| Cycle Touring Routes > Laos > Vientiane to Savannakhet > Map > Day |
| Day 4 Pakkading to Ban Lao Kilometers 54 Miles 32.4 |
Ride/Road - Highway 13 South. Nice, newly sealed
well-maintained road the entire way. Pretty much a flat
road. Some undulating bits and a small hill after crossing
the bridge just south from Pakkading. Shoulder appears
and disappears. At one point it's a nice new shoulder just
wide enough for one bicycle. Traffic was very low to
non-existent. The traffic is mostly new pick-up trucks and
buses driving at high speeds on the two lane road. They
honk to let us know they are approaching and pass us
using the middle lane.
The ride is past forested areas, traditional villages and
bridges over small rivers. Much nicer scenery than the last
two days. Food stalls scattered throughout the ride with
drinks and snacks.
Market - Found a good size covered market with several
fruit and vegetable stands at kilometer 40.
Weather - Headwind hit us at different times during the ride.
The day started out cool and got warmer around mid-day.
Very dry with some brush burning smoke to clog our nostrils
and burn our throats.
Accommodations on the road - Two nice guesthouses
around kilometer 16, south of Pakkading.
Cyclist on the Road- At our guesthouse we met up with a
very interesting and well-traveled French guy, Herve, who
has been cycling non-stop for three years through Pakistan,
China, India. Also at our guesthouse was Oliver, a German
from San Francisco, who is on cycling vacation through
Lao.
Ban Lao/Ban Vieng Kham is tiny place that cannot really be
called a town. The area is more of a road side market than
a town. The intersection has several eating options,
restaurants and small vendor stalls selling lots of
watermelon, apples and oranges plus the regular snacks.
We saw what looked like a covered market just north of
town on the left side, but we didn't venture in.
Slept - Vieng Thong Guesthouse
Location - 500 meters south of the Hwy 13 and Hwy 8
intersection. Well signed.
Cost - 40,000 kip ($4.00)
Amenities - Basic, motel-style guesthouse with rooms at
the ground floor. Concrete block room with a tile floor. One
double bed (with bed bugs) and ceiling fan. En suite
bathroom with cold shower and squatter toilet. No sink.
Room was a bit tight, but we managed to wheel in both
bikes at night for security.
Extra Amenities - Disco anyone? The guesthouse complex
has a recreation hall that is also a disco. Loud Music
played throughout the night.
Other accommodations in town - We read in our guidebook
that there is one another guesthouse in Ban Lao/Ban Vieng
Kham, but we pedaled up and down Highway 13 and
ventured about 2 kilometers east on Hwy 8 and did not find
any other accommodations nearby. Both cyclists, Herve
and Oliver agreed that there are no other accommodations
nearby. I believe them.
well-maintained road the entire way. Pretty much a flat
road. Some undulating bits and a small hill after crossing
the bridge just south from Pakkading. Shoulder appears
and disappears. At one point it's a nice new shoulder just
wide enough for one bicycle. Traffic was very low to
non-existent. The traffic is mostly new pick-up trucks and
buses driving at high speeds on the two lane road. They
honk to let us know they are approaching and pass us
using the middle lane.
The ride is past forested areas, traditional villages and
bridges over small rivers. Much nicer scenery than the last
two days. Food stalls scattered throughout the ride with
drinks and snacks.
Market - Found a good size covered market with several
fruit and vegetable stands at kilometer 40.
Weather - Headwind hit us at different times during the ride.
The day started out cool and got warmer around mid-day.
Very dry with some brush burning smoke to clog our nostrils
and burn our throats.
Accommodations on the road - Two nice guesthouses
around kilometer 16, south of Pakkading.
Cyclist on the Road- At our guesthouse we met up with a
very interesting and well-traveled French guy, Herve, who
has been cycling non-stop for three years through Pakistan,
China, India. Also at our guesthouse was Oliver, a German
from San Francisco, who is on cycling vacation through
Lao.
Ban Lao/Ban Vieng Kham is tiny place that cannot really be
called a town. The area is more of a road side market than
a town. The intersection has several eating options,
restaurants and small vendor stalls selling lots of
watermelon, apples and oranges plus the regular snacks.
We saw what looked like a covered market just north of
town on the left side, but we didn't venture in.
Slept - Vieng Thong Guesthouse
Location - 500 meters south of the Hwy 13 and Hwy 8
intersection. Well signed.
Cost - 40,000 kip ($4.00)
Amenities - Basic, motel-style guesthouse with rooms at
the ground floor. Concrete block room with a tile floor. One
double bed (with bed bugs) and ceiling fan. En suite
bathroom with cold shower and squatter toilet. No sink.
Room was a bit tight, but we managed to wheel in both
bikes at night for security.
Extra Amenities - Disco anyone? The guesthouse complex
has a recreation hall that is also a disco. Loud Music
played throughout the night.
Other accommodations in town - We read in our guidebook
that there is one another guesthouse in Ban Lao/Ban Vieng
Kham, but we pedaled up and down Highway 13 and
ventured about 2 kilometers east on Hwy 8 and did not find
any other accommodations nearby. Both cyclists, Herve
and Oliver agreed that there are no other accommodations
nearby. I believe them.