A north Laos motorcycle tour

On a Laos motorcycle tour, you will most likely see this.

Tractor trailers often get out of control here.

Craig & Hienz left Chiang Mai a couple of days before us, they spent 2 days riding in the Nan region & loved it of course. We then agreed to meet through the Nan, Huay Khon, Muang Nguen, Laos border at the town of Hongsa in Laos

Approaching the Huay Khon border, the Stu pa here on the hill always looks good

Last fill-up with 95 octane before Laos (no 95) at the PTT at the junction of R 1148 & R 1080

Convoy of fuel trucks at the Muang Nguen border crossing headed for the Hongsa construction zone

Through the border crossing paperwork pretty swiftly at Muang Nguen for a change. Laos customs tried to get an extra 100 bht per bike for the “paper cost” , I asked for a receipt and suddenly we didn’t have to pay it

Laos insurance office at the Muang Nguen border is now 100 meters to the east of the customs & immigration office, in the building below:

Paperwork all finished, time to ride 30km east to find Craig and Hienz in Hongsa

Route 4 A from the Muang Nguen border to 3km east of Hongsa is now COMPLETELY tarmac all the way

About 1/2 way to Hongsa there’s a rolled construction truck

Looked reasonably recent

As you approach Hongsa you reach construction hell – the coal mine and the Thai coal fired generating project are well under way

From the construction zone to Hongsa there is approx. 3km’s of unmade road left

Next to the Souphaphone guest house is the new SiChuan Chinese restaurant that looks pretty good

Good food and great service. they can even do fried egg sandwiches for breakfast the next morning

The Mai Ngam Sili restaurant in Hongsa is also great, a beautiful structure

Got to bed early so that I could get some shots in Hongsa’s morning market

Looks like this lady could bring you some luck with the lotto ticket

There are some fantastic characters at the Hongsa market

Really cute young girl at the market

More Hongsa market vendors

1st time i’d seen bush meat in the Hongsa market, here some kind of fox with a plastic bag over its head to catch the blood

After a lap of the market now the bag removed

Some kind of squirrel as well

& buffalo legs

& some bags of blood for sale

The sun was now rising, filtered by the smokey atmosphere, time to go get ready for riding
‘

13km east of Hongsa we take the left turn off of the main road and approach our first river, which in dry season is no more than a puddle

The 120km NE to Luang Prabang, known as route 4-B, was hard packed clay, with a deep powder covering in sections

The next river crossing, Som getting through without any difficulty

Hienz was having a blast on his Lifan 200 Cross

Som had the BMW stall on a steep hill, I stopped to help and dropped the KTM too.

Arriving at one of the villages that has no utilities on route 4-B about 1/2 way to Luang Prabang

A slip in the dust …. nothing broken on the rider or the bike

Craig on his Suzuki DRZ 400 coming across the next river

Hienz on the Lifan 200 too

Looks like the Lifan sat a lot lower and showed in the river crossings from the spray

Everyone was having a great time on this fantastic trail

Further along the trail, some ladies starting to make brushes from this vegetation

More villagers

This in the rainy season is a fast flowing river’

After about 4 hours of moving time we reach the ferry that will take us across the Mekong river to Luang Prabang

There was no waiting, we managed to get right on a ferry

Lunch on the boat

Hienz, Som & Craig

Deep in thought

Joma for a late lunch was like an Oasis in the desert after the dusty trail

Hienz & Craig got rooms at the Oudomsouk GH , which is down the side street next to Joma. 100,000 kip good value

We stayed at the GH opposite for the same price

The old architecture in Luang Prabang is beautiful

The main street has great Character

At night its beautiful

Even the Govt. Bank building is gorgeous

The photo opportunities in Luang Prabang are endless

Next down to the Mekong river for sunset beers

You would be crazy to miss sunset by the Mekong

If you want riverside accommodation, the Luang Prabang River Lodge would be an excellent choice

The evening market in Luang Prabang

Then off to the fancy L’Elephant restaurant for dinner – the place is expensive and was PACKED

We bumped into Nikko (getting the ground pepper), who i’d ridden with last year and he joined us for dinner, luckily for Craig and Hienz, he had a few free days and is taking them trail riding

Next morning Som & I leave for Luang Nam Tha & turn off north of Luang Prabang to look at the new hydro-electric construction on the Nam Ou river. Here the old twisted bridge from the floods in the past

The brand new bridge leading to the hydro-electric plant

It’s 13Km off of R 13N to get to the hydro-elec build, there are some beautiful views along the way

We get down to the hydro=elec construction area and its a hive of activity – new bridges being built across the Nam Ou river

& the hydro-elec project truly under way

This is the Nam Ou river 300 meters from the hydro-elec project

Back on R 13 N & what do we have here? A landslide in the dry season? While waiting I call Midnight Mapper, he very much doubted it being a landslide and must have been some kind of purposeful operation.

So we’re through this in about 30 minutes, then I notice my right boot is covered in oil. Taking a look for the source, we can see that a bolt has backed out of the crankcase — luckily the sump pan protector has prevented the bolt from coming all the way out, we stop at the next mechanic and he tightens it all back up, problem solved.

Route 13 N between Pakmong and OudomXai, the road is still a disaster from the rainy season, there must be 100 broken road section, road bikes be aware of this, it won’t be fun (Versys’s will hate it)

Pulling into OudomXai for lunch, looked like this guy had a fetish for satellite dishes

OudomXai is a very strange town. It’s quite hard to explain, but is kind of huge with nothing there and very Chinese orientated.

We ate lunch inside the Dansavanh Hotel in OudomXai which is right on the river in the center of town opposite the market

The Hotel has a nice “old world” feel to it

Food was quite tasty

They also have a restaurant next to the hotel on the river, it looked like this was only open for dinner

The river in town didn’t look too inviting, looked like they’d be plenty of corn-eyed-brown-trouts in there

Late afternoon, we rode into Luang Nam Tha & decide to give the big, pink, Chinese, Royal Hotel a shot

The hotel is still new looking and is very Chinese, being so close to the Boten, China/ Laos border

Rooms are 250,000 kip (1,000 Bht) and pretty good if a little small though

There is a huge Chinese market (not the night market) opposite the Royal Hotel, that sells everything from spoons to generators

Quite amusing to be in this fancy hotel and then see this tuk tuk out front

Walking around LNT – the Thavyxai GH looks like a good place to stay (one street back from the main road) , will give this a shot next time

Food options are limited in Luang Nam Tha, the Banana Restaurant is one ok option

The Bamboo lounge is another’

The Manychan Restaurant directly opposite the night food market seems to be the most popular

Still early, so we take a look around the LNT night food marker opposite the Manychan restaurant, its clean and looks like a great budget eating option

The locals market in the back of the night food market

A vendor in the market making noodles from powdered rice and water, heating the mixture in a pan over steam

Then cutting the huge noodle with scissors

Som Tum

In LNT another hotel option is the Dokchampa hotel next to the night food market

Opposite the Dokchampa hotel in Luang Nam Tha is the Minority restaurant down a side ally that looks interesting

Early morning start from LNT to make Chiang Mai in 1 day, the mist was very thick. About 30km east of LNT some local villagers keeping warm around a burning log

Further east towards Houay Xai, some great views even in the smokey haze

Taken with the Lumix LX5 ..doesn’t bring out the colors nearly as good

A line of traffic, what do we have here?

Looks like the white truck cut the corner and the two are now mated together, luckily enough room to get the bikes passed

We arrive in Houay Xai nice and early, great photo on the wall of the Houay Xai immigration office showing the extent of the floods in 2008

Muang Nguen, Laos (Nan border) forgot to stamp Som’s passport, this mistake cost a 4,000 bht fine to correct at Houay Xai immigration — A GOOD LESSON TO CHECK YOUR PASSPORT HAS BEEN STAMPED

Not too smokey for a photo across the Mekong from Houay Xai customs office at the car/ truck ferry

Looks like “ferry mafia” has developed at the Houay Xai, Laos ferry dock. None of the arriving R-O-R-O ferries will take motorcycles. There is a thin, elderly gentleman at the dock who will tell you that for 600 Bht for each motorcycle he can get you on the ferry. The ferry from the Chiang Khong, Thailand side is 500 bht!

So back across to Thailand and check-in. Thai immigration is now quite insistent that for foreign motorcycles, you MUST go check in also at the main immigration office in town and that will cost you 200 bht, they will give you a receipt.

A few more photo’s from the north Laos trip

Chinese sign at the Nam Ou hydro-elec plant