Il noodle fa il suo giro - Northern Laos bikepacking 2023
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 819.48 mi
- Elevation gain
- 72,451 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 71,706 ft
- Max elevation
- 6,230 ft
- TrailRank
-
44
5
- Min elevation
- 518 ft
- Trail type
- One Way
- Time
- 12 hours 28 minutes
- Coordinates
- 12321
- Uploaded
- January 12, 2024
- Recorded
- January 2024
near Ban Lao, จังหวัดหนองคาย (ไทย)
Viewed 77 times, downloaded 2 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
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Northern Laos and Thailand
From Nong Khai to Chiang Rai
1300 km 15000 m d+ biking
~80 km by boat
1899 m highest pass in Laos max elevation
Laos, rainforest.
During the Vietnam War, however, bombs rained down and in the following years it became a jungle of unexploded ordnance.
Laos forgotten.
Once the Garden of Eden... now one of China's vegetable gardens, which exports fruit, vegetables, rice, tobacco.
The benefactor builds roads, infrastructure, railways. It brings progress and leaves junk in the markets where previously there were hand-woven fabrics.
The new road along the Ou river cuts through the jungle wall with a red earth wound that connects villages previously reachable only by river.
The Chinese government builds dams and hydroelectric power plants, because its own are not enough, and leaves the Laotian people with the dust of the roads and dry rivers...
The dam isolates villages, erases others and destroys traditions and culture.
In the golden triangle (between Thailand, Laos and Burma), in what was previously the fulcrum of the production and trade of opium... black gold... now sugar cane and havea brasiliensis, the rubber tree, are planted to produce rubber… white gold!
Every year hectares of virgin forest are cleared to establish monocultural plantations, undermining the balance of peoples who live in symbiosis with the jungle.
And the profits, needless to say, go to the Chinese, who build huge tacky houses here, while the Laotian people are left with some hope and the stench of rubber ballots!
But the children we meet on the street don't realize all this and flood our days with dirty and genuine smiles with shouted or whispered Sabaidee.
Laos, rainforest, thank you for filling our eyes and hearts… Khob Chai!
From Nong Khai to Chiang Rai
1300 km 15000 m d+ biking
~80 km by boat
1899 m highest pass in Laos max elevation
Laos, rainforest.
During the Vietnam War, however, bombs rained down and in the following years it became a jungle of unexploded ordnance.
Laos forgotten.
Once the Garden of Eden... now one of China's vegetable gardens, which exports fruit, vegetables, rice, tobacco.
The benefactor builds roads, infrastructure, railways. It brings progress and leaves junk in the markets where previously there were hand-woven fabrics.
The new road along the Ou river cuts through the jungle wall with a red earth wound that connects villages previously reachable only by river.
The Chinese government builds dams and hydroelectric power plants, because its own are not enough, and leaves the Laotian people with the dust of the roads and dry rivers...
The dam isolates villages, erases others and destroys traditions and culture.
In the golden triangle (between Thailand, Laos and Burma), in what was previously the fulcrum of the production and trade of opium... black gold... now sugar cane and havea brasiliensis, the rubber tree, are planted to produce rubber… white gold!
Every year hectares of virgin forest are cleared to establish monocultural plantations, undermining the balance of peoples who live in symbiosis with the jungle.
And the profits, needless to say, go to the Chinese, who build huge tacky houses here, while the Laotian people are left with some hope and the stench of rubber ballots!
But the children we meet on the street don't realize all this and flood our days with dirty and genuine smiles with shouted or whispered Sabaidee.
Laos, rainforest, thank you for filling our eyes and hearts… Khob Chai!
Waypoints
Religious site
River
Lake
Mountain hut
0 ft
Guesthouse
Accommodation
Waterfall
Fauna
Mountain pass
Risk
0 ft
Very steep climb, but perfectly paved
Flora
Summit
Panorama
Risk
0 ft
Warning: river crossing
I suggest to avoid to follow our way, because it will take you to a river crossing. There are two damaged river crossing: you'd better use the one upstream (our gpx track)
Waypoint
0 ft
Warming! Better to follow the main road!
I suggest to avoid to follow our way, because it will take you to a river crossing. There are two damaged river crossing: you'd better use the one upstream.
Mountain hut
0 ft
Motel
Accommodation
Ferry
0 ft
Nong Khiaw slow boat
The slow boat along the Nam Ou River between Nong Khiaw and Muang Khua.
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Information
Easy to follow
Scenery
Difficult
Bellissima traccia molto divertente ed interessanti i luoghi che si attraversano
Grazie per averla condivisa
PS
Alla traccia ho fatto solo una variante: a Kasi invece che prendere la strada 4c che porta al passo e poi a Muang Nam ho preso la AH12
La AH 12 è disastrata e polverosa ma soprattutto ci si incontrano un sacco di camion: un delirio