| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 77km |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Terrain | Flat but bumpy dirt roads for 28km |
| Blog | 15th Jan - An internet cafe - finally! |
| Gallery | Vientiane to Lak Xao |
The journey
The road towards the Friendship bridge was busy and under construction for the first 10km. At the clock tower, turn left; from this point onwards the road improves but the traffic is still heavy. Up to the Friendship bridge there were big trucks heading for Thailand but afterwards it was only local traffic. The road then became very pot-holed between the Friendship bridge turning and the Buddha park. The Buddha park (24km out of Vientiane) is definitely worth a visit and has a good restaurant on the Mekong.There are 28km of dirt roads from the Buddha park back to route 13 without signs or markers (there may be a quicker route - we were relying on directions from locals). It was bumpy, dusty and there were occasional big trucks.
Route 13 was flat and uninteresting with a moderate headwind, but at least it's sealed. There are some villages with food stalls on the way to Ban Hai (it's Ban Hai on the road markers but Pak Ngum - the name of the province - on the GT rider Laos map and on some signs). There are a couple of restaurants in Ban Hai and only one guesthouse.
In retrospect it might be better to ride to the Buddha park as a day trip from Vientiane, then cycle along route 13 as far as Thabok (also known as Thapabat), which is marginally bigger than Ban Hai/Pak Ngum.
The room
Khammanee GuesthouseK50,000 for double room, bathroom with cold water, squat toilet and no shower or basin.
We had to use a water scoop to give ourselves a cold shower. Quite possibly used mainly as a brothel.