Laos in September, v2015

[The Bigfella]

I did a ride report on Laos in September three years ago.

I've been back for another visit, albeit on a different path this time. Same bike (KTM 525 EXC).... different engine this time. Now a 600. Bored and stroked... and a few other things too.

The path was Vientiane, Long Cheng, Phonsavan, Luang Prabang, Hongsa, Pak Lay and out...

Plenty of mud. Got to catch up with some characters, like Lone Rider.... here seen landing a knockout blow to a bull elephant



Drank some blood



Got busted for this photo.... and had it deleted during my 90 minutes police detention.



Managed a few that didn't get deleted....





That's the former King's residence at Long Cheng - now a military base

Ran in the new engine



Wrecked another pair of boots



Made sure the chain, brakes and seals were in working order



Found some new toys (and yeah, they deleted this photo too)



Checked out road conditions









... all in all, a good trip. I'll document it as I get more photos processed

 

[Nightrider70]

Was there any issues getting in to Long Cheng like permission and/or bribes?

 

[CraigBKK]

I eat most things, including the cubes of blood in noodle soup (I actually ask for it in case they think I don't want it) but the this Lao style blood salad I've never enjoyed...

 

[The Bigfella]

Was there any issues getting in to Long Cheng like permission and/or bribes?

I went through half a dozen checkpoints. Didn't have any issues. Went through the first couple just behind a truck, just in case, but don't think it was an issue anyhow. Had one soldier tell me I couldn't get through, but he was meaning that road, rather than permission.

I kept hearing the word "falang" over the town radio speakers. We asked for permission to fly my drone.... which didn't go down well, including a follow-up phone call to make sure I hadn't flown it. I got detained on the way to Phonsovan, first village on the way to Phonsavan.... "you come with us for 2 or 3 hours, we check your cameras". Lost about 30 photos.

I was the only falang there for two of the three... or was it four days I was there. Chris came through on my second night. We had a dozen armed soldiers guarding our rooms that night. My photos of them and the VIPs they were guarding were deleted too. The guy in town who'd taken some other visitors up Skyline Ridge had been warned off by the army... he couldn't take us, so we went by ourselves. Another guy, who'd said he was a soldier, was taking me to see a large bomb... suddenly said "stop... army..." followed by his version of automatic weapon noises. "Turn around, quick" That'd be this guy... and here....



That's steeper than it looks, of course.... and he didn't help... and jumped on for the climb out. We got back and my room had been gone through. One of the girls with them, perhaps... or the other guy. I had everything of importance with me though.

My room... their party

 

[The Bigfella]

I eat most things, including the cubes of blood in noodle soup (I actually ask for it in case they think I don't want it) but the this Lao style blood salad I've never enjoyed...

Have to agree. I gave up on it. The other one I'm not keen on having again is afterbirth. Had that a couple of years back

 

[The Bigfella]

I had a look through my drone footage from Phonsavan... and put together a quick video of the main tourist site at the Plain of Jars. I hadn't visited it last time I came through Phonsavan (in 2012). To recap, these are funerary jars from several thousand years ago... 2,500 plus years.

What I find interesting is the large number of bomb craters that are visible... about ten or so at the 35 second mark. I heard a centrefire rifle shot while I was filming this. Only one... so, who knows whether it was someone at the adjacent airforce base or not? No idea what they were shooting at.

The view of the trail markers is one I found interesting.... They define the area that's been cleared of UXO. Inside is cleared... outside, not. The path has moved over the years into the uncleared area. I included a shot of one damaged jar near a bomb crater too

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Sorry about the advert... I deliberately avoid them... but it seems to have attached itself with the music. Will have to watch out for that next time.

 

[Lone Rider]

Very nice Bigfella - around 0:25-0:30 I seem to see hints of the Migs in the distance. By the way, is the music by Xavier Rudd?

 

[The Bigfella]

Yes, I could see the Migs with the telephoto lens (just a 200mm) from there.

The music is Brady Harris.

Here's a couple of drone stills that you might recognise

First up... half the scene



and.... with the rest of it





Have some of it smokin' away around here somewhere too.

 

[The Bigfella]

Here's another short drone clip... one of the landslides I went through between Long Chieng and Phonsavan... about an hour or so after the cops had stopped me and deleted 30 or so photos.

I noticed that just after I reversed direction with the drone, there's still rocks rolling down the hill from the upper left.

From the GPS, this 117 metre stretch took me 6 minutes 50 to push through... bike working hard, but that included a couple of breathers. Average speed 1 kph. Maximum, as it got shallower, 8 kph. A 250 wouldn't have had the grunt to get through... I was literally pushing a bow wave of mud in front of the bike

 

[The Bigfella]

The new nightlife scene in Hongsa

 

[The Bigfella]

Here's a mixed media video... based around Route 4B and the villages up in the mountains. I flew the drone over one of the villages and then added some shots to show the way Route 4B varies with the conditions - from 4 different trips. It's a pity that it's to be tarred. I love that ride through there

 

[Lone Rider]

Here's a mixed media video... based around Route 4B and the villages up in the mountains. I flew the drone over one of the villages and then added some shots to show the way Route 4B varies with the conditions - from 4 different trips. It's a pity that it's to be tarred. I love that ride through there

Tarring Route 4B will take some time as the surveyors are still busy with their stuff. Did see yesterday 2 or 3 basecamps with some graders, etc. but no road building activity yet so if you want to ride that track you still have time.

 

[bsacbob]

Equipment ready to go, one of two camps i saw on the Hongsa end of the trail a couple of week ago.

 

[Lone Rider]

Equipment ready to go, one of two camps i saw on the Hongsa end of the trail a couple of week ago.

View attachment 42057

Yes, but the equipment was still standing there 2 days ago and appeared not to have been used since you passed there.

 

[The Bigfella]

It's a communist demonstration.... they can afford to let capital equipment stand idle

 

[The Bigfella]

One from earlier in the trip. I love the Mekong sunsets

 

[Lone Rider]

One from earlier in the trip. I love the Mekong sunsets

5555 I do remember that one

 

[The Bigfella]

Clearing out of Laos, new border post west of Pak Lai (Pak Lay)





Swap sides...



Relaxed and speedy processing on the Thai side

 

[The Bigfella]

Latest drone video that I've pieced together. The pretty and the less pretty around Hongsa