Vientiane to Vang Vieng round trip - 4 days of cycling (217 miles overall)
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| Cycle route Vientiane to Vâng Viêng and back |
We set off bright and early on day 1 of the 2 day ride to Vang Vieng. I knew the hills were beckoning but the expectation was that this was the slightly easier day - 52 miles with some climbing - which would warm us up nicely for a much tougher second day!
Getting out of the city centre was fairly easy - the early starts help enormously with this. Max has read a number blogs now and has a pretty informed view of what challenges lie ahead each day. As we reached the outskirts of town the main road sort of disappeared and we found ourselves on a mixture of gravel and dirt tracks. For a short while this was quite pleasant - another opportunity to pass through local areas and see ordinary local life. Max chose this point to mention he'd read that a stretch of road near the airport wasn't great. That was an understatement and before long we were dodging potholes left right and centre and huge clouds of dust from cars and lorries 🫣. I kept trying to look over Max's shoulder to anticipate what was coming next but soon concluded I might actually be better off not knowing. My best bet was probably to trust Max to get us safely through. All I asked was that he gave me enough warning to get out of the saddle for the really bumpy bits (of which there were plenty!).
After about 10 minutes or so we emerged from this track back onto tarmac and breathed a huge sigh of relief! If that was a sign of things to come it didn't bode well for tomorrow's more challenging ride 😅
Once back on the main road the cycling was easier but as usual the temperature was starting to rise steadily. We've definitely acclimatised to the heat now but it's still tough at times. Having left the city, opportunities for refreshments were again fairly limited so we were very grateful to find a nice little roadside cafe where we stopped for a cold soda and a seat in a lovely shaded garden. That perked us up enough to continue in the hope we'd arrive at our destination soon after midday (and in reasonable shape 🤞). It was a good job we still had enough left in the tank for a few more challenges though - the day was not done with either of us yet!!
With only about 10 miles left to go we were diverted off the main road. Max was slightly sceptical but we followed the route anyway. It was a really pleasant lane and just as we were starting to relax and enjoy it we spotted that the road ahead was completely blocked by some sort of local street party! Max initially thought he could navigate through but it soon became obvious we couldn't. No-one spoke any English but there was absolutely no doubt they were telling us we couldn't pass through, giving us no choice but to turn round! Back at the crossroads we could either return to the main road or take a right turn (across what can only be described as a wide open stretch of desert!) staying parallel with the road we'd been diverted from in the hope that we'd soon be able to rejoin it. The desert wasn't very appealing given how hot it had become by this point but in these situations I'm inclined to trust Max's instinct and so, rather reluctantly, I agreed. It turned out to be a good decision and we did indeed eventually get back on track! Phew I thought but the relief was only shortlived because pretty soon Max then announced we had some off road climbing ahead! Wow, that was the second understatement of the day and we faced what I think was our toughest climb of the trip so far 😅😅. If this was our easier day I really was starting to dread the prospect of tomorrow. There were a couple more climbs after this, also tough but on the positive they were much shorter. Also, by way of a reward for our efforts, the views had really started to open up and it was actually quite breathtaking. This is how I'd imagined Laos in my mind's eye, it really is quite beautiful 😍
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| It really was quite mesmerising 🤩 |
We eventually arrived at our accommodation around 2pm - the detour and climbing had certainly set us back but we survived. It seemed like a nice little place and we were totally gobsmacked to be told that our room would only cost £4 for the night!! The only downside was their restaurant was closed and we'd been counting on this having already established from google maps that food options in this area were pretty limited 😩. So, we quickly showered and washed our cycle gear and set off in pursuit of finding something/anything 🤞🤞
Looking at google maps again there appeared to be two restaurants about half an hour's walk away. One in particular got very good reviews and so we thought we'd try for that. It actually turned out to be a really pleasant walk taking us across the river we'd cycled alongside earlier and it was very picturesque. Once we'd crossed the river we turned into a very pretty lane which led us past a really ornate temple. The restaurant was just around the corner from here but when we walked in it was pretty deserted and we really didn't think it was open! Then out of nowhere an old lady appeared (just like a scene from Mr Benn) and within a jiffy we were sitting down using Google translate to find something we recognised on the menu 😂.
We managed and it turned out to be other one of those situations where we were simply grateful to be eating our one proper meal of the day 🙏. As it happens the food was very good, Max's fried rice with pork in particular was very tasty indeed 👍. I can't remember exactly what we paid but I seem to recall it was similar to what we'd paid for the room - so around £4 for a table laden with food and drink! The ladies who served us all seemed really lovely, it's amazing what can be conveyed without words but it would have been really nice to chat to them properly all the same.
We walked back to the guesthouse via "town" stopping at a trendy little cafe and then for some ice lollies and other supplies for later. All in all another successful little foray which had taken us on a scenic route exploring all that this charming little town had to offer.
After a good night's rest we set off bright and early. Knowing this was a tougher ride we were both keen to crack on ASAP. Max had warned me that there would be tarmac climbs throughout the day but the toughest one would come around 20km in. Once that was under our belt the plan was to stop at the next town for breakfast.
Being mentally prepared is half the battle with me and once the climb came it wasn't that bad really. We made pretty good progress and in no time at all we found ourselves at the restaurant where we'd planned our stop tucking into a hearty meal. The route we were on was clearly a popular one for cyclists - the lady who served us seemed to know without asking that we were heading for Vang Vieng and although the tandem was still getting lots of attention I got the sense that the local kids were pretty well versed in waving at cyclists passing through.
It was definitely a hot and hilly ride overall - we did the most climbing of the trip so far - but we coped well. Again the views were glorious all the way - we passed through some lovely villages and all with that spectacular mountain backdrop 🤩.
We knew from all the blogs we'd read that the final 10 miles of the ride were going to be the toughest. It was definitely the worst stretch of road by far with potholes and awful clouds of dust from the many lorries and trucks passing in both directions. The road became a free for all as every vehicle's top priority became avoiding the potholes - the size of which I've never seen anything quite like before!! Max really did the most brilliant job of navigating it all and we became pretty good at getting out of the saddle in a coordinated fashion at the right time 👍👍. We used face masks to help with the dust too - it's not ideal as it adds to the heat but we've both struggled with headaches caused by blocked sinuses and the masks certainly helped with that.
We reached Vang Vieng and our hotel just ahead of 2pm feeling a huge sense of achievement to have survived a pretty challenging ride in good shape. The hotel seemed very nice and central too. We went out late afternoon to explore and noticed quite a different vibe. A younger, more adventurous and hippy crowd with a huge focus on adrenaline sports. We'd decided on one of the more sedate options for the next day - an afternoon tubing down the river. This turned out to be brilliant fun - amazing scenery and a really nice mix of interesting people too. A young couple from Chile who were great fun and a really laid back quirky Japanese couple - who wore jeans in the river as if it was the most obvious thing to do!!
We ended up downstream back at the centre of Vang Vieng about 3 hours later and found it buzzing with activity. Lots of hot air balloons were just going up - presumably to see the sunset - and there were loads of groups of kayakers racing up and down this stretch of the river. As it happens we'd exited the river a little too early so, instead of catching the mini bus back to the hotel, we walked back into town across a very rickety bridge. It made for a nice detour, giving us a great view of all the action and taking us through a side of town we might otherwise have overlooked. Every cloud has a silver lining I thought to myself 😃
Our food experiences in Vang Vieng weren't as impressive as those we'd enjoyed in Vientiane but we did have a fun evening in a German restaurant we decided to try. An unusual choice for us but it got very good reviews especially for the chicken schnitzel - not a dish I'd normally choose but I was curious. The meal itself was very nice but what made the evening was the really interesting conversation we had with the owner at the end of our meal. He'd lived in Laos for about 15 years, having initially backpacked here and then decided he wanted to stay. He was quite a character and certainly didn't mince his words telling us about the obstacles and challenges he'd faced living in Laos and running a business here - a very short tourist season, lots of corruption and poor facilities (roads and rubbish collection to name just a couple). He was really interesting and certainly gave us a great insight into local life and the ways and foibles of the Laos people and officials. We came away unsure as to whether he loved or loathed the place - properly a mixture of the two 😂.
We wandered around the night market after dinner before heading back to the hotel. Breakfast was included with this stay so we decided we'd head off straight afterwards around 7.30am the next morning. Max had mapped two slightly more direct routes back, shaving off about 10 miles each day and about a third of the climbing from the tough day (getting back out of Vang Vieng). I certainly wasn't going to argue with that 👍.
Day one retraced most of the route we'd followed coming over so the scenery was equally beautiful and I caught a few photo opportunities I'd missed on the way over 😉. We managed the ride pretty well, the cloud cover helped along with less miles and climbing than we'd done previously. We'd found a different place to stay and from google maps it looked like there was a good restaurant in town for when we arrived. Unfortunately it was shut so yet again we had to look for an alternative. The next one we tried was also shut but third time lucky we found somewhere and with google translate managed to order 👍. This has become very familiar territory for us but it always feels abit like Russian roulette waiting to see what will actually turn up at the table! It was fine - a spicy minced pork dish and steamed rice with that obligatory egg on top 😉. After we'd eaten we found our accomodation - another very cheap stay, perfectly acceptable for one night. We did our washing and found a line on which to hang it out to dry (another important box ticked for the day) and apart from a brief foray back into "town" again early evening that was about it for the day.
After an early start the next morning we made it back to Vientiane pretty swiftly. It was a more direct route, the scenery wasn't as nice but the priority was to get back as soon as possible - the key task for today was getting the bike boxed up and ready for our flight to Hanoi (since we'd be flying the day after returning from Luang Prabang). Once we reached the town we went straight to the bike shop. Max had actually been in contact with a few shops over the last few days trying to source some cardboard bike boxes to pack up the tandem. As usual he'd thought through every last detail and his plan was to pack the bike/panniers etc across two boxes so as to spread the weight which would hopefully mean each box would fall within our individual weight allowances for the flight (hopefuĺly meaning no additional excess baggage costs). This was going to be tricky to say the least but Max never ceases to amaze me how he manages to pull off the most obscure feats that always seem quite impossible to me. As Kerry said to me the other day "he never gives up and he always finds a way" and I absolutely agree 💯.
He'd negotiated with the hotel where we've been staying in Vientiane for them to store the bike while we're in Luang Prabang. By early evening he'd dismantled and packed it into the two boxes we'd sourced from two separate bike shops in town. Job done and well done to Max 👍 👏
Food was our only remaining mission for the day! As soon as we'd got the first bike box back to the hotel we were starving and so keen to find some breakfast/brunch. We'd spotted a nice little French style cafe on trip advisor that advertised galettes but they were closed at new year so we thought we'd give it a go this time round. We hadn't appreciated it was quite a way out of town though and despite setting out on foot, after walking for about 20 mins, we caved and decided to get a taxi instead. I'm glad we did as it seemed an awful long way even by car! It turned out to be another great little find, down a lovely little lane, set in beautifully tranquil gardens. The service was exceptional and the food was absolutely fabulous. We went for a set brunch menu which included a breakfast galette, a desert crepe/galette, fresh juice and coffee and all for about £7 each 🤩. We polished off the lot in no time 😀
In the evening we went back to the restaurant over the road from our hotel. A slap up curry for under £10 and we were very happy. Then breakfast the next morning at what quickly became our favourite cafe in Vientiane and we were all set to embark on our next adventure - the train to Luang Prabang awaits us!
We're spending a fortnight in Luang Prabang. Our time there has been extended because of the changes we've had to make to our trip so as to cut out the cycling to and from there. I'm sure we'll have no trouble filling our time though. Apart from being the perfect opportunity half way through our trip to rest and recharge, it's a Unesco world heritage site and I think there's plenty to see, do and explore. So I'm very excited indeed. I think Max is too - he's just playing it cool 😎
Bye for now,
With love, Sarah and Max xxx
That was a lovely long blog and I really enjoyed reading it - the mountain scenery was very special - the roads in this part of your journey don’t seem as good - now you have a rest from cycling to enjoy the next part of your journey - as always I look forward to your next blog - Helen
ReplyDeleteAah, thx Helen 🥰. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Laos feels very special indeed. I'll try and publish part one of our Luang Prabang experience in the next couple of days xx
DeleteWow, well done on all the tricky cycling- sounds like the end results made it all worthwhile! Great to hear about all the interesting places you’ve found, and all the delicious food options along the way. A true travel adventure! Keep enjoying! xx
ReplyDeleteThx Jane 😀. Food is always welcome at the end of a ride and we've had some great experiences (both food and adventure) off the beaten track 👍
Deletewow these prices get cheaper the further you go on. I paid £4.75 for a coffee this morning...in the rain. You get a room and meal for that
ReplyDeleteOoh that's outrageous even for London prices 😱.
DeleteWe're probably going to struggle to readjust to UK prices when we get back 😂