Laos Cycling Adventure!

Well I'm writing my first blog post with 5 days of solo riding under my belt. Currently I'm taking a rest day in the small town of Thakek about 360 kms from the capital city Vientiane. Zach and I parted ways in Hue and will meet again in 2 months Katmandu, Nepal. We are having our separate journeys with my exploration through Lao and his time climbing the Himalayan mountain range through Tibet and Nepal (not an easy feat with one speed!).

Just to recap some, we left Hoi An a week ago heading north towards Hue. We both loved Hoi An with its ancient Chinese style architecture and meandering river waterways, it was a truly unique spot to spend a few days. At night glowing lanterns line the walkways and paper-mache animals perch glowing on their stands above the waterways, casting their silhouettes shimmering onto the surface. The two day trek to Hue, left us spending one night in Danang, Vietnam's 3rd largest city. After securing Z's visa extension we said our farwell to Hoi An and set out the 30 kms to Danang, with one stop at large hill primarily made up of marble and aptly named Marble Mountain. Leaving our bikes with a local marble shop owner, we scrambled up the hundreds of slippery marble steps leading to the top of Marble Mountain. With help by one of the young Vietnamese guides we were shown one of the most spectacular views of our whole trip; a 360 degree view of Danang, surrounding mountain ranges, and the coastline and islands near Hoi An, all at sunset. Pushing the last 10 kms into Danang under nightfall we negotiated the massive free for all traffic circles and found a hotel.

1) Zach a top Marble Mountain 2) I thought I had a heavy load!:

The following day included one 10 km mountain pass directly outside Danang. Luckily we started the climb early because the temperature steadily climbed into the high 90's. At the summit of Hivan Pass was a series of original American artillery bunkers. As we clambered around these war relics it brought to life the reality soldiers faced daily during the Vietnam War. As usual our decent passed far too quickly, dropping us back down to the coast. We spent the last 70 kms into Hue racing the impending storm clouds rumbling behind us. In the tourist guide books Hue is marketed as a tourist hotspot, but having come from Hoi An we all were a little disappointed with this bustling city. Like a watery line the Song Huong (Perfume River) separates the new city from the old city. Across the river, in the old city, lies the crumbling Citadel, housing the 13 emperors under the Nguyen Dynasty between 1802 - 1945. Steve, Zach, and I spent a morning wandering through the imperial enclosure named the Forbidden Purple City. Modernization merged with the ancient evidenced by the multitude of plastic paper-mache modeled animals perched on top of the decaying imperial city. Actively in a state of repair, workers hammered building stones back into place, replaced broken tiles, rebuilt roofs, attempting to delay the inevitable decay. Later that same day we all set off towards the riverfront and alter some heavy negotiating we procured a turquoise tourist boat to take us 4 kms down the river to the Thien Mu Pagado, founded in 1601. This beautiful pagoda also houses a monastery where young monks and nuns study. Clad in striking orange robes the young students peaked out behind their books giggling at the passing tourists.

1) Us at the top of the pass 2) US bunker:

1) Hue sunset view 2) Young nun and pagoda


Departing Hue with fond farewells and tears in my eyes I cycled into first solo bicycle tour. The two day ride followed the historic Highway 9 or better known as the DMZ (de-militarized zone) that separated North Vietnam from South Vietnam during the war. Now mainly used as a tour route and a land shipping connection between Vietnam and Laos, the road traverses through beautiful lush valleys, climbing up into the mountains ranges, then back down towards Laos. Besides a massive g-force headwind that stalked me for those two days to the border the road was in excellent condition and offered up some amazing views. At the top of a big climb I even managed to catch up with a stopped group of Aussie tourists, who stared distantly out at what is known as the "Pile of Rocks." Recovering well from the defoliants originally used in the area, the "pile" looks more like a jagged green peak jutting straight up to the sky, than an actual pile of rocks. But their guide let me know that during the Vietnam War the Americans built a helicopter landing pad atop this peak because strategically it is the highest point in the area. Waving goodbye to the Aussies gazing at me in wonderment why anyone would choose to cycle as a mode of transportation we parted ways. 85 kms of rollercoaster roads later I coasted into the border town of Lao Bao just in time to beat the imminent rain clouds chasing me. Wishful thinking on my part, these rain clouds would continue to steadily pour on me hundreds of kilometers into Laos.

1) "Pile of Rocks" 2) Need some bananas?

The following morning I pushed out into the downpour and newly flooded streets of Lao Bao towards the border 1km away. Eyeing me with a mix of suspicion and curiosity the Vietnamese customs official eagerly stamped my passport, waving me into Laos. Less than a minute away was the Laos border office offering a stark contrast to its Vietnamese counterpart. Parking my bike under a awning away from the rain I made my way to the "Visa on Entry" office. A smiling man in a dusty Lao uniform sitting behind an archaic computer met me and a few wild hand gestures later I understood that I needed to fill out one form letting them know I wanted a 30-day visa, another form letting the government know I didn’t have the H1N1 Swine Flue virus, then wait 10 minutes for this man's boss to finish eating his breakfast of noodle soup. An 80's style pleather couch with broken legs beckoned me. While waiting I watched soggy stray dogs run in and out of the office, obviously fond of the border officials for providing them with the occasional food scrap. As promised 10 minutes later I had a Lao visa sticker in my passport and after exchanging my remaining Dong into the Lao currency Kip I cycled out into the unknown.

Immediately the road opened onto the Laos border town of Dene Savan. The soggy mud drenched streets were lined by dismal looking cement bunker style shops and shipment trucks passing to and from the border. I swerved not to hit a giant black bristly haired pig standing its ground in the middle of the road. The town no more than a few hundred meters in length soon opened onto verdant bamboo and tree forests with the regular passing river. The small villages along the road consist of a few bamboo raised huts with roofs constructed primarily out of natural thatched material. It wasn’t until 200 kms later that I started to see village huts with tin roofs. Often these dwellings were in various states of disrepair with leaky holes in the palm thatch roofs. Even compared to Cambodia the level of poverty in villages and towns seems more apparent. Children often naked or wearing torn t-shirts embossed with western logos holler out "Sabaa-Dii!" (hello in Lao) while I pass them bundled in my blue rain jacket. Heading to and from fields and homes, men, women, and kids alike walk up and down the roads carrying various agricultural implements. Women are typically dressed in local embroidered shirts, sometimes adorned with traditional style hats. I even noticed a number of people with tribe specific head shavings. As my Lonely Plant remarks, the people of Laos hail from dozens of ethnic groups, many of which can be found throughout the whole of SE Asia. More than 30% of the county is comprised of non-Lao-speaking non-Buddhist hill tribes.

Pictures from my first day in Laos:

Cycling these last 3 days in Laos people smile and look at me with open eyed intrigue. We share words of "Sabaa-Dii!" and "Sok Dee!" (good luck). On the road I pass tractors loaded with people laughing and waving as I cycle by. The traffic is low, with the occasional passing truck, and even unlikely car, each always giving a wide berth. Chickens, ducks, dogs, water buffalo, cows, pigs, and goats dominate the roadside. Taking little notice of the passing cycle tourists they continue grazing. There are many rivers along the way, sometimes with locals waist deep in the water carrying out a traditional style of drop net fishing, where a large net is sunk the bottom held by the fisher's marionette like poles above. Pulling the net to surface it reveals a few minnow like fish flapping about which are then placed in the wicker basket affixed to the fishers hip. I pulled over multiple times to watch this elegant process, each time myself being spectacle for the locals to check out. So far I have decided to forgo taking pictures certain time and instead experience the moment without my camera. I've found that with photography it can ruin a moment, scare people away, and often can feel like an invasion of another culture and peoples privacy. Now cycling alone a camera seems even more out of place.

1) Approaching rain clouds 2) My soggy feet Day 1 in Laos

I continue to enjoy cycling alone. I've taken to riding with my headphones which helps to pass the hours. For a long time I thought I wasn’t strong enough to cycle tour alone and felt that I needed others there who know how to do it right. But the reality is that there is no one way to travel by bike, every day is a new experience with its own set of physical and mental challenges. I continue to ride at a the same pace too, averaging between 85 - 135 kms per day. And although I do miss Zach, we both have found that this time apart isn't as bad as we thought it would be. Its nice to miss the one you love and look forward to seeing them again soon. Tomorrow I leave to continue the journey north. It will probably rain and I will probably get wet, but the one thing for certain is that I will cycle through amazing scenery and get a glimpse into an unique and beautiful culture unlike my own.

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Vietnam: A Photo Set by Elise

I just wanted to share some of my favorite photos taken over the last few weeks. I would love any feedback on the photography. The first photo was taken by Zach and I took the rest.

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Epic Blog Post: Vietnam, the first twenty days

We are much belated on our blog post, but here it goes. We just arrived in Hoi An today with three other cyclists in tow. Kat and Mike are two Canadian cycle tourists on the road for at least a year. If you remember, we met them at the Auckland airport where they watched us fumble around while we put our bikes together for our first official tour day abroad. Steve, who is from New Zealand, we met by chance along the road on the way to Dalat here in Vietnam. Since leaving Thailand we have cycled almost 3000 kilometers in SE Asia! We will continue to cycle with Steve, Katrina, and Mike over the next few weeks. Elise will cut over to Laos for 3 weeks of solo cycling before her teaching course in Chang Mai in September while Zach will continue north via train to Hanoi with the group for some cycling in China, Tibet, and Nepal. Although we are both sad to separate ways for a few months, we are looking forward to having our own adventures along this journey. Oh yeah and it was Elise's Birthday yesterday! She is enjoying a few days off from bike riding and instead is lounging around in bed.

Upon cycling across the Cambodian - Vietnam border we headed to the mountains for some much needed hill climbing with the added benefit of cooler temperatures. Border crossing by bicycle has so far proven to be hassle-free and speedy. We left Cambodian hellos of "Sua s'dei"!" behind and headed onto Vietnamese roads lined with neon green rice paddies and echoing hellos of "Sin Jows!". Our first full day cycling in Vietnam we were treated to coffee by a local man who flagged us down on the road just a couple kilometers from our hotel. We had an extended conversation that included much gesturing, phrasebook referencing, and I'm sure, all of his English vocabulary. We spent a beautiful and quiet two days getting reacquainted with riding rolling hills again before we hit the mountainous Highway 14. After about 6 months of relatively flat riding we were less than prepared for the climbing, but managed to make it through. We were afforded some awesome views, lots of hellos, and some good coffee along the way. Our stint on Highway 14 took us from Chon Thanh -> Duc Phong -> Gia Nghia -> Di Linh.

Heading to Di Linh we expected to climb because we'd been climbing for the past few days and the only thing we could see for sure on the horizon were mountains. The road lacked traffic but more than made up for it in hills! Oh the climbing! We stopped a lot, got coffee a few times, took a lot of photos and even took cover in a tin roofed drink shack during a torrential downpour. We got to cycle through some tiny little hill villages and we saw the dress change from modern western styles to the colorful traditional spun cotton. Soon the road gave way to what could best be described as a dry river bed trying to pass itself off as a road. Sending us into steep descents, we navigated carefully around giant potholes and rocks. At the bottom of this punishing hill one of Zach's seat post bolts snapped in half leaving him with a dangling and useless seat flapping in the wind. Elise, always quick with a backup plan, flagged down a potato truck we'd passed earlier and negotiated a ride for us. Up went the luggage, up went the bikes, and we were prepared to hop up next when we were instead directed to the cab to ride up front while one of the truck guys rode in back on top of all the lumpy potato sacks. We were lucky to get a ride on a Sunday when most of the trucks are out of service. Arriving in Di Linh we checked into one of the few hotels which we discovered later housed another cycle tourist…Steve, who we later met up with in Dalat.

The next day we had the pleasure of cycling up gorgeous valley floors blanketed by rectangular farm plots that even start to creep up the hillsides, giving a surreal sense of one cycling over a big green quilt. The mountains started closing in and the road began to snake around when we arrived at Prenn Falls which marks the beginning of the 7km climb up to Dalat. We stopped for tourisms sake and to snap a few cheesy photos. The waterfalls are kind of theme park like in that you can rent a horse, ride in a giant swan boats, shoot a bow and arrow, or get your photo taken with a Vietnamese cowboy! A few ice cream sandwiches later we were prepared to ride again and began by following motorbikes and innumerable tour busses into the first twists of the climb. The ascent is actually fairly gradual but the mirrors on the corners give it an air of difficulty that's just not there. Taking care to hug the shoulder we did manage to catch a glimpse of some of the spectacular views on the way up, no camera though as it was steadily raining. About half way up we pulled into the entrance of Datanla Falls for a break and some more economic stimulus. Elise jumped at the chance to ride the Alpine Coaster down to the falls and before you could say "Boo" we were in the lead car getting an extremely brief explanation of our self-controlled braking capabilities. A shove from the conductor and we were off… the only rule parlayed was to maintain 25 meters between cars. We took a video of most of the ride, which we both loved and would definitely recommend doing if you're in the area! The falls put Prenn Falls to shame with cascading tiers and viewing platforms built out onto the boulders letting you get right onto the falls. Back on the road we finished out the last 3 kilometers of the climb and within a half hour we were cresting the hill and getting our first views of Dalat.

We spent a few glorious days strolling around the quaint alleyways and steep hills that form the foundation of this hill city. Steve proved to be a great travel partner and roamed around with us off and on during our stay. We tried to ride the cable car, and when for the second day we were turned away for "cable car holidays", who knew cable cars had holidays?

View from cable car station and view of Dalat:

Katrina and Mike caught up with us on our last night in town and we agreed to meet them in Nha Trang in the next few days. Steve rode with us from the mountains to the beach and wrote a great blog post of his own about the days riding.

Our longest day at 148.8 kms coupled with our longest descent at over 27kms made for an incredible experience. The guys at the tour company that provided us with maps of their route called this the "Rollercoaster Ride" and early on it was already living up to it's name as we would climb steadily and then scream down the back side of huge hills. After 47 kilometers and a breakfast stop of stale baguettes and cough syrup style coffee over ice we were at the top of the pass and looking out over a stunning view of the descent and the rolling hills that lay ahead. Tour busses lined the shoulder of the road at the apex and one rowdy group of Vietnamese tourists on their way to Dalat came over to check out what we were about. Steve got in a flexing contest with a very fit guy while another guy took Z's bike for a ride. E. got some great pictures of the muscle show!


Nah Trang had some awesome beaches and felt a bit like Surfers Paradise in Australia with the huge beachfront hotels and all the travelers. We all took the opportunity to dive or snorkel (respective of our abilities) and even got Kat and Mike to come on our dive boat run by Rainbow Dives, for our second trip out. We snorkeled around the fringing coral reefs at Moray Beach, Seahorse Bay, and Mama Hahn. The coral and fish were amazing in the shallow turquoise water; our laundry list of underwater sightings included: soft and hard corals in many varieties, sea cucumbers, pipefish, sea snakes, puffer fish, angel fish, and the list goes on! The dive company was great, if not a bit expensive, but after our snorkel trip in Cambodia we decided to splurge in hopes that we'd have more success in actually seeing things below the surface.

Zach in the water!:

Steve and Z. took a trip out to Vinpearl; an amusement park/ resort on an island across the bay from Nha Trang which can be reached either by ferry or by cable car. We splurged at $16 a piece and caught the cable car. Once on the island we had unlimited access to rides, games, shows, the aquarium, and a water park. Steve rode a mechanical bull, we took a ride on the swings, played video game horse racing, and saw the aquarium where we hit the jackpot and ended up catching the feeding in their main tank. We were too pooped to hit up the waterpark and headed back on the gondolas after about five hours of adventuring around the park. On our last night we all pitched in and did some bike work at the old hotel until it started pouring rain. After twenty minutes of solid downpour the street in front of our hotel was well on it's way to being a river and ten minutes later the flat rooftop of our hotel had filled as well and water was cascading down the five flights of stairs. Mike and Kats room on the top floor was up to at least an inch of water, although luckily nothing was damaged! Thankfully our room escaped the flood! The five of us cycled North together for the next four days hitting Quy Nihon, Tuy Hoa, Quang Nghai, Ha Lam, and ending up in Hoi An for E.'s birthday!

Cycling with a group has been a great experience which is made all the better by all of our personalities meshing so well! Time seems to fly by when you're able to chat away with others and we're finding ourselves whinging a lot less and riding a lot harder. As single speeders we keep our legs spinning like speeding turbines while those gearheads keep shifting around hardly breaking a sweat. We've definitely been working harder to keep up on the flats but we seem to fly up the hills and everyone working hard results in higher overall average speed… oh, and we all get the benefit of a pace line and the inevitable draft! With five agendas to suit we definitely stop more; Kat and Mike get flats, Steve gets hungry, and E. and Z. like to stop at the top of hills to recover. We are certainly a novelty for the locals as our cycle train zips through villages and inundates restaurants and hotels as we descend on small and large towns alike.

The group heading out after food and Kat and Mike on the bikes:

On a non bike related note traveling in tropical climates often has its beautiful perks, yet it does come with a constant supply of creepy crawlies. Many of you know that bugs are to say the least, not Zs favorite visitors, especially the half-dollar sized cockroaches that seem to scuttle there way into our room every night. No matter what Star hotel cockroaches find there way into our room and we are often left with a war of wills, us versus man eating sized roach. Regularly we find ourselves attempting to heard these beasts out of our room, which I would equate to about as easy as trying to herd cats. I only mention the bugs today, because this morning there are sugar ants crawling out from behind our computer keyboard. These pint-sized pests take over our panniers finding sweets that we didn’t even know existed and often times take over our toothbrushes in search of remaining sugary toothpaste.

On our way to Hoi An we made a stop over at the historic site of the Son My Massacre, in the town of My Lai. During the Vietnam War a reported 500 villagers were killed by the American forces. Following the war a museum was built on the site and the actual home foundations were kept to show the layout of the village before the US forces arrived. It is always sobering to visit sites like these, especially when our home country is so intimately connected. We both don't consider ourselves particularly patriotic we find ourselves often wanting to hear another side of the story because often the US is solely portrayed as the wrong-doer for their war time actions. Both our dads did multiple tours during the war in Vietnam and interestingly both of them are outspoken antiwar advocates. Every time visit sites like these we gain more insights into our fathers experiences.

After the museum we had planned on taking a short loop back to the highway, but instead ended up lost on tiny village back roads and by the time we actually found Highway 1 we had cycled over 60 kms (half a whole days ride!). Offering some good entertainment to the locals we pedaled through tiny villages, on and off single track cow paths, all the while with children chasing us shrieking "hellos!". Later that day during a lunch stop over 170 Vietnamese cycle tourists rode by. We ran outside just in time to wave and snap a few photos of their amazing procession. One of the cyclists pulled over and gave us their story. Apparently they are all students in Hanoi who cycle annually over 900 kilometers on the "Green Ride Vietnam" to spread environmental awareness and volunteerism. They were all riding Vietnamese single-speed bikes with long black dress pants and shoes, big hats, long sleeve shirts. And brandishing huge green silk flags. I don’t know how they do it in the heat, but the one student we talked to was inspirational and driven on his second tour of Vietnam.

So to end this epic blog post, we are currently resting well in Hoi An. We have had a stomach bug the last 3 days and are well acquainted with the loo, although not much of actual Hoi An. Much love to you back home.

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The Good News or The Bad News

Current Location: Phnom Penh

On our way to the Penh
Shouldn’t have gone back again

Budget travelers allegiance we seek
Finding a guesthouse not too meek

Dirty, tired, dressed in rags
Bicycles in tow, we stash our bags

A cool breeze blows from afar
Should have noticed a window without bars

Quiet slumber in a dreamless sleep
Only to discover that our thief did reap

Goodbye wallet, Goodbye money, Goodbye phone
You said farewell without even a moan

We sought our goods out round and round
But they were nowhere to be found

A report was filed, a was bribe paid,
But we find no solace on this day

Such a night has caused much grief
But Cambodia also offers much relief

Hiccups all accounted for
We're glad we stayed here two weeks more


For those of you who don't fancy our rhyming couplets we had Elise's wallet stolen (unfortunately containing $600 withdrawn that same evening) along with Zach's I-Phone out of our guesthouse room while we were sleeping. We are thankfully still holding onto our passports, computer, bikes, and clean underwear hanging in the window in question. We awoke around 1am to discover our screen window ajar and the door unlocked. Quickly we took stock and noticed the items missing. The hotel manager and the tourist police both did little. We did manage to file a police "report" after a $30 "report fee" was demanded and an $8 tuk-tuk ride to the distant tourist police station. All in all money is money and stuff is just stuff. We learned a very expensive, but invaluable lesson in securing our valuables and the must-haves for guesthouses.

The trip continues (albeit a day later than anticipated) toward the Vietnam border via Highway 1. Crossing the border at Bavet/Moc Bai, where we then attempt to cycle north towards Dalat via the highlands.

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