Continued from
www.gt-rider.com
Staying at the Bounchaleurn GH, my favourite brekky spot in Luang Prabang was the Coffee Express.
A relaxed open-air cafe with good coffee plus baguettes and and croissants from the famed Le Banneton.
A salami baguette for BF.
The ham and cheese baguettes are also excellent.
Get some takeaways and enjoy them on your ride in the day.
Coffee and chocolate croissants.
Le Banneton is really the # 1 brekky spot, but it is too popular and crowded nowadays for me to enjoy a breakfast there, such is its fame.
The Coffee Express is 450 meters from the Bounchaleurn.
The Coffee Express is also the fave hangout of MK Mongkhon from Luang Prabang Holiday Travel, who is the number one man in Luang Prabang for motorcycle tour permits into Laos.
A change in the weather, light rain and heavy overcast, delayed my departure from Luang Prabang longer than planned.
No wet weather gear or warm clothes being the issue.
I didn't fancy riding out shivering through the mountains with only a mesh jacket and on probable treacherous, greasy roads.
Heavy rain is better to clean the roads, but light rain only makes them extra greasy. It's better to be slow and safe for sure rather than coming off on a remote, isolated road with little traffic and no facilities.
I broke the trip up into 2 days with a night in Hongsa. Luang Prabang - Hongsa and Hongsa - Chiang Khong.
Departure time from Luang Prabang = 11am
Arrival time in Hongsa = 5 PM
The start from Chomphet, across the river from Luang Prabang.
35 kms out from Luang Prabang it was time for a little break in a village with lots of kids.
Often when you park up in a village, the kids all come to look at the big bike, but when you try to get some photos, they are often shy and go away. To break the ice and befriend the kids, the GTR trick is to buy some goodies for the kids
Some riders might buy the kids sweets, but I prefer to buy toiletries for hygiene—shampoo, soap, or fab washing detergent.
The cost is minimal & is always a winner.
You spend money in the local community, and the kids always appreciate the gifts.
Then you can get some nice pics with the kids.
The road continues up and down over the mountains. The ascents and descents are steep and often long.
On a steep, long descent, in the distance I noticed what may have been a motorcycle in the bushes in a roadside drain.
As I got closer, I realised it was a scooter in the drain, upside down, with a Hmong guy sitting on it.
As I went past, he looked up with a bloodied face. Oops, an accident, alright.
I did a U-turn and went back to see if I could help or what I could do.
The Hmong guy walked over and appeared coherent. Yes, he was, ok?
Then I looked over towards his bike and noticed his riding buddy face down in the ditch. Blood came out of his ears with his legs and feet still twitching. A terrible, disturbing scene.
The accident was in the middle of nowhere, on a very isolated road.
70 kms out of LPQ.
50 kms from Hongsa.
They both needed transport out of the area, but there was nothing I could really do.
I felt helpless and said to the guy I would get some help in the next village if I could.
The next village was unfortunately 14 km away.
As I rode on several oncoming Lao vehicles—mini vans and pickups—passed, heading in the direction of the accident scene.
Hopefully they would be able to provide assistance and / or some transport.
How cheap life was in the Lao boonies, I thought.
To be continued.
Chiang Khong - Luang Prabang a 2025 Meander
It's time for another ride to Luang Prabang to catch up with friends and continue searching for a one-year multiple-entry visa. It was a lazy start from Chiang Khong in the early afternoon with Pua as the planned destination for the night. Chiang Khong - Pua = 231 kms via R1020 / 1021 / 1148...
www.gt-rider.com
Staying at the Bounchaleurn GH, my favourite brekky spot in Luang Prabang was the Coffee Express.
A relaxed open-air cafe with good coffee plus baguettes and and croissants from the famed Le Banneton.
A salami baguette for BF.
The ham and cheese baguettes are also excellent.
Get some takeaways and enjoy them on your ride in the day.
Coffee and chocolate croissants.
Le Banneton is really the # 1 brekky spot, but it is too popular and crowded nowadays for me to enjoy a breakfast there, such is its fame.
The Coffee Express is 450 meters from the Bounchaleurn.
The Coffee Express is also the fave hangout of MK Mongkhon from Luang Prabang Holiday Travel, who is the number one man in Luang Prabang for motorcycle tour permits into Laos.
A change in the weather, light rain and heavy overcast, delayed my departure from Luang Prabang longer than planned.
No wet weather gear or warm clothes being the issue.
I didn't fancy riding out shivering through the mountains with only a mesh jacket and on probable treacherous, greasy roads.
Heavy rain is better to clean the roads, but light rain only makes them extra greasy. It's better to be slow and safe for sure rather than coming off on a remote, isolated road with little traffic and no facilities.
I broke the trip up into 2 days with a night in Hongsa. Luang Prabang - Hongsa and Hongsa - Chiang Khong.
Departure time from Luang Prabang = 11am
Arrival time in Hongsa = 5 PM
The start from Chomphet, across the river from Luang Prabang.
35 kms out from Luang Prabang it was time for a little break in a village with lots of kids.
Often when you park up in a village, the kids all come to look at the big bike, but when you try to get some photos, they are often shy and go away. To break the ice and befriend the kids, the GTR trick is to buy some goodies for the kids
Some riders might buy the kids sweets, but I prefer to buy toiletries for hygiene—shampoo, soap, or fab washing detergent.
The cost is minimal & is always a winner.
You spend money in the local community, and the kids always appreciate the gifts.
Then you can get some nice pics with the kids.
The road continues up and down over the mountains. The ascents and descents are steep and often long.
On a steep, long descent, in the distance I noticed what may have been a motorcycle in the bushes in a roadside drain.
As I got closer, I realised it was a scooter in the drain, upside down, with a Hmong guy sitting on it.
As I went past, he looked up with a bloodied face. Oops, an accident, alright.
I did a U-turn and went back to see if I could help or what I could do.
The Hmong guy walked over and appeared coherent. Yes, he was, ok?
Then I looked over towards his bike and noticed his riding buddy face down in the ditch. Blood came out of his ears with his legs and feet still twitching. A terrible, disturbing scene.
The accident was in the middle of nowhere, on a very isolated road.
70 kms out of LPQ.
50 kms from Hongsa.
They both needed transport out of the area, but there was nothing I could really do.
I felt helpless and said to the guy I would get some help in the next village if I could.
The next village was unfortunately 14 km away.
As I rode on several oncoming Lao vehicles—mini vans and pickups—passed, heading in the direction of the accident scene.
Hopefully they would be able to provide assistance and / or some transport.
How cheap life was in the Lao boonies, I thought.
To be continued.
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