Total distance: 6152 km
Luang Prabang - Kiu Kacham - Nam Kene - Vang Vieng
It took us three days to ride from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. We read a lot about this difficult stretch and it is not uncommon that people give up and bus it instead. Honestly, the stories did scare us indeed but with our stamina from mountainous Yunnan we thought we could manage it - somehow. We have never been as fit as now. Yunnan has mountains over 2000 m, so Laos should be comparably easy. To take advantage of the daylight we left Somjith Guesthouse around 7 am and had noodle soups on the busy road that leads out of Luang Prabang. While we were sitting there, a big group of probably 20 to 30 cyclists passed us. It must have been one of these popular organised cycling tours. Some minutes later a Thai group on their bicycles showed up and had breakfast too. Shortly before 8 am we kicked off. We expected to see the Thai group on the road later again because they were heading for the same overnight place in Kiu Kacham and as they had less luggage, we thought they would overtake us sooner or later.
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| Thai cyclists |
The first 30 km out of Luang Prabang was an easy ride, going slightly up and down. We approached the first major climb of the day that brought us from about 300 m up to 1000 m above sea level. It was a hard climb in the hot sun. By the time we reached the top we had burnt all our energy. It was time for our lunch break in one of the bamboo sheds along the road. The descent down 600 m was great but we didn't really enjoy it. 600 m down meant that we had to climb 600 m again!
The Thai guys had not overtaken us yet. Where were they? At the foot of the second mountain pass a threatening 1000 m climb awaited us. Another 1000 m? We had already climbed 1000 m in total! What should we say, this climb was even harder! We bought twice the super energy mini bananas and ate them all on our way to Kiu Kacham. Shortly before sunset we made it to Kiu Kacham after more than 7 hour pure cycling, our longest and hardest ride on our trip. And still no Thai guys. We checked in the Bounthan Guesthouse and had dinner there. Kiu Kacham sits at 1350 m and it was pretty chilly up there. We met two Dutch cyclists in the guesthouse who had come the other way. They told us about some hot springs and bungalows 78 km from Kiu Kacham. We knew where we would stay the next day.
The next morning we met one of the Thai guys while we were having noodle soup. They had arrived at midnight in Kiu Kacham. Poor guys! 6 hours cycling in the dark. Again we said 'see you later' to them and off we went. Today's ride wasn't as hard as yesterday's ride but it was still tough. The climbs or descents, respectively, have some impossible gradients. Our bicycle computers showed 11% several times. Already a short stretch with 11% can kill you and steal your breath completely. Yunnan and its climbs did not have such gradients. So it appears to us that cycling in Yunnan was way easier than here in Laos. Around noon a tuk-tuk passed us and the Thai guys and their bicycles were inside. We felt like doing the same, but we had come so far so that bussing wasn't an option any more.
At the end of the day we had climbed about 1500 meters. But gosh, what spectacular scenery at the top! Fantastic! When we saw the landscape the hard work was forgotten. The mountains had changed. Instead of smooth mountains tooth-like mountains pop up here and there. During the descent we stopped again and again to just look. After 78 km we arrived at the hot springs in Nam Kene. A basic but cozy bungalow was our home for that night. Very cool! It was our first bungalow and hopefully more are to come in Thailand. We bathed with the locals in the hot springs, a pool that had just the right temperature to relax our muscles. Probably no backpacker would ever stop here because there is nothing to do. But it is a perfect overnight option for cyclists with hot spring, bungalow and restaurant. The only guests at this place were us and two other Australian cyclists, Nathalie and Megan, who were on the way from Vientiane to Luang Prabang. They bought their Trek mountain bikes in Bangkok and are going to donate them in Luang Prabang.
The third day to Vang Vieng would have been an easy ride. No heavy climb was on our way and it was mostly flat. The last time we cycled flat area was in Sichuan province in China. However, still feeling the last two days in our legs this easy 80 km were still hard work. Being back at 250 m above sea level it's hot here in Vang Vieng.
The people in the small villages were so friendly. Cycling is the perfect way to experience that. Tourists who rush through the villages in vans and buses would not have the chance to see that. When kids notice us, they shoot out of their houses and wave like crazy. Sabai-Dee! Even small babies, that could hardly walk, waved. Their uncoordinated "waving" shook their bodies from head to feet. Very cute! Waving to foreigners, however, must be educated. Parents really force their children to wave. If the kids didn't wave, well, the parents waved with the kids' arms. Still a nice gesture!
The next morning we met one of the Thai guys while we were having noodle soup. They had arrived at midnight in Kiu Kacham. Poor guys! 6 hours cycling in the dark. Again we said 'see you later' to them and off we went. Today's ride wasn't as hard as yesterday's ride but it was still tough. The climbs or descents, respectively, have some impossible gradients. Our bicycle computers showed 11% several times. Already a short stretch with 11% can kill you and steal your breath completely. Yunnan and its climbs did not have such gradients. So it appears to us that cycling in Yunnan was way easier than here in Laos. Around noon a tuk-tuk passed us and the Thai guys and their bicycles were inside. We felt like doing the same, but we had come so far so that bussing wasn't an option any more.
