Going on a long haul road tour in Laos and Cambodia and I take with me ....

[Changnoi1]

Yes, what do I take with me?
I am riding a Versys and I am riding "paved" roads.

Extra tools?
EHBO set?
Air pump?
Something to repair tyres?
Flash light?
A rope?
A knife?
Cigarets to bribe cops?
A stick to hit dogs?

And while I am on it ....
How about gasoline in Laos? Normally I use 91 gasohol. Is is easy available?
How about Cambodia?

Money ... the last time I was on a long tour in Laos they did not have ATM's. Now in all big places?
How about Cambodia?

Chang Noi

 

[Lone Rider]

Cigarettes are always handy to have to break the ice although I must admit that most of the time I forget them as I don't smoke myself. Fuel - no gasohol in Laos and only 91 (no 95 fuel) available. Plenty of fuel stations along the main roads so should be no problem. Also plenty of tyre repair shops but always good to have your own repair kit. In case your tyre is damaged beyond repair it may be difficult to find a new one though.

Stick to hit dogs - Have never needed it but there are a variety of animals (dogs, goats, cattle, etc.) as well as people who have a habit of crossing the road without looking and without much regard for the traffic

ATMs in Laos. most big cities and nowadays also most of the district capitals (small cities) have ATM's although the number of International ATM's which accept non-Lao ATM cards are mainly found in the main cities.

Can't help with your questions for Cambodia as I haven't been there for quite some time.

 

[Changnoi1]

Thanks for the update!
The stick for dogs .... well when riding off-road with my XT before I started to take one with me to hit the dogs near farms in the middle of nowhere. But were Thai dogs, they may differ from Lao dogs.

Chang Noi

 

[The Bigfella]

More likely to need a stick for the snakes than the dogs. I didn't see an ATM for a week until the other day... but that was off the pavement.

My suggestions... toolkit sufficient to do the basics... oil changes, remove wheels, etc. Spare wheel bearings, brake pads, fork seals and anything the Versysy is known to chew up and spit out on a regular basis. Spares can be got to you via the local bus network.

I've been using drum fuel and haven't had any problems with it.

 

[marcusb]

ATMs, i have had trouble using my Thai bank card (gov't savings) but my canadian card always works. If you take out 2,000,000 your good for quite a few days.
never had any gas issues even with the KLXs 150k range.
Bring some tea bags, lots of little shops have those hot water dispensers so at least you can enjoy your tea.
I have trouble finding a decent breakfast so some kind of granola bars or snacks would be good.
Lots of hotels only have one plug, I always bring a small power bar so I can recharge my various gadgets at night.
In the summer lots of the roads north of vientiane were 100 meters of pavement, 100 meters of gravel, repeat all day. Doable on the Versey but a tad annoying. North of Odoumxai and to the west the roads are beautiful. Likewise the tarmac around Pakse Attapeau were very good.
I always carry a strong kryptonite cable and a Ulock for bike security. I found the hotel owners were more nervous than I and were happy to see me lock it up.
The hardware store downstairs in Tukcom now has the aerosol tire sealant/inflator, not sure how great it works but I am bringing a can next trip.
Duct tape, zip ties, fishing line, electrical tape, zip loc bags for camera, iphone,mp3s,,, map, chain lube, small bottle of glass cleaner for helmet visor, glasses and head/tail light lenses (Charoen optical sells nice little ones) 2 part epoxy, a few pairs of latex gloves(doctors gloves) so you can tinker and dont have to wash your hands. I also always bring a thumbdrive loaded with shows as laos TV can be boring and the evenings long.
If you cross at Vientiane there are two offices right there selling insurance, If you cross at Tha li the insurance place was closed the last two times I was there, but I got insurance in Pak lai. (side note, if you cross over often they have a good yearly rate and it doesn't matter if you go back and forth between countries, it stays valid)
Never had issues with Laos dogs, even on bicycle, I have no idea why they are more laid back than Thai dogs.