Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Day 15: Wed 05 Nov – Longngum to Vang Vieng

Day 9: Nam Ngum Lake to Vang Vieng (85km) After breakfast, we prepare for our hard day biking. We stop every 20km for drink and snack stop. Overall route is modulated and steep hill on some part. We will arrive in Vang Vieng known as the gate to Northern Laos or backpacker's paradise a busy town which packed of young tourist from all over the world because of its charming landscape and variety of fund activities 

Cycle Tour Day 9, 106km, average 23.5km/h 

Brekky on the deck overlooking the lovely lake (man made for hydro) was a great start for the day. A large group of Israelis on tour made for a busy time in the dining area. 

Rode away about 8am back into the countryside. The whole day was undulating (read dang hilly) and the heat made it fairly tough. We had lunch at a restaurant on a lake about the 78km mark and it was most welcome as we were all hungry by then. Fish soup and fried rice with beef, hit the spot. For some silly reason I ended up out front in a very fast group of 3 lead by Ken.  We averaged 30km/h for 30 km! 

That 30km after lunch saw us at our overnight stop, the Inthira Hotel, booked in, washed etc by 3:45pm. We had come through some wet tar sections so our outer garments would now have permanent black spots on them.  I had only purchased the shorts a few days ago, and they cost me A$2!!

Vang Vieng is little more than three streets, a river and a bus stop. The main attractions are the stunning landscape surrounding the place, caving, tubing or rafting on the river, MTBing, buggying, or hot-air ballooning. There was a heck of a lot of young, hippie types wandering around or sitting in bars with their iPhones, so the backpackers reckon it's ok. The backdrop of rugged mountains, apparently honeycombed with unexplored tunnels, makes for a nice setting. 

It was a very early night for everyone after the big ride.

Riverside chalets with mountains in the background

Breakfast view

Wild, Wild West of Laos

All hand harvesting, no mechanisation in Laos

At the top of one of the many hills

Kids are always smiling

Lunch stop

Dried fish of all types near our lunch stop

River at Vang Vieng

Hot air balloon rides over Van Vieng



















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Wrap-up and Comments

This was a great tour, Cambodian Cycle Tours really know how to put a package together. The food, accommodation (not too much choice in some...