New Year's Resolution

[Digger]

Hope you have a great and safe trip Steve.

Robbo.

Thanks Robbo, I always get a little anxious before any trip and this trip is no different. I guess that is part of the attraction...you just dont know what is around the corner.

I will update when i can.

[Digger]

G’Day Slackers,

Disappointing day yesterday (Thursday). Up at 5am to catch a connecting flight from Kuala Lumpur to Vientiane. Arrived safe and assembled the bikes at the airport. No rush...check in is not till 2pm. After leaving the airport I noticed the chain slipping on the middle chain ring (think ‘gearbox’). Not good...had the bike serviced just before departing Perth.
Arrived at hotel, checked in and then looked for a bike shop to replace chain ring. No can do. It’s outside the scope of the mechanic. I will just have to persevere. Did some local sight seeing in the afternoon and did the same today.


The three chain rings on the crank. I told the bike shop in Perth I had just completed the Munda Biddi and I was about to cycle tour thru Laos and Vietnam. I told them to make sure the bike was ‘right’ for the ride. The middle chain ring is flogged out and makes the chain slip over the teeth.



The young mechanic trying to replace the crank on the bike...he felt uneasy about it. I decided not to go ahead for fear of not being able to continue on the tour

[Digger]

Victory Gate in Vientiane...dedicated to those who served in the battle for Independence from the French. Similar in design to the Arc de Triomphe but with a Laotian influence


The view from the top of their Victory Monument looking SW toward the Presidential Palace at the end of the road. The materials used to construct the monument were gifted by another country and was supposed to be used to build a Runway. The monument remains incomplete

[Digger]

Laos is a form of a Communist country. That is the Mekong River in the background with Thailand on the other side. The Mekong acts as a border between the two countries for some distance



The zero km mark in the centre of the old city where all km distances appearing on maps are measured from

[Digger]

Ol’ mate Chao Anouvong who saved the world back in the day. It was only built in 2010 and some locals questioned why such a poor country would want to spend money on a statue to mark the 450th anniversary of something


Trevor noticed a tree that looked strangely Australian; a ghost gum. Bugger me dead. The crushed leaves smelt like eucalyptus

Holidays over...time to get serious. We start riding tomorrow (Saturday). It should be around a 80km day if things pan out. The accomodation options are not as plentiful on this trip so it may take us a day or two to find our rhythm. Using backroads we will follow the Mekong River for the most part. Let the adventure begin.

SPOT Link is here:
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... UCtYLNPufa

[Cookie]

Hello Digger

Hope ride is going well despite the sprocket issues - do you need some part sent across? if so let me know.

[Digger]

Hello Digger

- do you need some part sent across? if so let me know.

Hi Cookie, nice of you to offer but we should get by ok as long as the terrain does not become too challenging. Trev will fly out from Da Nang in Vietnam in a couple of weeks and I will swap bikes with him then. He can return to Oz with mine.
Thanks for the thought.

[Digger]

G’Day Slackers,
We’ve been on the road for two days now and there have not been any real surprises.

On the first day we left their Capital around 8am and made good time navigating out of town. Passed the Friendship Bridge which is the Border crossing with Thailand and paralleled the Mekong River for many Km. Road turned to gravel and so we bee lined for the main highway and onto the Guesthouse for the night. $13AUD which includes air con. Not too many other luxuries though. All rooms have double beds only so Trev and I have to spoon tonight lol. Just as well we’re related.



Friendship Bridge in the distant background with Thailand on the opposite bank.


We were going to follow the Mekong for most of the journey...



...but After 40km the road turned to pot holed gravel...most uncomfortable with over inflated road tyres

[Digger]

Left the River and took the sealed road option...route reversed in this screenshot



Although we are on their National Highway 13 it does not guarantee good conditions. The traffic usually bottlenecks at places like this.

Another $13AUD guesthouse tonight but the TV is on the fritz. You don’t get much for your money! Tomorrow (Monday) should be about 60km.
Distance cycled to date - 139km.
Back to work Slackers.

[Digger]

70% of the country is mountainous. I had to be selective when choosing a suitable route so I didn’t give myself a heart attack whilst touring. There could still be some challenging sections


Things have become a little complicated. Trevor’s left knee has packed it in...he has a history of knee problems and to continue could spell disaster. We have returned to Laos’ Capital, Vientiane, by bus and he will fly out on Thursday and return to Oz. He is disappointed (as am I) but it is the only realistic solution to prevent further damage to the knee. Once he flys out I will look at my options


No caption required.

[Digger]

Trev; looking despondent knowing his trip is coming to an end.



The new Giant all prepped and ready to transit on the bus. The other Giant was stolen from Perth city a few weeks before departure. Bummer

[Digger]

The bikes and trailer loaded on the bus for the three hour journey to Vientiane


The logistics taken care of...bike box and flights organised. Depart on Thursday 24th.


I will swap bikes with Trevor because of my crook chain ring and continue my journey toward Vietnam.

[Robbo]

Wow that knee looks bad, very unfortunate end to Trevor's trip, hope it's a quick recovery.

[Digger]

‘Time spent doing reconnaissance, is time well spent’. That’s what they taught me in the Army. I typically reconnoitre the road out of town, the bus station or the train station (if that is my mode of transport out of town). That way there are no surprises. Wednesday was no different. The bus station is 10 km out of town and I will catch a VIP Coach to Thakhet (350 km) to make up for lost time. That will have me back on track. Trev flys out at 8.30am on Thursday 24th and my coach departs at 1.00pm so the timings fit perfectly

the new Southern Bus Station (for all points south of Vientiane including Thailand and Vietnam). The station only opened in 2016. I think the previous one was nearby and was just a dirt paddock



On the way to the bus station on the 23rd to check it out I missed a turn in the suburbs. This was one of the back streets I took to get back on the main road. You don’t get this on no package tour!

[Digger]

Trev checking in. He’s sad to be leaving but knows it’s the only sensible outcome. It could be the end of his cycle touring days.



Farewelling Trev at the airport on Thursday...I’ve lost count of how many photos like this we’ve had over the years