Vientiane, Laos – Bangkok, Thailand

Vientiane, Laos – Bangkok, Thailand

Roughly 1 week of cycling.

~ 750 KM

Crossing the Friendship Bridge was synonymous with being sent into some kind of Star Trek transport machine and ending up in the mid-western United States. My first stop:  7-11, ubiquitous in Thailand, and well known for putting a little extra sugar in their machine-vended Thai ice tea. I actually tried to self induce vomiting my first day in Thailand because I drank two of these consecutively followed by a cup of their iced coffee. 

This was northeastern Thailand and the terrain is flat, flat, flat. Camping was not too difficult to find in these parts as towns were at least 10 KM dispersed, leaving space for huge cow pastures. With 6 lane highways and a steady stream of traffic coupled with road side department stores, KFC’s and large gas stations, I really did feel as if I entered another continent.

The cycling is incredibly easy and I would average about 110 KM a day. The route followed highway 2 all the way into Bangkok. With more time it would probably have been a good idea to have gone through the Northwest, making a huge detour through Chang Mai and maybe even Pai – but this would take at least a month to complete.

There is nothing remarkable about this ride into Thailand. The largest cities, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen and Nakhon Racthasima were medium sized with somewhat modern architecture, and nothing to really attract a traveler. Each city and each small town, however, had a wonderful market. The absolute best part about cycling in Thailand is that you can be a glutton and not feel but a slight sense of guilt – I ate at least four meals a day. The food is absolutely amazing, cheap and easy to purchase. I am a big fan of breakfast so I would have two every day. The first consisted of hot coffee and milk with a plain fried pastry good for dipping; the second would consist of a more traditional local breakfast – either curry and rice, noodle soup, or fried rice with a glass of iced water.

Entering Bangkok was a bit of a rodeo. At about 25 KM from the city, you are immersed in a concrete jungle and there are no more road signs that point to “Bangkok”, only signs that point to different suburbs and districts within the city. The traffic was relatively insane compared even to Beijing and Ulan Bator, both notorious for traffic jams. I had to pretend I was a scooter, which there are plenty of, and ride slowly at the tail end of the pack. Bangkok is a wild urban metropolis, with good and evil existing side by side (it’s very common to see a Buddhist monastery and a “John” with his escort at the exact same time). 

I did not feel an overwhelming sense of completion upon entering Bangkok. The city immersed me within her and I had no choice but to embrace its chaos and to defer any effort at introspection. After two days in the backpacker’s Mecca of Khao San road, I travelled to an island on the eastern side of the Thai Gulf, Koh Samet, to relax and try and analyze the past five months of travelling and cycling. With a motorcycle and an ocean filled with bright green coral, no type of reflection ensued here either. 

So I here I sit in the streets of Kathmandu, after a 5 hour flight from BKK International, with no resolve, but a continual, seemingly endless adrenaline rush that will send me into the hills of the Himalayas. It is here, I think, that I will finally be able to quietly contemplate and fully complete this cycling journey, Baikal to Bangkok.  

Jinghong, China – Vientiane, Laos

After 7 days of being sick in Luang Prabang, 33 bowls of noodle soup, and learning that milking goats is a great hangover cure for New Year’s Day, I’ve arrived in Vientiane, the capitol city of Laos. I’ve had a blast in Laos. The people, the government and infrastructure, are much less flashy then China and I think it works well in the hot, muggy air that consumes this landlocked country.

The roads from Jinghong, China to the Laos border are wonderfully paved, though they undulate 100 M in elevation the entire route – in other words its very hilly. It cost 37 USD for a 30 day visa upon entering Laos and cost only smiles to exit China (I was sure glad to have paid the extra amount of money a month earlier to obtain a Chinese visa renewal).

The roads from Mohan, China to Luang Namtha, Laos were great – mostly flat and only about 60 KM apart from each other. Luang Namtha is small – but very touristy. The day I entered Laos I saw more tourists than I had in the two weeks prior in China. It was very apparent that the country is somewhat of a bottleneck for tourists and that I had entered SE Asia’s high tourist season. For breakfast – eggs, baguette, and “Café Laos” local coffee with sweetened condensed milk. Only this could rival China’s “Bowdza” (steamed buns) and hot soy milk breakfast.

From Luang Namtha I cycled to Uduomxay. Beautiful roads, and a nice town where I watched the last day of Luang Prabang’s roving film festival in an outdoor theater. The roads from here to Pak Mong were mixed gravel and pavement with a few 500 M climbs. From Pak Mong to Luang Prabang (110 KM) the road is almost flat. There was a leotard race taking place as I was cycling and I imagined myself to be a slow contender, a very, very slow contender.

In Luang Prabang I mistakenly stayed at Spicy Laos – the party hostel. And I mistakenly slept there for seven nights including Christmas Eve and Christmas! Oh well. I was feeling ill, and they let me camp, use their shower, bath and movie room for the equivalent of $1.90 / night. Luang Prabang is… relaxing, scenic, and very touristy. The night market is wonderful for the cheap and tasteless (the food really ain’t that good – but you can’t beat “all you can fill your plate” buffet for a buck).

Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng is an extremely hilly road – one 1,000 M climb and one 500 M climb within 100 KM of Luang Prabang. After two days of ascending and descending the road flattens into Vang Vieng – a big party town with more drunken Australians than a night out in Sydney. New Year’s Eve was a little too much here: Bad American Pop, Beer Laos, and bacteria infested rivers. I stayed at the wonderful “Vang Vieng Organic Farm” which serves delicious, homegrown food. The guests were served goat that was slaughtered the day of, vegetables that were in season, and mulberry mohitos (berries grown on site).

From Vang Vieng the road to Vientiane is flat, flat, flat and an easy 160 KM. Vientiane is a nice, small city, with beautiful temples.

Across the friendship bridge and on to Thailand! Only 700 KM to go until Bangkok! Until then! 

Xichang, Sichuan – Dali, Yunnan

7 Days (~650 KM)

Details:

Xichang to Lige, Lugu Lake: ~270 KM. Paved. Equal up and down. Lots of towns. (2 YHI Hostels in Lige 35 RMB for dorm).

Lige, Lugu Lake to Ninglang: ~ 90 KM. Paved. Big Ascent out of lake, descent the rest. Almost no commodities.

Ninglang to Lijiang: ~ 120 KM. Paved except for 20 KM outside of Lijiang. Big ascents, big descents. Yangtze river crossing. (Garden Inn, 30 RMB for dorm).

Lijiang to Dali ~ 170 KM. Paved, lots of commodities. (The Emu Hostel, 25 RMB for dorm)

After leaving behind what felt like house arrest in one of Xichang's cheap hotels (renewed visa = 7 days of waiting, $150 USD) I hit the pavement towards Lugu Lake. The road to Lugu Lake has very small villages mixed of Yi people and working Han Chinese taking residence for the million or so dams that were situated alongside the adjacent river. These had a mining town vibe, brothels, pubs, and pool tables were hard to miss. One night I slept on the side of a river, greeted by a deaf and mute horsemen as I tucked into dinner. He ended up ascending the hill across the river come nightfall with a lantern to guide his way. This reminded me of a story I had heard in Maui, the lantern holding shepherding ghosts of the West Maui Mountains, very spooky.

I arrived at Lugu Lake after two days (40 RMB entrance fee). An absolutely serene place and slept in a cozy tourist village called Lige. I had to fight my way into the hostel as the manager was blatanty racist, and mistook me for being Jewish. After complaining heavily and threatening to contact the hostels governing body (Youth Hostels International) they let me sleep. I have since complained to YHI anyhow as this is completely out of line.

The road to Lijiang was amazing, as it is under construction, though nearly complete, so traffic was limited to cyclists and local access. Light traffic, smooth roads and a great descent to Ninglang. Crossed the Yangtze river the next day to arrive in Lijiang, a VERY touristy town, which I think can be explored in about 5 hours. I counted 8 different types of shops in the touristy old town: Mosu Scarves, Tibetan Jewelry, Che Guevera Congo Shops, Food Stalls, Naxi Skirts, Tea Shops, and Health Stores. Meeting some fellow travelers this evening at a lovely hostel I decided to leach on to their trip to Tiger Leaping Gorge the next day. Tiger Leaping Gorge is beautiful, but a little on the short side.

The road to Dali is a breeze, nothing beautiful and filled with tourist buses, but easy nonetheless. Sipping good coffee in this bohemian town, which I think I quite like. It's a little less touristy than Lijiang, smaller and more relaxed. Planning the next leg of the trip: to Jinghong or Kunming? Hmmm – We'll see.

Xichang, China

Waiting for a visa renewal with limited funds, my 24th birthday this past Wednesday was probably the toughest day of the entire trip. Not only was I not allowed a visa renewal in the town I was currently located (Jiulong in western Sichuan), I lost both of my debit cards and credit card! So I am stuck in Xichang waiting for some money to arrive via western union money transfer so I can pay for my new visa (thank goodness!), replaying the last week in my head.

From Chengdu, I cycled a few days to the beautiful town Ya'an, where you exit the Sichuan Basin's constant cloud cover. The next day and half were all up hill, cycling among steep, lush gorges with clear water good enough for drinking. At the top of a large hill ~ 2,500m high there was a 4KM tunnel which led me into a different country it seemed. Everything was Tibetan, the people, the landscape, the architecture. A much drier climate.

I arrived in Kangding, a very touristy town for a night in a nice hostel. The next day led me towards a huge pass, about 4,300m (~14,000ft.) high! It is November, so it was pretty cold, but the roads were dry and the sky clear. On top, I had a view of what seemed to be the Tibetan Plateau, absolutely beautiful - rolling hills at 4,000m high. For the next few days I cycled towards a village called Gongga Shan, famous for its namesake mountain, which you can get an amazing view of. I stayed with a Tibetan family this night, eating beef noodles and drinking butter tea.

After cycling another pass further south (about 4,100m) I descended towards Jiulong, and I felt as if I was back in China. Here I contacted the police to get a visa extension. They sent me on a bus to Xichang! And here I am, waiting and dealing with the Chinese banks. I visited the PSB today (the folks who give you visa renewals) and met the head honcho, an extremely nice man who, after hearing my story of losses, put me in his car and took me out for a huge lunch. We met with an Australian expatriate who ended up helping me with the banks. Sadly the outcome was not so good and I will have to wait another few days to receive some dough. I have finally found a hotel to sleep in though (for around 7 bucks), so I don’t have to worry about finding a dodgy camping spot on the fringes of town.

Southern Sichuan is one of the poorer areas of China. There are many ethnic groups living here that have just recently (within the last fifty years) integrated into modern civilization. The Yi predominant this region and are beautifully dressed. I ignorantly thought them to be Tibetan, but there have been some disputes between the two neighboring cultures for years.

Anyways, still waiting for cash (with passport in hand)!

Xian – Chengdu (8 days)

I apologize for any misspellings.

After a thoroughly fun night in Xian with some great hosts, I hit the road around noon time, on the 4th of November and headed southwest towards the Qinling Mountains. The weather was rainy, and it continued to be this way for the next 4 days. I left via highway 210, which goes through flatlands for about 30 KM before arriving at the Qinling range. The roads were beautifully paved throughout the entirety of this to journey, all the way to Chengdu.

Once at the base of the Qinlings, I found that there was a significant amount of climbing, as well as descending, as well as climbing again, peaking at altitude of 2700m or so. This was panda territory I am told, but there was no chance of seeing one apart from the ones on billboard adds and packages of cheap ciggarettes. Beautiful temperate, decidous forest with heavy pine forests at higher altitudes. Towns in the Qinling are ubiquitous and consist of snack and drink stalls as well as a few cafes. If you look at a map, you notice a bend in highway 210 that places it very closely to the G5 freeway. There is a tunnel which leads to G5. Though you cannot cycle on the freeway, I hopped a small guard rail, for efficiencies sake. 5 KM down the road, a 10 KM tunnel started and the police picked me up in their pickup. After 15 KM they pulled off the highway and deposited me where I had wanted to get off the freeway, at the highway 108 junction. No paperwork or nothing, just a click of their mobile phone camera to show off to friends, and they let me go. I like chinese policemen!

At Highway 108, the road started to descend toward Hanzhong, where I met pollution and heavy traffic. A night in a hotel with some friends, a good fish dinner and back on the road. Pulling out of Hanzhong on 108, the road continued to be clustered untlil about 30 KM away where I met beautiful rolling hill scenery. This continued all the way into cloudy / hazy sichuan basin about 100 KM away from Chengdu. In Chengdu, now recovering from some kind of rash, I think from bed bugs, but I am not sure, and planning the rest of the route to Kunming. I would love to get to western Sichuan, but I am not so sure if I have the time! We’ll see!

Back In Action

I arrived in Xi’an three days ago via a train from Beijing. Yes I know, this is called cheating, but China is a massive country and I do not have all the time in the world you know? Hopping aboard was no problem at all. The ticket cost about 150 RMB and the conductor allowed me to place the bike aboard the train with no hassle really, just a breakdown of the major parts – wheels and panniers. I arrived in Xi’an twelve hours later.

I have been staying with a buddy for the past few days visiting the Terracotta Warriors just east of Xi’an about 45 KM. They are a must see! Really beautiful and truly ancient, the 8^th wonder of the world. I will now be embarking on the second half of my journey. I should arrive in Chengdu in about 10 days. I will be cycling highway 108 from Xi’an. Until Chengdu!

Originally posted 11/04/2011

Comfort in Cement

Just made it out of the Gobi desert, at least to the Chinese border. The roads were pretty terrible, and I am stoked to hit the Chinese superhighways. Walked through 5km of sand after mistakingly following the wrong set of power lines. Had my fullfillment of salty tea, sour cheese curds, and defrosted beef. Said goodbye to my awkward camel friends. And saying goodbye to Mongolia; Bayarlaa, Bayartai! Ni hao, CHINA!

Details: Sainshand to Zamyn Uud

220 KM


I left Sainshand past the Telecom office, southwards, on the paved road. In about 2 km this road arrived at a three way stop, in which I took a right. There is a sign marking KM's to Selenge and Erdene (Ulan Uul). The road is paved for about 60-70 KM. I was able to bypass some Chinese workers who were paving the road as I was riding it. By the end of the year I imagine at least 40 KM more of the road will be paved. When the pavement ends it transitions into a well marked gravel road for the next 80 KM or so. This road DOES NOT lead to Selenge or Ulan Uul. The railway is NOT in sight from the road. At the top of a small pass, some 60 KM from Zamyn Uud, the gravel road stopped, and the classic Mongolian dirt roads began.

These last 60 KM are quite difficult, sandy and corrugated. After reaching the end of the gravel road, I passed under a small set of powerlines, and saw the train line visible to my left, to the east of me. I came to an intersection in which the most beaten track turned westerly, but a small track continued SE (the predominant, correct direction) under the small set of powerlines. I mistakingly followed the small set of powerlines and in 20 KM or so the track deteriorated completely (very sandy). These small powerlines also follows the railway. I then pushed my bike off-track, directly west to meet up again with the main track, which is adjacent to a larger set of powerlines. I followed this all the way into Z.U. which is visible from about 20 KM away.

I am told that you cannot use blogger in China, so I guess this will be the last post, but I've also heard that there are ways around the whole deal so we will see. So until next time..