[Ride Report] S4^dreamer & Pplater Laos-Cambodian Tour

[ChaoPuzzy1968]

Thanks to NC30 for directing me to your experience.

 

Thanks alot for sharing such precious info for us. We are heading that way shortly w our DR200.

Thumb up and salute to both of u.

[ChaoPuzzy1968]

Did you guys go to Plain of Jars.

Cheers

[Pplater]

Day 11 - Vientiane to Vang Vien to Vientiane (turnaround day)

 

It was day 11; we intended to turnaround in Vang Vien after spending a night there. By this day, we had been riding 8 out of the past 10 days. We've only had rest days to explore Siem Reap and Vientiane. We decided we would ride home with more rest days in between to have fun, stopping at either Cameron or Genting. But on this day, it was just to reach Vang Vien and rest for a night.

 

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp344/s4dreamer/Laos%20n%20Cambodia%20Trip%2011%20to%2028%20May%202009/VangVieng-2.jpg

Spectrum had told us that Vang Vien was a beautiful town by the lake. You could rent air-inflated tubes and slide down the lake from the top. However, I think we forgot to note that the town is easy to miss. His group had missed it on their way to Luang Prabang and had to turn back. Vang Vien town is actually accessible by a minor road at a T-junction that isn't too well marked. We managed to find a good restaurant just outside the main touristy area for a 10 odd US dollars meal, something hard to come by on the road, so we were very very thankful for that. Thinking that there was nothing worth seeing in Vang Vien, Deb's and I decided impromptu to return to Vientiane so that we could begin our return leg home over the next 7 days.

 

This was our furthest point in Laos. We had come 4000km through Cambodia to get here and had no desire to go further. At this turnaround point, I knew that someday we would look back and wonder if it would be worth going all the way to Luang Prabang and Plain of Jars. But I also knew that we would have found the trip a memorable adventure within our means, and would likely not return. The world is too big; there are many more places to go, and many things to see.

 

Checking into a different hotel in Vientiane before dusk. Cool pic eh?

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x215/czh2002sg/IMG_1124.jpg

 

When we visited Vientiane's ITECC (International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre), we had a sense of the country's level of development. This was their capital city, where foreign embassies and the nation's money for development went into. ITECC to Laos should be what Suntec is to Singapore.

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp344/s4dreamer/Laos%20n%20Cambodia%20Trip%2011%20to%2028%20May%202009/ITECC-Vientiane.jpg

Yet when we went into this building, the capital city's best was full of make-shift stalls in a 2 storey building. There was one cinema, the only one we saw in the country, and they showed outdated films. There was one departmental store. The whole building and its make shift stores gives a visitor a "pasar malam" feel to it, only with air con. Vientiane's best shopping mall pales in comparison to your neighbourhood Junction 8 or Jurong Point by very much.

 

I knew then, how fortunate I was to be born in Singapore. Day 9's topo error which took us towards Vietnam showed me how desolate parts of Laos could be. There were children we saw who probably did not receive the education we took for granted. Once born into the family, a life of tea planting, farming and rearing cows or pigs is the means of sustinence. If any were to receive some form of education, would their best prospects be working in the capital city, or in tourist attractions in Luang Prabang and the Plain of Jars? If I were born there, what would I be missing out on? Yet on a philosophical level, are we necessarily better off than the native Lao people who lead simple rural lives?

Edited June 10, 2009 by Pplater

[NC30]

Thanks to NC30 for directing me to your experience.

 

Thanks alot for sharing such precious info for us. We are heading that way shortly w our DR200.

Thumb up and salute to both of u.

 

You're welcome, hope it helps!!

Have a nice and safe trip:thumb:

[Cool_Cruiser]

Thanks to NC30 for directing me to your experience.

 

Thanks alot for sharing such precious info for us. We are heading that way shortly w our DR200.

Thumb up and salute to both of u.

 

ride safe and have a good trip....MC

[Pplater]

You're welcome, hope it helps!!

Have a nice and safe trip:thumb:

 

+1 on that. Have a safe trip Modecai. I'm sure you'll find it worthwhile

[s4dreamer]

You're welcome, hope it helps!!

Have a nice and safe trip:thumb:

 

Count me in! +1 on that!

 

Have a fun-filled and safe trip Mordecai! I'm very sure you will be enriched by the trip!

[antartica]

I knew then, how fortunate I was to be born in Singapore. Day 9's topo error which took us towards Vietnam showed me how desolate parts of Laos could be. There were children we saw who probably did not receive the education we took for granted. Once born into the family, a life of tea planting, farming and rearing cows or pigs is the means of sustinence. If any were to receive some form of education, would their best prospects be working in the capital city, or in tourist attractions in Luang Prabang and the Plain of Jars? If I were born there, what would I be missing out on? Yet on a philosophical level, are we necessarily better off than the native Lao people who lead simple rural lives?

 

this is too true

and too many people who have never been off the beaten path take things for granted

even well travelled people who do the "tourist" thing. they see only what the host country wants them to see and also what they only want to see

 

it's these small things that we encounter and experience that makes the difference in us

 

very nice write up so far

 

thanks

[s4dreamer]

Continued... Day 11 - Vientiane to Vang Vieng to Vientiane (turnaround day)

 

Hehe... the view was so nice that Zhehong can't resist but take a piss 120km before Vang Vieng...

 

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp344/s4dreamer/Laos%20n%20Cambodia%20Trip%2011%20to%2028%20May%202009/VangVieng-Piss.jpg

 

Day 12 - Vientiane to Muak Lek (Central Thailand)

 

We started riding from Vientiane at about 9am and managed to clear the Laos customs and Thai customs at Nong Khai at about 10+am.

 

Boy! It was raining and there were so many railway tracks and both of our bikes' tyres slipped quite a bit when we went over it.

 

We aimed to reach Hua Hin, but ended up aiming for Saraburi as it was unrealistic. If we pushed on, we might only reach Hua Hin at about 11+pm.

 

Due to the bad weather, we went slower than usual. Therefore, we had to ride a little in the night yet again.

 

We were making quite frequent stops to look at the map to make sure that we avoid Bangkok at ALL cost! And we did it!

 

When we were passing by Muak Lek, we saw a very bright red signboard that says "Holiday Inn". We thought the standard of the hotel shouldn't be that bad, right? By the way, Muak Lek is only about 30+km away from Saraburi.

 

When we turned into the street and saw the hotel, we were impressed by the whole exterior of the hotel. It looked so glamorous. Wait a minute... Does it mean that it's going to be expensive?

 

The exterior of the hotel in the day...

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp344/s4dreamer/Laos%20n%20Cambodia%20Trip%2011%20to%2028%20May%202009/MuaklekHolidayInn-1.jpg

 

We were proven wrong! It's only 900 baht per night for the deluxe room. The interior of the room just looks so cozy. Ah... it's such a nice room to stay in and rest!

 

The interior of the deluxe room...

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp344/s4dreamer/Laos%20n%20Cambodia%20Trip%2011%20to%2028%20May%202009/Muaklek-Deluxe-1.jpg

 

As we rode on the next day, we were just so thankful that we made the right decision in stopping over at Muak Lek. When we passed by Saraburi, there was no decent hotel in the area at all.

 

Stay tuned for more updates of the trip!

Edited June 18, 2009 by s4^dreamer

[Pplater]

We rode for less than an hour in the dark when I pulled us over beside the huge overhead HOTEL signboad. A quick discussion with Deb's and we decided I was to recce the rooms. If it was decent, we wouldn't ride further. It turned out to be the one of the best hotels we stayed in on our entire trip, comparable to the Claremont Angkor hotel in Siem Reap.

 

I must have had the budget traveller look on my face, coz the manager on duty let us have the room for 800 Baht And it was right beside the reception desk by the hotel's entrance

 

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x215/czh2002sg/IMG_1126.jpg

 

The room was really grand and spacious. The staff treated us like VIPs. Muaklek town can be easily spotted on the map roughly 30km from Saraburi along Route 2 (South-bound). The huge overhead "HOTEL" signboard is too obvious to miss in the evening. I personally reccomend you stop over at this hotel if you cannot clear the Bangkok highway maze before nightfall. The hotel's restaurant offers good food at great prices, and there are a few night market stalls outside the hotel if you fancy a walkabout.

Edited June 12, 2009 by Pplater

[strada]

No issue, Pplater and S4Dream, I refer to your nite ride from Hatyai to HuaHin as I did not read your blog till the last part, you have accomplish a great ride.

 

Just my expereince, if cannot find guest house, I have put up at nite at a Thai police station before, they are nice and will offer you the sofa, I knock out for like 5-6 hrs on it, the next mornig the thai policemen did not ask for anything in return, but I bought them some Kaffe (thai word coffee) after I came back from my bf....

 

all the best to ur next trip.

[Pplater]

Day 13 & 14 - Muaklek to Hua Hin

 

Having rode 2 consecutive days, we elected to ride to Hua Hin and rest a day there. We spent day 13 skirting West of Bangkok. There were serveral stopovers on the highway to consult our maps and thankfully we managed to avoid Bangkok. By 5pm on day 13, we reached Hua Hin. We had long walks around the town the next day to sight see.

 

Hua Hin Beach.

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp344/s4dreamer/Laos%20n%20Cambodia%20Trip%2011%20to%2028%20May%202009/HuaHinBeach-1.jpg

 

It was rather odd how we were feeling close to home when we were still a good stretch away. I guess Hua Hin felt a lot more familiar to us by now. It was the outer limits of what we considered "home ground".

[s4dreamer]

No issue, Pplater and S4Dream, I refer to your nite ride from Hatyai to HuaHin as I did not read your blog till the last part, you have accomplish a great ride.

 

Just my expereince, if cannot find guest house, I have put up at nite at a Thai police station before, they are nice and will offer you the sofa, I knock out for like 5-6 hrs on it, the next mornig the thai policemen did not ask for anything in return, but I bought them some Kaffe (thai word coffee) after I came back from my bf....

 

all the best to ur next trip.

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

But for me, I've got to think twice about doing something like this. I'm a lady and it might not be so appropriate for me to sleep at a police station.

[Pplater]

No issue, Pplater and S4Dream, I refer to your nite ride from Hatyai to HuaHin as I did not read your blog till the last part, you have accomplish a great ride.

 

Just my expereince, if cannot find guest house, I have put up at nite at a Thai police station before, they are nice and will offer you the sofa, I knock out for like 5-6 hrs on it, the next mornig the thai policemen did not ask for anything in return, but I bought them some Kaffe (thai word coffee) after I came back from my bf....

 

all the best to ur next trip.

 

Hah! Sounds like a unique experience to me man. U must have went through quite a bit of adventure on your own. Cheers

[rezasmess]

Interesting and informative.

Have been following the thread.

A great piece f encouragement for future tourers to these countries

 

Three :thumb:s up

[s4dreamer]

Day 14 - Hua Hin

 

Yes yes... it's our rest day yet again after 2 consecutive days of riding. Although this is only the 2nd time I've been to Hua Hin, I have already kind of considered it as my "home ground" too. It just makes me feel that I'm getting closer to home.

 

This time around, we stayed at the Minitel Hotel. The exterior of the hotel is not too bad, but there are a lot of mosquitoes! So many that my whole leg was covered with mosquito bites! I had to make sure I don't scratch my leg. I didn't wanna end up with mosquito bites all over my legs when I return to Singapore.

 

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp344/s4dreamer/Laos%20n%20Cambodia%20Trip%2011%20to%2028%20May%202009/HuaHin-Minitel.jpg

 

Reflecting back... it wasn't a very good choice to choose that hotel. We had to walk quite a distance before we could reach the Hua Hin Market Village, let alone the Hua Hin Beach! So next time, my advice is... Make sure you choose a hotel that is located near the city centre.

 

After exploring Hua Hin Beach, we walked into Hilton Hotel. We sat down , enjoyed the air-con , the nice & big sofa ... Ahhh, It's so comfortable that even Zhehong dozed off...

 

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp344/s4dreamer/Laos%20n%20Cambodia%20Trip%2011%20to%2028%20May%202009/HuaHin-ZH.jpg

 

The best part was that... when we stepped out of the hotel, the bellboy thought that we were guests of the hotel, opened the door for us and greeted us with much politeness... hehehe... :lol:

 

It was just a lazy day for us to rest, since we have already explored much of Hua Hin on our way up.

 

Stay tuned for more updates on the trip!

[s4dreamer]

Day 15 - Hua Hin to Hatyai

 

Back to riding again! We're all recharged for the ride ahead back to Hatyai! And I'm ready!

 

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp344/s4dreamer/Laos%20n%20Cambodia%20Trip%2011%20to%2028%20May%202009/HuaHin-2bikes.jpg

 

It was just another long day of riding that lasted about 10 hours. We rested for the day for next day's leg to Genting Highlands!

 

Stay tuned for more updates on our trip!

[s4dreamer]

Day 16 - Hatyai to Genting Highlands

 

It was quite a short ride from Hatyai to Genting Highlands. We managed to reach Genting Highlands in the afternoon. It was my 1st time going up there with my bike. It was a little scary for me and I was going a little slow.

 

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp344/s4dreamer/Laos%20n%20Cambodia%20Trip%2011%20to%2028%20May%202009/Genting-Landscape.jpg

 

It's really quite scenic on the way up. And i could feel colder and colder as I scale up the mountain!

 

We stayed at the First World Hotel (the multi-coloured building).

 

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp344/s4dreamer/Laos%20n%20Cambodia%20Trip%2011%20to%2028%20May%202009/Genting-FirstWorld1.jpg

 

And it was my 1st time staying at that hotel. I never went to Genting Highlands for 5 years already!

 

The weather was really welcoming! I needed to cool down from the hot and scotching weather that we experienced in Laos & Cambodia.

 

Ah... Time to retire for the day! Zzz...

 

Stay tuned for more updates on the trip!

[wait4me]

ups for the endurance

esp 16 hrs riding..

[xXxRatedxXx]

Power la!!! Go cambodia and then still genting highlands!!! Waahhahhah!! Ultimate touring!

 

Oh and..... BUSTED!! http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp344/s4dreamer/Laos%20n%20Cambodia%20Trip%2011%20to%2028%20May%202009/VangVieng-Piss.jpg

 

Got say excuse me anot??

[Pplater]

Oh and..... BUSTED!!

 

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp344/s4dreamer/Laos%20n%20Cambodia%20Trip%2011%20to%2028%20May%202009/VangVieng-Piss.jpg

Got say excuse me anot??

 

Travel Tips

 

Tip 1

The main highway has one of these stones every 1km or thereabout, demarking a major town ahead. Each stone has a red upper section. Stones without the red section suggest you have veered off the main highway. Some of these towns written on the marker can be as far at 500km away, so be sure to check a larger radius around your immediate location on the map.

 

Tip 2

Pplater took a piss at the 120km mark from Vang Vien. Try not to stare at the 120km marker on your way up because its round a corner

Edited June 19, 2009 by Pplater

[ninjapura]

Day 2 - Hatyai to Hua Hin

 

On Day 2, we rode up from Hatyai to Hua Hin. And we had to do about 3 hours plus of night riding. It was a nightmare for me.

 

First of all, it's pitch-dark.

 

Secondly, imagine having vehicles U-turning in the middle of the highway, it's something I never really thought of but just heard of. I should say that it's something you've got to experience it for yourself.

 

Thirdly, I was having a major migraine and I had to cover this whole leg with that pain!

 

Next, imagine having cones popping in front of you in the middle of the highway...

Gasp! I had to jam-break and then swerve to avoid them.

The way they place the cone doesn't allow us to react early because they are placed horizontally... Plus it's dark... :giddy:

 

Lastly, there are also some uneven roads that causes major bumps to my bike... that made my migraine even worse... I almost wanted to puke while riding...

 

Nevertheless, I managed to reach Hua Hin.

 

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp344/s4dreamer/Laos%20n%20Cambodia%20Trip%2011%20to%2028%20May%202009/HuaHinMarketVillage.jpg

 

ya... the road condition in thai is bad... for those pot hole n sudden off road...

 

in night riding, must b extra careful then...

[Pplater]

ya... the road condition in thai is bad... for those pot hole n sudden off road...

 

in night riding, must b extra careful then...

 

Route 4 to Bangkok is like that, but there isn't any off road. I'm sure u understand coz u've been there, done that. Thats why its best to avoid night ride in unfamiliar roads, like Strada said. Not recomended. If can avoid, better to avoid since its safer. No point taking unnecessary risk.

 

ups for the endurance

esp 16 hrs riding..

 

It was due to my topo error in the morning which wasted 3 hours. We were supposed to reach Vientiane by evening. The extended riding was unavoidable since we did not see any guesthouse, and did not plan on stopping on 1 that probably sucked, so you won't see us riding 16 hours or 24 hours much. The last time I heard of a group tour which rode 17 hours, it involved 2 accidents

 

Try not make topo errors like me and I'm sure you'll be better off.

Edited June 19, 2009 by Pplater

[geeteethree]

Day 3 - Hua Hin to Bangkok

 

It was supposed to be a 500 odd km ride to Cambodia, something our predecessors completed with ease. This leg went wrong for us 200km from the start. Route 35 was not labeled numerically. In retrospect, we highly suspect the right turn off Route 4 towards ‘Bang Phae’ was actually Route 35. We overshot into Bangkok and got stuck in a heavy jam.

 

Spectrum had loaned me a GPS unit. We switched it on but the map’s detail level was no good. We also did not know how to use the auto-routing function. A little fiddling with the GPS and Debbie and I decided to shove it. The unit would remain off for the rest of the tour. We fare better on good old maps and the compass. They always work; almost always, as the story unfolds.

 

 

Cut this section of google maps which shows the Route 35 issue for those intending to follow in the footsteps (hopefully minus the Bangkok side trip)

 

Great thread guys.

[s4dreamer]

ya... the road condition in thai is bad... for those pot hole n sudden off road...

 

in night riding, must b extra careful then...

 

Yup, I agree with you! But, it's more of the slippery road surface that I'm worried about. Not the pothole though...

 

And yes, it's best to avoid night riding altogether! And it wasn't a good idea given that it was the 1st time for me on Thai road other than Betong which was not really Thai road. In fact, this is the 2nd time that I'm on Thai soil..

 

It was quite terrifying for me.