Luxuriating by the river @ Nong Kiau

In the shadows with the LHT

Flying on land as usual...

The colour of the coffee and the river was the same!

The Nong Kiau bridge - a 1975 gift from China when Laos become communist

Mom & child on the family MPV

One of the many beautiful scenes along the river in NK

140km north of Luang Prabang is the dusty and ramshackle town of Nong Kiau. Its a stopover for many on their way to Muang Ngoi by boat but Nong Kiau itself has its own charm. Located at the base of a red-faced cliff and towering hills, it makes for delightful place to just chill out. The famous landmark of a bridge - a gift from the China in 1975 when Lao became communist, stands as its main landmark and this is the place to absorb the remarkable scenery. Trekking is also popular here as many traditional, unspoilt Lao villages with carefree and remarkably cute children play while women wash their laundry in the stream.

3 young wood-cutters - radiating warmth and friendliness!

Of course, we preferred to do our exploring by bicycle and our adventure had already started since Luang Prabuang. The ride up to NK was absolutely brilliant with rolling hills and towering limestone cliffs. The cool weather was also just starting to kick in and it was like cycling in aircon. Chris was smart enough to hijack a pickup truck for the steepest section and it was a smart thing to do if we wanted to arrive before sunset.

A long way to go but who's complaining?

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Two nights at the Nong Kiau Riverside Resort spoilt us rotten. A generous 45sq m villa, 4 poster beds with thick, firm Marriot-style mattress, quaint mosquito nets and most importantly, a huge balcony that could park 3 dirty and tired Surlys impressed us thoroughly. Add the best views of majestic & misty limestone cliffs with unobstructed river views, this was a slice of heaven.

Our beautiful villa!

The service too was very satisfactory thanks to Japanese owner Naomi San who looked into the minute details that kept her guests happy. We were dining yesterday and it was getting chilly. Suddenly, a hot charcoal stove appeared beside our table to keep us warm. Is that service or what?

I can't say enough of this great place especially after a hard day's ride. Do check them out if you are ever in this area of Laos.

http://www.nongkiau.com/

Luang Prabang by twin propellors

Cycling to the airport from Vientiane in the morning was a very pleasant experience. This capital city is still blessed with light traffic and we covered the 5km in 30 mins flat. With the cardboard we salvaged from our bike boxes, we sort of wrapped the frame, straightened the handle bars, remove pedals and deflate tires, presto - bike was ready to fly.

Of course we attracted a curious crowd in our packing at the very quiet domestic airport. It was a small plane and we were required to remove the front tire as well which was no big deal. The 480km by road or 10 hours in the bus was reduced to a painless 50 min flight.

I could see a glimpse of the mountain ranges that we have to conquer by bicycle next week but for now, we just want to enjoy the historical UN Heritage city of Luang Prabang. We fixed the bikes at the airport and cycled into town, overtaking many other local cyclists. The highlight was crossing an old wooden narrow bridge that could only take bikes and small motorcycles.

LP a charming small town situated between 2 rivers and have an even more easy pace than Vientiane. Its the start of the cool season and we enjoy nice 18c nights but days still hover at 30c. 33 temples, some centuries old, are fascinating and await our exploration. Plenty of French Provincial houses and buildings give LP a most European flavour.

Lots of quaint guest houses and obviously the numerous construction going on to build even more testifies to the growing number of tourists descending upon LP. Night markets, stretching for over 2km await the ardent shopper. Certainly, the coffee culture here is strong and it reminds me of Pai, but with far too many tourists. This is probably the downside of this lovely town but with bikes, we could stay away further from the touristy spots and still savour some old world charm.

Namphu flowing in Vientiane

First of many temples to come - Nong Khai

The new Boardwalk at Nong Khai's Mekong riverside

Former Governor's mansion

Two flights with a 3 hr stopover, plus one 50km ride on a chartered Hilux pick-up saw us finally in the border town of Nong Khai, Isaan district Thailand. It was not a good start to find out that our supposedly booked room at Kiang Khong Guesthouse was given up. Fortunately, the Ruan Thai guesthouse next door had a spacious big room. That evening, we experience the heaviest downpour ever that turned the road outside our guesthouse into a river of mud.

What was formerly a road, now a mud bath after heavy showers

After a late breakfast, we set off for an easy 30km ride from the border town of Nong Khai, Thailand into laid back Vientiane. There was a sign prohibiting bicycles crossing the Friendship Bridge that spans the Mekong and that got us worried. Fortunately, the immigration ladies at the Thai side were too busy having their sticky rice lunch, and we didnt stop to ask. A quick 1200m zoom through and we were in Lao PDR.

Pic by CW

It was about noon and with some head winds, it was hard to maintain 26kmh. The blazing sun didnt help but we were in the city within an hour. A quick meeting with Nang, Country Manager of Joma Bakery saw us secure our most important flight ticket to Luang Prabuang tomorrow. Being high season, most of the hotels we checked was full but surprisingly, the ever popular Mali Namphu had one room and we grabbed it.

It was great to be on the saddle and the short ride was just the thing to warm up our legs for the long ride to come. I certainly didn't deserve a massage but had one anyway, and it was super. Prices have gone 50% since I was last here and talk about runaway inflation especially in hotel rates. With the global financial turmoil, I don't think this will last.

It was nice to see that the Namphu fountain shooting spouts of water, something I didn't get to see in March last year. Well, at least this is still free, for now.

Savouring the mountains of Lao

Map courtesy of Lonely Planet

Two Battleship Blue + One Khaki Green SURLY LHT reporting for duty!

Pic - Chris Wee CGOAB

Pic taken fm Crazyguyonabike - jan houtermans

Laos, sandwiched between China, Burma, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand is the poorest country in IndoChina. Yet, it is the richest in terms of amazing scenery and beautiful people. 3 of us all on Surly Long Haul Truckers will be attempting to cycle the mountainous route from Luang Prabuang to Vientiane for 2 glorious weeks in Nov. Its a 500km ride reaching up 1600m from sea level and offers plenty of climbs. It's also the start of the cool season, so days should be about 22c and nights 15c. Delicious!

I have learnt that riding through mountains mean lots of pain but the spectacular scenery promises to be worth every excruciating pedal, I'm told. We shall be flying to Bangkok first, then connect via a domestic flight to *Udon Thani, taxi 50km to the border town of Nong Khai. Then ride 30km across the Mekong to Vientiane where we will fly to Luang Prabuang on a twin propellor plane. Quite a hassle to get there which makes this trip very exciting indeed.

Stay tune as I savour the mountains of Lao, on the saddle. Will try to update when able.

*I did a brief trip to Vientiane in early 07 and promised a return trip so ...
http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/22956

Essentially essential...

Carry the essentials and enjoy your ride more!

I know many riders in their quest for speed adopt the minimalist approach when it comes to cycling. Carry as little as possible, or better still, nothing at all. This unencumbered style of riding is the result of a flawed formula:

Less stuff = More speed = More fun!

Sounds good on paper or when you are doing the Tour de France with full support vehicles and outriders. But when you are doing your rides out in the country, away from the maddening crowds all alone, and your zillion dollar bike decides to act up, it may very well be "game over" for you. A simple thing like a puncture, or a loose seat mounting, dragging brakes, scrapped knees or when the skies open, speed will not be on your agenda I can assure you.

So here is a list of things that is essential for a worry free ride...

1. Hand pump

2. Spare tube
3. Rim levers
4. Multi-tool
5. First aid kit
6. Rain coat
7. Plastic bag (for your mobile, wallet, keys)

In one of our recent rides, there was this big guy on a fancy Cannondale racer who came alongside us pleading pitifully, "Do you have a pump?" His rear tire was really soft and was giving him a hard time. So much for Speedy Gonzales! Yes, we helped him.

Once, my seat got loose and it was a pain trying to cycle while standing 5km! Serves me right for not bringing the multi-tool.

So don't forget the essentials on your next ride. Sure, it will weigh you down by that 1kg but it is a small price to pay for a worry free and fun ride. I suspect the many fuss free rides you enjoy will result in you shedding more that 1kg in personal weight.

More rides = Less body weight = More speed ..... think about it!

Off roading with foldies - its possible!

Anyone who knows Singapore will agree that the pace of development here is fast and furious. Constructions everywhere, the old make way for the new and familiar landmarks disappear forever.

Disconcerting as it may be, its nice to know that places like Pulau Ubin have largely escaped the reach of modernisation. An island just 10 mins boat ride from Changi Ferry Point, 6 of us all on foldies, decided to check it out. It seemed like a great idea as I have not been to this idyllic island for over ten years, and a perfect respite from the turbulent global financial markets. The boatman was impressed that the bikes could fold and took half the space in his tight cabin. I asked him if he would consider halfing the bicycle fee of $2, and he laughed not quite sure how to respond!

Apart from the new jetty (that is welcome), paved roads and a brand new excellent world class mountain bike trail called the Ketam Trail, I'm glad to report Ubin still has enough familiarity for me. An easy pace of life, almost zero traffic and being a weekday, not many visitors made for a very pleasant day of riding. The quiet roads were wonderfully shaded by tall mature trees only to be broken by the sounds of a million crickets and cicadas. We knew instantly we were out of the concrete jungle and smack into God's glorious nature.


It may be foolhardy to attempt the Ketam Trail on 20" & 16" (Paul the hero) little wheels but surprisingly, it was quite manageable with some determination and grit. A big group of cyclists on rented MTBs took one look at the tough trail and decided to stick to the gravel road. The warning sign "Not for first time cyclists" may have scared them off and they were astonished to see us popping out of the bush on "clown" bikes further down the park.
Yes, the job would be much easier with the right tool but the thick, fat Big Apples on my Speed 8 soaked up the gravel roads easily and provided security on loose rocks and slippery grass. It helped too that I fitted a smaller 42t Biopace chain ring that allowed me to scale those hills easily. I think the others will be rushing off to fit this brilliant mod on their foldies after today. Even Keong, our newest rider, managed to complete the Blue Trail with a bit of pushing and we all felt extremely accomplished. Rich with a Helios on Marathon Runners road tires, expressed how amazed he was that foldies could tackle such rough terrain. The sturdiness of the frame joint was impressive.

Eager for more pain, we took the off beaten track to the north of the island. We had to traverse through big muddy puddles, soft, sandy paths and even some small rocks. The north of Ubin is all fenced up to prevent illegals swimming in from Johor. I did not appreciate that as it certainly spoilt the tranquility of the island with barb wire fences preventing us from going to the beach.

Lunch was at the First Stop Ubin Seafood restaurant. An ice cold fresh coconut with refreshing 100 Plus did the job of quenching our big thirst. Sambal kangkong, stewed chicken, ma po tofu, sweet & sour pork plus foo yong omelette with steam rice made for a delicious lunch at a reasonable S$55 for 6. Since it was my special day, my good buddies gave me a nice treat.

It rained just as were finishing our feast and what perfect timing it was. If we were stuck at the Ketam Mountain Bike Trail then, we would be in wet trouble. A glorious day indeed with a pleasant discovery of our foldie's extraordinary 4WD capabilities!

We will certainly be back soon to and enjoy more off road adventures in Ubin, where time thankfully stands a little more still.

Useful facts:

Nearest MRT Station - Pasir Ris. Its a 4km ride from there to Changi Ferry Point.

Bumboat ride is $2.50 for passengers, $2 for bicycles.

Bicycle rentals at Ubin village just by the jetty range from $6 to $12 for newer MTBs but bringing your own bike is still the best!