2nd tour of duty, Lao . Part two

me 'n' alan' said goodbye to the girls in the morning in Luang Phrabang,they were going to catch the bus to Phonosavan,where the plains of jars are,they reckon there arses were to sore to ride the bikes ,sod that,these roads are awesome bike roads, high mountain switch backs with the scenery ,just out of this world! we only rode for about 1/2 hour before we stopped it was bloody cold,i couldn't feel my fingers! well we did leave with just t shirts on! Thank god it soon warmed up and we were on our way.

The road soon started getting higher and higher and the grins on are faces were getting wider and wider! with the girls riding on the bus we were now riding solo so we were travelling faster in and out of switch backs. We were making good time easily over taking the buses and trucks belching out thick black diesel smoke.

We arrived at the outpost town of Phou Klounm which is where we turn off to the road to Phonosavan, where the historical plains of jars are. We had a great coffee and some sort of fried sweet potato.we filled up with petrol from old glass jar and hand pump and were on our way,it was pretty well almost down hill now with the landscape looking really dry,it was getting hot as well, after an hour or so we stopped for a drink and a rest, out of the bush walked a guy with gun with a really long barrel,he didn't understand English but he did accept a chocolate biscuit after looking confused with what to do with it!! We arrived at Phonosavan in good time with instructions from the girls to sort out the accommodation before picking them up from the bus station.

We met another couple from the UK on a round the world trip,Paul and Kat,they were also travelling around on a hired motorbike. We got some info on the jars and set off for them in the morning,there are three sites and because we set off early we were always one step in front of the tour groups,so we had the sites to our self's.They were pretty impressive,especially no one knows why they are here and what they were used for! We had to strictly keep to marked footpaths as this area was heavily bombed during the Vietnam war.The day was very hot and dusty and the night was freezing! We left in the morning back to vieng vang on the bikes with the girls wearing all are clothes to beat the cold,it didn't take long to warm up though!

2nd tour of duty! Vietnam and Lao Part 1.

After arriving from k.l. to Hanoi,Vietnam on the 7/2/2009the first mission was to hire some motorbike's,we tracked down a cheap place to hire,six dollars a day so we hired two bikes for two days.The 2nd tour of duty was a lot easier with the traffic,it was'nt so daunting and we launched straight into it! Purchased a bike helmet designed like an American marine helmet with full camouflage and netting!,which i fixed a helmet camera to.We got some strange looks,ha.ha.,but i made sure i was wearing a tee shirt with there national flag on the front!! just in case.

Riding around was a blast and we visted the war museum we missed last time which was very intresting,

It was a bit cooler than last time but far from brass monkeys!

From Hanoi,we flew to Luang Prahbang,Laos where the plan was to hire bikes for a week and travel north. We found a great rental shop,which was also a great coffee 'n' cake shop as well as a well stocked western style supermarket with a great guy ,jules who was running a very busy motorbike rentals as a side line,we ended up getting a Suzuki 200cc Van Van bike for 22$ a day.The bike had huge tyres that seemed to be made for the potholed Laos roads! We did make a big mistake with our luggage that we would pay for later! we loaded up our packpacks on the back rack,where we discovered about an hour into the trip we were carrying to much!,so if we could make it to the town we wanted to stop at for the night we would leave one bag behind at the hotel and pick it up on our return a week later.

We tried to follow the minor road out of Veintiene north but after a while we lost the road and ended up going along some really dusty roads through some farming lands where we stopped in a village for a break which was amusing for the village shop owner,we carried on, then the dusty road unexpectedly spat us back on the main road! With some time lost we hit on to the stop for the night Vieng vaing.The scenery was getting good and mountain ranges started to appear in front of us,the road was starting to snake up the mountains,i'm sure i was wearing a smile a Cheshire cat would be proud of! The road just kept going up and up until it plained of and came down a bit and we rolled into Vieng Vaing.

got sorted with a hotel and then went out to look for dinner,we walked down to the fast flowing river with a rickety bridge crossing it with the sun setting behind the rugged mountains,breathtaking stuff!

We soon found that the budget backpackers who arrive on an overnight buses from Thailand have also discovered this little piece of paradise and have spoilt the vibe of the town with loud music,the simpsons playing non'stop in the bars and restaurants and the locals really catering for western tastes,shame really.

Having packed light,just one bag now,with our freinds deb'n'al shedding the biggest load,we arranged with the hotel to hang on to our bags until are return,the bikes handled a lot better now!
Having a big day ride in front of us to get to Luang Phrabang before nightfall we had an early breakfast and pulled into a fuel station to fill up,just as we were pulling out a local shouted to al' and was pointing to al' back tyre,shit,it was flat!! I rode up the road a bit and found someone who could fix it in what was a shop,repair and house hut on side of road,because the rear tyre was so wide he struggled to get tyre off the rim and had to take it to a car tyre shop to break the bead,with tyre off and a 3 inch nail removed,there was three holes to patch! While he was patching the tube his neighbour was running a dentist shop in the hut next door with his clients spitting there mouthwash straight out the window!!An hour and a half later we were on our way.The scenery was spectacular!
From following the river through the montains we started to ascend up and up,with tight snaking roads that went on for ever,awesome,you had to keep your eye on the corners because you could have met anything around the blind bend,trucks,buses,potholes,gravel ,dogs,cows to kids making sweeping brushes from the long grasses! We stopped for lunch in a hut that was under constuction for a bit of shade when debbie produced the lunch!!
We ended up giving the bar'b'qued rat to the family next door.We ventured on an upward with the veiws of the Laos mountain all around us.We reached the peak and it was almost all down hill with a few rises here and there,i turned off the engine and coasted down to save a bit of fuel. We did see some H'Mong guerrilla's with what looked like machine guns watching the traffic! not a place to break down! We stopped to watch the locals make some brushes on the side of the road and try to help them,it was hard work,you had to bash the grass stems on the road to remove the seeds,it was hot and dusty work but we had laugh with them. We rode in to Luang Prahbang late in the afternoon and had a cold beer watching the locals set up there market stalls,which turned out to be some great market stalls,we then went to find a room for the night and found an old french colonial house which we ended up staying for four night!
Each morning,early,the monks pass on there way to collect there alms.

We did a ride to a lesser known waterfall,and ended up eating dust most of the way! as it turned out we found another water fall that had to be reached by canoe which was recomended by another couple we met who were also on moterbikes and it turned out to be an awesome trip!

Chris 'n' Deb went for a swim to get rid of some of the dust,we were to late to see the elephants but the trip back up the fast flowing river was magic.

we did find a great waterfall with a tar road all the way the next day where we spent most of the day,there was also a bear sanctuary there with a cache hidden where there used to be a enclosure for a rescued tiger,phet who sadly passed away last year.These waterfalls were very popular and very scenic and we had a great lunch and the girls had an afternoon nap!

It was time to leave to get to the plain of jars,the girls decieded to catch a bus while me and al' rode the bikes there.

END OF PART ONE.

melting roads and burnt feet!!

loaded up the trusty iron horse for a three day camping trip. Headed up over the Qld border from Rathdowney,the storm from the night before was very apparent,big trees laying down,crews at work clearing the road. Stopped for a cuppa in a park just outside Woodenbong where i met an old guy who pulled up with his caravan and introduced himself has Ian Robertson,who has been traveling around for the last 15 years,he reminded me of Bert Munroe from the film The fastest little Indian!,we got talking about finding gold and he told me he found a 132 oz nugget 13 years ago that was financing his trip,he then showed me how to do it with divining rods,he placed little nuggets and gems around the park and i found them all, UNBELIEVABLE!! I rode on through Tauberman where Australia's longest wooden bridge is,passed some good camping spots alongside the river on the way up to Mt. Picabeen national park where this a camping spot and a cache to find. It was hot and looked like a storm brewing,a 4wd pulled in,we had been playing follow the leader for the last couple of hours,overtaking each other and catching up when one of us stopped to look at something.they introduced themselves has Ross and Colleen and they made me a cup of tea,they were out traveling from Ballina, nice people who said pop in for a cuppa if i was passing through.I decided to camp here for the night because i would be safe from the storm inside the old shed! set up and then rolled out the thermorest on the grass and lay down and chilled out and watched the storm clouds form.

had a great little dinner of stew and noodles then lit a little fire and watched the stars,the storm had passed.woke up early made a coffee,the plastic cup made it horrible! Set off towards Casino for some phone reception and a macca's breakfast,bought some supplies and a decent mug from a camping shop! Rode on to Lismore where i found a shady spot and did some emailing.got talking to a guy from Perth who told me about Australia's smallest post office which was on a great back road,so i was off and what a great back road it was,found the post office,went in side and bought a bottle of water and sat in the shade on the veranda!

It was so hot,i got on the bike to get a bit of air flowing to cool down abit. Great scenery on this Rock Valley rd which led to Canogle which had a great cafe where i bought a delicious homemade cake,yum,yum. Looked over some local tourist maps and the Lions road from Kyogle to Rathdowney caught my eye it went up over the border range with great scenery,it was getting hotter and the roads were melting !!

stopped half way under a huge railway bridge and cooled off in the stream.The water was clear and flowing fast and was great to cool down my toes! Could have stayed a lot longer,but didn't have a camp site yet so saddled up and rode on a great scenic road. Got to Rathdowney where i thought there was a free campsite but it turned out it wasn't bummer!,well i knew of a paid campsite at Bigriggen which wasn't to far away and i could do with a shower! Had a nice chat with a couple touring in there caravan and rode on to Bigriggin,signed in at the reception and went off to chose a site,there were plenty of choices,being new years eve i didn't want to be to close to anyone. Put tent up arranged a seat and poured hip flask into a cold coke and kicked back and took it easy until the sun went down until i cooked tea,which was a chili with noodles which was HOT!

lit fire and had another J.B. which i had been cooling earlier!

Thelocal possums came and joined me and weren't at all worried with my presence,didn't have an axe so i had to move a big log through the fire as it burnt ,then it happened as i pushed the log it snapped at sent hot ash on my feet F@%* ,it stung so quickly put my feet into some cold water i had in my camp sink. Wasn't to bad though,slept well,made a coffee in morning with new mug then made my way home.