The Thakhek Loop Trial

Upfront:

Dear moms, dads, supervisors and caring readers,

We are aware of the fact that going on a 600km trip on a 250ccm bike without experience might not have been the smartest thing we ever did, BUT it was for sure one of the coolest and most memorable.

Arriving in Vientiane from the old quarter of Luang Prabang is like jumping 20 years in time. The capital is still one of the most relaxed in the world, but compared to the northern cities it is buzzing. They even have scanners in their shops!

The buzz was overwhelming and we started to do some research about next possible destinations. If you google Thakhek tons of travel blogs reporting about the Thakhek loop pop up (personal favorite: Asha and Dan). We had already caught the scooter bug and it was an easy thing to agree on doing the loop. The only problem was our expiring visa and the long travel times in Laos. Our new plan was to rent motorbikes in Vientiane and just do a bigger loop. I was hoping for a cute, little pink motorbike, but the rental guy only had huge 250cc’s. We opted for one. There is a time and place for everything; learning to ride a big motorbike in Laos during a round the world trip is neither nor.  

After Michi nearly caused an accident when starting the engine the first time, it got better and after a little single test ride I hopped on the backseat. The most dangerous and annoying place to drive is Vientiane city, but as soon as you get out, there is less traffic and you can start to enjoy the ride. Our first stop was the Buddha Park 20km away. The park itself is very nice but for us the best part was meeting a novice. He was one of the most interesting Lao we met so far and while talking we nearly lost track of the time. As farewell we got his blessing (hopefully we get beautiful and good kids ;) which we could use on our trip.

On dirt roads Michi improved his driving skills and our butts were glad that we got a motocross machine. The dirt road was surprisingly long, thus we had to spend the first night in a motel in the middle of nowhere in a room with no windows but tons of insects and air-condition. Our minimum requirement was a shower, thus we were happy.

On day two our goal was to reach Kong Lor, home of a famous cave. To avoid getting burned once more, we first stopped to buy some Lao-bike-clothes. This means that Michi bought a stylish shirt with long sleeves somewhere off the street. Luckily he lost about 10kg since the US, so he tightly fit into an Asian XL. I become a professional back sitter and learned how to imitate a frog.

Driving across Laos on a motorbike is just amazing. The landscape is impressive, the villages interesting, there are funny shops along the road, children are waving and other motorbike drivers are staring. Most roads are in a good condition and due to its economical state, not many people have a car. There is nearly no traffic, which is good since the few cars and trucks need enough attention. Next to the cars and trucks there are all kinds of vehicles and animals on the road, accordingly a constant readiness to brake is mandatory.

We arrived quite early at Kong Lor and still had time to visit the cave. They opened up the cave recently and it is one of the best-organized tourist attractions in Laos. First you have to pay for the park entry and later for a boat, taking you through the cave. The cave is over 7km long, huge, spectacular and can be explored by boat. With a nutshell you enter the cave and suddenly start to feel really small but also peaceful. Along the way we stopped and a guy guided us through an island with stalactites and stalagmites. The guide never spoke a word and just waved with his flashlight, it was never clear if he wanted to show us something or if he was just checking out things for himself. After this short walk we got back to the boat and drove in complete darkness through the mountain to the other side. The emotions when you get out of the darkness are special; the colors seem to be brighter, the smells more intensive. On a sunny day it feels like you landed in paradise. Soon we learnt that the paradise has a shop where you can buy ice tea. There is the possibility to stay longer in this remote, stunning valley, but we had to get back to our motorbike. 

In the evening we decided not to do the whole loop. Our butts and knees happily agreed. We had now more time to drive back and on the next days we did some extra stops along the way, especially looking for waterfalls. Note, end of dry season is a bad time to look for waterfalls. However we got the local attitude and tried to do everything with our bike.

Whilst looking for another waterfall we got invited by a Lao family to join their BBQ. Quickly we learnt that drinking is a big part of their BBQ. They happily provided beer and were constantly encouraging their guest to drink more and were unbelievably fast with refilling glasses. An also invited French guy was already so happy, he could not speak English any more. Part of the food choice was grilled duck. To the amazement of the invited French kids the duck has been still alive when they arrived earlier… And another lesson: “If it’s meat, you can eat”.

We had to say goodbye and after a short hick-up with our back we were happy, dirty and tired back in Vientiane. Motorbike shops in Zürich, get ready for us!