Category: Steps

Step, Vientiane > Lao Friendship bridge 3 (349km, 4 days)

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The fourth and last step of my trip in Laos. This time the road was barely flat and I enjoyed it! The weather tended to turn to rain but I managed to stay dry every night as there was no wind like in the mountains. Contrary of what I heard from Stéphane, the people on this area were very friendly with me. The kids, as always, said “hello”, “good morning” or even “thank you” when I passed them. At the beginning I thought about cycling until Savannakhet to apply for a “2 month Thai visa” but I realised I did not need 2 months. A VOA (Visa On Arrival) of 28 days for free will be enough. On the way, I came across the friendly bridge number 3 and decided to shorten slightly my stay in Laos.

Step, Phonsavan > Vientiane (386km, 5 days)

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Except one or two big hills, that third part got easier. In fact, closer I got to the capital, flatter the road became. The thing is, I was pretty tired from what I’ve done previously. One day off with Stephane was clearly not enough to rest completely. I did not have too much choice except keep on going because my visa would end in a week. On the way, I met Bright from China, another touring cyclist. We arrived in Vientiane together and spent some time around. I stayed in Vientiane for nearly 3 weeks finally.

Step, Huay Xai > Luang Namtha (195km, 3 days)

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What a change! I always thought Northern Thailand was the hard part but I was wrong. The first two days in Laos was so hilly that I had to push my bike several times. At that time I thought: “Was it a good idea to get here?”. Fortunately, I met some other cyclists travelling the opposite way so I didn’t felt alone. It gave me motivation to make it! Bloody hills!

Step, Solok > Dumai (771km, 12 days)

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The third and last step was a nice ride around the lake Maninjau and around western Sumatra in general. I met another very nice family with who I stayed only 2 nights because I was not sure how long it would take to get to Dumai before the end of my visa. I would have stayed more if I could. Then I’ve crossed the mountains and got back to Bukittinggi. Finally I’ve headed through flat lands until I caught the Ferry for Malacca.