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Finishing the Loop With a Tour of Lao Bike Repair Shops

Oct 23, 2012 by Daniel McBane 3 Comments

Rural Gas Station Laos
This entry is part 10 of 10 in the series Riding the Motorbike 'Loop' in Laos

We hung out at Hin Poun Viewpoint at the top of the pass for a bit, admiring the view, taking pictures and enjoying some celebrity treatment at the hands of a group of Laotian college students on break. Basically that involved every one of us posing for various pictures with [read more…]

Filed Under: Laos Tagged With: central loop, Laos, motorbike, Tha Khaek, transportation

Exploring Gigantic Kong Lo Cave by Boat

Oct 20, 2012 by Daniel McBane 6 Comments

Kong Lo Cave Laos
This entry is part 9 of 10 in the series Riding the Motorbike 'Loop' in Laos

At its entrance, Kong Lo (Konglor) Cave is relatively narrow, but once you get in a ways, it widens considerably. In some places it apparently gets up to 90 meters wide and 100 meters high. At narrower points, the river fills the cave from wall to wall; when the cave widens, you even [read more…]

Filed Under: Laos Tagged With: central loop, cave, Laos, transportation, animals, motorbike

Another Detour in Search of Another Nonexistent Attraction

Oct 16, 2012 by Daniel McBane 10 Comments

Dead Trees in Lake Laos
This entry is part 8 of 10 in the series Riding the Motorbike 'Loop' in Laos

After we left the little village, we had a few hours of bad roads ahead of us. We picked our way through the obstacles in the road slowly, stopping a bunch of times to take pictures of the very strange and unique, post-apocalyptic-looking landscape along this section of the motorbike ‘loop’. We [read more…]

Filed Under: Laos Tagged With: transportation, motorbike, central loop, cave, Laos

New Year’s Party in a Tiny Laotian Village

Oct 13, 2012 by Daniel McBane 6 Comments

New Year Drinking Game Laos Village
This entry is part 7 of 10 in the series Riding the Motorbike 'Loop' in Laos

When we got to the parking area, one of the drunkest Laotians immediately jumped on one of our bikes and insisted he drive, to show us the way. He was holding a bunch of stuff in one hand and a bunch of alcohol in his stomach, so he would be driving one handed while seeing [read more…]

Filed Under: Laos Tagged With: food, Laos, motorbike, culture, central loop, party

New Year’s Lao Style – Water Fights, Karaoke and Drinking in a River

Oct 9, 2012 by Daniel McBane 4 Comments

Laos New Year Party River
This entry is part 6 of 10 in the series Riding the Motorbike 'Loop' in Laos

The next morning, our smooth, paved road soon turned into a rough, dusty gravel road and would stay that way for the next two days of the motorbike ‘loop’. It was slow going as we had to weave all over the road, picking our way between large holes, puddles, jagged rocks, patches of [read more…]

Filed Under: Laos Tagged With: party, Laos, New Year's Eve, motorbike, culture, central loop

On the Dusty Road Again

Oct 6, 2012 by Daniel McBane 4 Comments

Laos Motornike Loop Countryside
This entry is part 5 of 10 in the series Riding the Motorbike 'Loop' in Laos

The next morning we got some breakfast, then spent an hour at the bike repair place waiting for our new tire. Naturally the whole family hung around and waited with us, offering us beer at eight in the morning before a long day of riding motorbikes. I guess years of watching backpackers [read more…]

Filed Under: Laos Tagged With: transportation, motorbike, central loop, bad roads, Laos

Monkeying Around on the Motorbike Loop

Sep 29, 2012 by Daniel McBane 5 Comments

Monkey on Laos Motorbike Loop
This entry is part 4 of 10 in the series Riding the Motorbike 'Loop' in Laos

After the statue cave, we saw another cave. I can’t remember a single thing about it, so it must have been spectacular. Moving on…. Our next stop was a lake located a few kilometers off the main highway down a dirt road. It was our first experience with dirt roads on our [read more…]

Filed Under: Laos Tagged With: Laos, transportation, animals, monkeys, motorbike, central loop

Solving the Mystery of the Disappearing Gas

Sep 25, 2012 by Daniel McBane 5 Comments

Old Gas Patrol Pump Laos
This entry is part 3 of 10 in the series Riding the Motorbike 'Loop' in Laos

At the rental place, we tried to get the owner to pay for the tube that had to be replaced, but shockingly, he refused. He claimed that we had agreed we would pay for any damage to the tires, which was technically true, but we understood that to mean we would pay to have [read more…]

Filed Under: Laos Tagged With: central loop, Laos, transportation, motorbike

Still in Tha Khaek – At Least the Mekong Was Beautiful

Sep 15, 2012 by Daniel McBane 3 Comments

Sunset Mekong Tha Khaek Laos
This entry is part 2 of 10 in the series Riding the Motorbike 'Loop' in Laos

The next morning we got up early and went to a nearby bike shop we had scouted out the night before to get some bikes. The standard recommendation for the motorbike ‘loop’ is to rent bikes from the owner of the Tha Khaek Travel Lodge, the guest house I mentioned in the first [read more…]

Filed Under: Laos Tagged With: Mekong, Tha Khaek, motorbike, central loop, Laos

Tha Khaek – Why Are We Here?

Sep 11, 2012 by Daniel McBane 12 Comments

WaterfrontMekongThaKhaek
This entry is part 1 of 10 in the series Riding the Motorbike 'Loop' in Laos

Laos is a great country to rent a motorbike and cruise the countryside. With nowhere near the traffic of neighboring Thailand and Vietnam, you actually stand a pretty good chance of surviving. And with nowhere near the number of scammers, you might even get a decent bike for a fair price. We didn’t [read more…]

Filed Under: Laos Tagged With: Laos, Mekong, Tha Khaek, motorbike, central loop

Welcome!

As the more astute among you may have guessed, my name is Daniel McBane. I've been traveling and working overseas for almost ten years now and have finally decided to document some of the strange, crazy or just plain funny encounters and observations from my travels. I've also added a travel guide section, figuring I should reward my four readers by providing at least something of use. Read more on my about page.

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