Countries visited: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam
Cycled mileage in January: 2,244.8km
Cycled mileage per country: 612.5km - Thailand, 837.2km - Laos, 795.1km Vietnam
Total cycled mileage incl. January: 12,182.8km
Days per country: 7d - Thailand, 15d - Laos, 9d - Vietnam
Days cycling: 25d
Technical failures: 1 spoke, 2 punctures, 1 split tyre
Link to this month's route
After flying from India to Thailand's capital Bangkok last month we cycled on to Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya was the perfect place for a quite start into 2017. After a pretty exhausting and eventful year 2016 we definitely felt more like a relaxed New Year's Eve rather than a party.
We left Ayutthaya on New Year's Day. Even though we stuck to secondary roads for most of the way to the Laos border, the scenery was rather boring. Hospitality, however, was amazing. Almost daily we've been given free meals or at least free drinks (There's nothing better than ice-cold mulberry juice!). To cheer us up on particularly boring cycling days we stopped for several breaks in the omnipresent coffee shops along the way and spent a fortune there.
 |
| Cycling to Laos |
 |
| Broken spoke on Simon's rear wheel |
 |
| Enjoying a water melon along the way |
 |
| Nice lake right besides Highway 2 |
 |
| The Mekong forms the border between Thailand and Laos |
After one week of cycling we reached the Thai-Laos border town Nong Khai - just in time for the seemingly famous weekend market. We spent so much time on Central Asia's amazing bazaars that we could not really agree with this Lonely Planet recommendation. The next morning we crossed the Laos border and continued to nearby capital Vientiane. The Laos visa on arrival was extremely easy to obtain after paying the $30 visa fee plus an odd $1 weekend surcharge. Bicycles are not allowed in the no man's land between the 2 countries but we didn't care and neither did the guards. On the Laos side of the border we were also finally back to right-hand traffic after more than 3 month!
Sleepy Vientiane did not at all feel like a capital and was poor in tourist sights. Anyway we spent some days there, first waiting for the Vietnamese embassy to re-open after the weekend, then waiting for the visas to be ready.
 |
| Patuxai, the Arc de Triomphe in Vientiane |
 |
| Random Buddhist monastery |
 |
| Pha That Luang Stupa |
 |
| Worn ball races of Simon's rear hub |
Eventually it was time to leave. Rural Laos turned out to be much greener than central Thailand - even though it lacked in infrastructure. We managed to locate a café along the way, though, and tasted the most awful coffee in our lifes!
The days passed quickly despite the headwind getting stronger the further we got south. On day #2 after leaving Vientiane we met Ellen and Kevin who cycled the other way and told us about the "Loop", a 3-day motorbike journey through remote villages and beautiful landscape.
 |
| Near Thabok we stumbeled across this (religious?) fair at a Buddhist temple |
 |
| Somewhere near Paksan |
 |
| Random hotel |
 |
| With cyclists Ellen and Kevin from Belgium |
When we reached Vieng Kham, where the "Loop" branches off, we decided to give it a try. The way was pretty hilly but road surface was better than expected. Extensive rice plantations, karst landscape and beautiful lakes made a great scenery. Headwind remained a topic for much of the way and even though the altitude was only around 500 metres it got considerably cold at night. Being exhausted at the end of a long day makes the wind chill even worse!
 |
| Beginning of the "Loop" |
 |
| Lush green landscape wherever you look in Laos |
 |
| Buddhist carvings next to Highway 8 |
 |
| The constant up and down made the ride extremely exhausting |
 |
| Near Nakay |
 |
| Yet another set of slopes |
On the last day of the "Loop" we passed by half a dozen caves on the way to Thakaek. We tried to visit 3 of them but couldn't locate the entrance of cave #3. Tham Nang Aen Cave was our first cave although the entrance fee was a bit hefty for the pretty artificial interior. There was no entrance fee for Tham Sa Pha In cave that serves as a Buddhist shrine.
From Thakaek we later visited the so called Buddha Cave that turned out to be rather uninspiring. However, the cave underneath it is only accessible by boat and well worth the visit.
 |
| Tham Sa Pha In cave which serves as a Buddhist shrine |
 |
| Taking a boat to explore the ground level of the Buddha cave |
At Thakaek we got back to the Mekong river and followed it on adventurous paths to Savannakhet. Our Vietnam visa had fixed dates so we passed more time in Savannakhet than it deserved, just relaxing and doing nothing.
 |
| Bridge contraption on the way to Savannakhet |
 |
| Stopping for a quick roadside snack |
 |
| Bananas are just a perfect proviant |
 |
| And yet another makeshift bridge |
With the headwind even stronger than before we cycled on to the Vietnamese border at Lao Bao. The road was okay despite some bigger construction sites and the days went by uneventfully.
 |
| Between Savannakhet and the border |
 |
| Near the Vietnamese border we ran into Ida und Robin who we had last seen in Bishkek |
Once we had easily passed the Vietnamese border we immediately noticed the change in weather and the change in traffic. The weather changed from cloudy to rainy and the traffic changed from reasonable to mad. The total absence of traffic rules and the never-ending honking reminded us of India. With the Lunar New-Year ahead it was surprisingly difficult to dispense money at many ATMs which were just out of cash. The first day in Vietnam we had to cycle 30km further than expected after nightfall until we finally got some Vietnamese Dongs!
 |
| Orange tree disguised for Christmas |
On day #2 In Vietnam we reached Hue after a rainy day. We stayed at Hotel Cyclist and the owner, a passionate cyclist, invited us to shoot some pictures and videos to promote Hue, his hotel and his bicycle tour company. In return our hotel bill was reduced. It was only on day #3 in Hue that the rain stopped. We finally got around to visit the former royal district and to do the photo shooting.
 |
| Rain on the way to Hue |
 |
| Vietnamese cuisine at its best |
 |
| Former royal district in Hue |
 |
| The Forbidden City |
 |
| Photoshooting at Vietnam Bike Tours |
 |
| Cemetery near Hue |
From Hue we took secondary roads to get to Hai Van Pass, which is the highest in Vietnam. We got up in slightly more than 1 hour - altitude is only around 500 metres.
 |
| Approaching Hai Van Pass |
 |
| View from the top of Hai Van Pass |
We then made it to famous Hoi An the same day and arrived just in time to enjoy the free entry to the historic old town during the Lunar New Year festivities.
 |
| Temple in Hoi An |
 |
| Japanese Bridge |
 |
| Another of Hoi An's temples |
 |
| View from our guesthouse |
After 2 days we continued to Son Tinh. There is nothing special to say about this town. However, the guesthouse was one of the nicest we stayed in in SEA and the spring rolls at the night market were amazing! When we packed our bikes the next morning we met Thomas who was staying in the same guesthouse. He was travelling with a rented motorbike in the same direction. He didn't want to believe that we would make it to Quy Nonh the same day, a 180 kilometres distance. But we actually did and arrived a couple of minutes before him at the busiest Hostel in town.
In February we'll continue our journey towards tourist hotspots Nha Trang, Mui Ne, Ho Chi Minh and to the Mekong Delta - Stay tuned!
 |
| On the night market in Son Tinh |
 |
| Chien Dan temple ruins near Quy Nonh |
 |
| It didn't require mad honking to remind us of how dangerous Vietnamese traffic is! |
