one of the waiters to duck up the road & get us a bottle. Tommy gives him half a million & doesn’t expect to ever see him again. No dramas as he’s back in 5 minutes & got coke for us too. Big tip for him coming.
Damn it, we’re still alive as the clock ticks over.
Day 19 – 21[SUP]st[/SUP] Dec 2012 – Vientiane – Perth
It’s all over. Shit that went fast.
Close on 3 weeks with 4 other great blokes, travelling around a fantastic country by motorbike.
Why would you want to do anything else? Ash had one of the best quotes of the whole trip. “I’m smiling so much, my teeth have gone dry”.
This report only touches on a few things that made up the trip. There are hundreds of little things that occur everyday, people & sites you see, that when they are happening fill you with joy, awe & wonder.
In the majority of villages we passed through, the people are extremely poor by our standards, but I think they are so much happier. Everywhere we went we were welcomed, if they couldn’t help us or language was a problem, it would always solicit an unnecessary apology from them. The food while basic is some of the best I’ve had anywhere.
Thanks to everyone for a trip I won’t forget.
Tommys take on the trip.
This was to be my first bike riding trip overseas and I was not sure what to expect so I put my faith in Pounce as he has done it a few times and I was not disappointed. The routes and tracks he sent me months ago were loaded on my GPS and anytime I looked at them we were on track this made me feel confident that all would be OK even when we were in the middle of what looked like a jungle track surrounded by vertical cliffs and rivers.
The highlights for me were the countless river crossings every one was a potential disaster waiting to happen or a good photo shot depending on what happened next.
Then there were all the little villages with kids everywhere smiling and waving at us happy to play with whatever they had and that was not a lot. Some had a stick and a tyre, others just had a stick but that didn’t seem to matter to them they were all happy.
At every fuel stop or roadside restaurant we were welcomed with big smiles and advice even if there was a language barrier it was funny at times trying to mime what we wanted and what the locals were trying to tell us. Even in the big towns the people were happy to help and not trying to rip us off one guy in a bar didn’t have the brand of drink we wanted so we gave him some cash and he said he would be back soon with it I thought that’s the last we will see of him but 5 minutes later he was back with the drink and a mixer as well.
Then I have to thank the guys that made the ride what it was Ash Carl Mike and Pounce we all had great crack tried everything from the tracks, road works and river crossings to the local food at the side of the road. If one had a go at anything we all did.
I would like to single out Pounce for leading the ride doing all the research, translating and helping me with the local currency as I had no idea WTF it all was worth ha ha
Cheers lads
Tommy
This was to be my first bike riding trip overseas and I was not sure what to expect so I put my faith in Pounce as he has done it a few times and I was not disappointed. The routes and tracks he sent me months ago were loaded on my GPS and anytime I looked at them we were on track this made me feel confident that all would be OK even when we were in the middle of what looked like a jungle track surrounded by vertical cliffs and rivers.
The highlights for me were the countless river crossings every one was a potential disaster waiting to happen or a good photo shot depending on what happened next.
Then there were all the little villages with kids everywhere smiling and waving at us happy to play with whatever they had and that was not a lot. Some had a stick and a tyre, others just had a stick but that didn’t seem to matter to them they were all happy.
At every fuel stop or roadside restaurant we were welcomed with big smiles and advice even if there was a language barrier it was funny at times trying to mime what we wanted and what the locals were trying to tell us. Even in the big towns the people were happy to help and not trying to rip us off one guy in a bar didn’t have the brand of drink we wanted so we gave him some cash and he said he would be back soon with it I thought that’s the last we will see of him but 5 minutes later he was back with the drink and a mixer as well.
Then I have to thank the guys that made the ride what it was Ash Carl Mike and Pounce we all had great crack tried everything from the tracks, road works and river crossings to the local food at the side of the road. If one had a go at anything we all did.
I would like to single out Pounce for leading the ride doing all the research, translating and helping me with the local currency as I had no idea WTF it all was worth ha ha
Cheers lads
Tommy
KTMphil
Senior member
Looks like you did a great job of organizing everything Pounce, it's not easy, well done.
Tommys take on the trip.
This was to be my first bike riding trip overseas and I was not sure what to expect so I put my faith in Pounce as he has done it a few times and I was not disappointed. The routes and tracks he sent me months ago were loaded on my GPS and anytime I looked at them we were on track this made me feel confident that all would be OK even when we were in the middle of what looked like a jungle track surrounded by vertical cliffs and rivers.
The highlights for me were the countless river crossings every one was a potential disaster waiting to happen or a good photo shot depending on what happened next.
Then there were all the little villages with kids everywhere smiling and waving at us happy to play with whatever they had and that was not a lot. Some had a stick and a tyre, others just had a stick but that didn't seem to matter to them they were all happy.
At every fuel stop or roadside restaurant we were welcomed with big smiles and advice even if there was a language barrier it was funny at times trying to mime what we wanted and what the locals were trying to tell us. Even in the big towns the people were happy to help and not trying to rip us off one guy in a bar didn't have the brand of drink we wanted so we gave him some cash and he said he would be back soon with it I thought that's the last we will see of him but 5 minutes later he was back with the drink and a mixer as well.
Then I have to thank the guys that made the ride what it was Ash Carl Mike and Pounce we all had great crack tried everything from the tracks, road works and river crossings to the local food at the side of the road. If one had a go at anything we all did.
I would like to single out Pounce for leading the ride doing all the research, translating and helping me with the local currency as I had no idea WTF it all was worth ha ha
Cheers lads
Tommy
KTMphil
Senior member
Lone Rider
Blokes Who Can
Yeah, don't worry mate - still lots of nasties left for you in remote areas.
Laos Highlights from Husky Mikes Perspective.
River crossings:
I think this trip takes the cake for the number of crossings .My guess would be at least 30 for the whole trip.I stand to be corrected.
Without a doubt the king of crossings was the one where we had to follow it downstream for 50 mtrs.
As usual Carl launched off first.Either very confident or very lucky, as most times all went well.Any way this crossing was deep and littered with round greasy boulders which naturally
threw the front and rear wheels in random directions.Surprisingly we all got through.It would have bean great on a Aussie Crusty ride.
Ash's little dip was worth a mention, because with this amount of crossings , someone had to go. Fortunately he had the strength to lift up the bike against the current.
A bit of damaged pride and an engine full of water, both repairable.
Greasy tracks:
I have ridden on lots of greasy tracks and have to admit, sections of this ride took the cake.My favourite was sliding fully upright down a hill out of control with the bit of scrub between me and the valley below.
Turned out well except no one saw it.
My cockiness on surviving this one, was short lived as I thought I was then bulletproof.Wrong, I stepped up the pace and mysteriously I was sliding with the XR down the track.Not upright this time.
As I was previously waved on by Pounce,I knew I did not have much time to do a quick unseen recovery from this little off.Luck was against me , as eagle eye spotted the quick get up and I guess the damage
to the track told the story.
"Off's"
Apart from Carl, we all managed to end up on the ground at some time.
,Tommy next and I can't remember whether HM or Pounce was after that.Ash was with Carl in the elite group,until a downhill rut claimed his scalp.
My guess is Tommy about 6, HM about 5, Ash about 5, Pounce about 2 that I saw and Carl obviously was not trying.
Funniest offs :
3 contenders.A toss up between HM doing a 180 in front of a village or Tommy slipping backwards onto a bridge and ending up in the creek
Most spectacular :
Tommy trying to go straight, but the bike and the wheel rut trying to go left.A lot of air and looked real bad from behind, but apart from a mirror, clutch lever and a few bruises, turned out ok.
Memorable accommodation:
Have to be the cute village on the edge of the Mekong with locals off their face on Beer Lao and whiskey with Karaoke blaring away.No hot water, squat toilet, and bidet
hose as a shower.Second was the riverview lodge with bed smelling of dog and foyer smelling of urine.
Real best was Van Vieng , which was 4 star and cheap.
Best Track:
Toss up between first greasy one with log cutters.HM helping out then having to go back and retrieve his goggles.
Or the most greasy of all where most of us just had trouble staying on the bike and track.
Snippets:
HM,Tommy and Ash on a bourbon bender in Van Vieng.Lost my Maui Jim sunnies,Tommy had to piggy back me home.
Running the gauntlet of two excavators sending rubble down the hill as we tried to get past the blocked road.
The look on Pounce's face when the wee canoe, with him and his bike the back were pushed into the fast flowing river.
The running of the Bull's, when we were stuck behind a dozen stupid buffalo (with big horns) who would not get out of our way.
The never ending battle trying to miss dogs and chickens as we were going through villages.
At the tail end with thick bulldust , sun in the eyes and trying to get past crazy Laos drivers.
The short cut we should have taken instead of the rice paddy,cow pat mud track.
The hot air balloon seemingly drifting towards the powerlines then brushing the bamboo trees.
Summary:
Too much to list on the trip.I will remember it as another great experience.As always, you had to be there.
I did have initial reservations about the duration of the trip, but wow did it go fast.
Hats of to Pounce for the organisation and work put into designing the route.
Mike had his Go Pro on for a lot of the trip.
Unfortunately a lot of the video didn't work out.
Here's some of the short snippets he was able to get from the footage he took.
[video=youtube_share;y9owWCIkrrU]http://youtu.be/y9owWCIkrrU[/video]
[video=youtube_share;X1-kQvkpuFM]http://youtu.be/X1-kQvkpuFM[/video]
[video=youtube_share;FSF8o75l2_Q]http://youtu.be/FSF8o75l2_Q[/video]
[video=youtube_share;g16QYtJyEtQ]http://youtu.be/g16QYtJyEtQ[/video]
[video=youtube_share;t7ddP1KnRRU]http://youtu.be/t7ddP1KnRRU[/video]
[video=youtube_share;uF0vcujdxPs]http://youtu.be/uF0vcujdxPs[/video]
[video=youtube_share;4G2r7GEYte0]http://youtu.be/4G2r7GEYte0[/video]
There's more if you're interested here.
HUSQM - YouTube
River crossings:
I think this trip takes the cake for the number of crossings .My guess would be at least 30 for the whole trip.I stand to be corrected.
Without a doubt the king of crossings was the one where we had to follow it downstream for 50 mtrs.
As usual Carl launched off first.Either very confident or very lucky, as most times all went well.Any way this crossing was deep and littered with round greasy boulders which naturally
threw the front and rear wheels in random directions.Surprisingly we all got through.It would have bean great on a Aussie Crusty ride.
Ash's little dip was worth a mention, because with this amount of crossings , someone had to go. Fortunately he had the strength to lift up the bike against the current.
A bit of damaged pride and an engine full of water, both repairable.
Greasy tracks:
I have ridden on lots of greasy tracks and have to admit, sections of this ride took the cake.My favourite was sliding fully upright down a hill out of control with the bit of scrub between me and the valley below.
Turned out well except no one saw it.
My cockiness on surviving this one, was short lived as I thought I was then bulletproof.Wrong, I stepped up the pace and mysteriously I was sliding with the XR down the track.Not upright this time.
As I was previously waved on by Pounce,I knew I did not have much time to do a quick unseen recovery from this little off.Luck was against me , as eagle eye spotted the quick get up and I guess the damage
to the track told the story.
"Off's"
Apart from Carl, we all managed to end up on the ground at some time.
,Tommy next and I can't remember whether HM or Pounce was after that.Ash was with Carl in the elite group,until a downhill rut claimed his scalp.
My guess is Tommy about 6, HM about 5, Ash about 5, Pounce about 2 that I saw and Carl obviously was not trying.
Funniest offs :
3 contenders.A toss up between HM doing a 180 in front of a village or Tommy slipping backwards onto a bridge and ending up in the creek
Most spectacular :
Tommy trying to go straight, but the bike and the wheel rut trying to go left.A lot of air and looked real bad from behind, but apart from a mirror, clutch lever and a few bruises, turned out ok.
Memorable accommodation:
Have to be the cute village on the edge of the Mekong with locals off their face on Beer Lao and whiskey with Karaoke blaring away.No hot water, squat toilet, and bidet
hose as a shower.Second was the riverview lodge with bed smelling of dog and foyer smelling of urine.
Real best was Van Vieng , which was 4 star and cheap.
Best Track:
Toss up between first greasy one with log cutters.HM helping out then having to go back and retrieve his goggles.
Or the most greasy of all where most of us just had trouble staying on the bike and track.
Snippets:
HM,Tommy and Ash on a bourbon bender in Van Vieng.Lost my Maui Jim sunnies,Tommy had to piggy back me home.
Running the gauntlet of two excavators sending rubble down the hill as we tried to get past the blocked road.
The look on Pounce's face when the wee canoe, with him and his bike the back were pushed into the fast flowing river.
The running of the Bull's, when we were stuck behind a dozen stupid buffalo (with big horns) who would not get out of our way.
The never ending battle trying to miss dogs and chickens as we were going through villages.
At the tail end with thick bulldust , sun in the eyes and trying to get past crazy Laos drivers.
The short cut we should have taken instead of the rice paddy,cow pat mud track.
The hot air balloon seemingly drifting towards the powerlines then brushing the bamboo trees.
Summary:
Too much to list on the trip.I will remember it as another great experience.As always, you had to be there.
I did have initial reservations about the duration of the trip, but wow did it go fast.
Hats of to Pounce for the organisation and work put into designing the route.
Mike had his Go Pro on for a lot of the trip.
Unfortunately a lot of the video didn't work out.
Here's some of the short snippets he was able to get from the footage he took.
[video=youtube_share;y9owWCIkrrU]http://youtu.be/y9owWCIkrrU[/video]
[video=youtube_share;X1-kQvkpuFM]http://youtu.be/X1-kQvkpuFM[/video]
[video=youtube_share;FSF8o75l2_Q]http://youtu.be/FSF8o75l2_Q[/video]
[video=youtube_share;g16QYtJyEtQ]http://youtu.be/g16QYtJyEtQ[/video]
[video=youtube_share;t7ddP1KnRRU]http://youtu.be/t7ddP1KnRRU[/video]
[video=youtube_share;uF0vcujdxPs]http://youtu.be/uF0vcujdxPs[/video]
[video=youtube_share;4G2r7GEYte0]http://youtu.be/4G2r7GEYte0[/video]
There's more if you're interested here.
HUSQM - YouTube
Ally
Well-known member
Thanks again for all the fabulous posts Pounce, going to grab a coffee & watch these videos now 
Ally
Ally
Just Bob
Senior Member
The river crossings look a lot more dramatic on video where you can see the current. Good stuff!
bsacbob
Administrator (Retired)
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2012
- Location
- Chiang Rai
- Bikes
- Honda CRM-AR 250, Honda CRF 250-L, Suzuki V Strom XT 650 Honda XR250 Baja BMW F650GS
With all the money the fat lady was making the canoe's are now redundant and there is a nice twin hull contraption available.
http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-forum/laos-ride-reports/5469-into-great-wide-open-days-5-6-a.html
http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-forum/laos-ride-reports/5469-into-great-wide-open-days-5-6-a.html
asiarider
Senior Member
This is a Hotel in Boun Tai. After the bridge nearly 300 - 400 meter turn left and than 2 - 3 km on the right side. I know the other one its a horror house. Sometimes I eat in the restaurant at the bridge.
