Cycle In Laos – Day 7

Crazy Old Horse

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2nd January 2018

Vang Vieng – Ban Kuen

We had a slow start this morning, our plan was to ride about 30km to Nirvana Archipel Resort at Nam Ngum Lake, to get a boat ride of 1.5 hours to get us through the length of the lake to Thalat. Then cycling for another 30km on route 13 to Ban Kuen. In fact, for the past few days, we were on route 13, even today. Seemed like this is the only route from Luang Prabang to Vientiane.  After a short ride, we came to a small market selling locals products, mainly dried fisheries and food, but things here are expensive, because this is a tour bus rest point, the price was meant for tourist.  We spent almost an hour rounding around the area to look for the resort. Tried asked the locals but surprisingly, no one seems to knows about the resort. We eventually saw a very tiny small wooden board of the resort. Too small to be noticed, that we missed it many times as we passed by. We have to ride 1km off road from the main road to the resort. My….  But at the end of the road, the beautiful lake view and the luxury wooden building are breathtakingly beautiful.

Beautiful lake view from Nirvana Archipel Resort.

The owner of the resort, a retired French couple, who chose to settle down at this quiet, beautiful, isolated town, own a mini zoo in his own resort. We were welcomed by these turkeys along the walkway. Those small animals like turkeys and monkeys are allowed to stroll freely in the resort, a close encounter with animals if you like nature. It was like a modern village, peaceful and quiet setting but clean and beautiful wooden buildings.

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Beautiful luxury wooden house, this belong to the French owner.
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The long narrow steel boat just nice for 7 of us. Booked with the help of the French boss.

Here we go……

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Water way transportation still exist at Laos.
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Laotians’ method of fishing. A relax way to earn for living. Just waiting for fishes to swim in. So I guess the little hut is for them to rest whilst waiting for fishes.
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What the….? After about 30 some minutes in the boat ride, we passed by this small island with cows. Wonder who would raise cows in such a small and isolated island? How to transport them to here? And what to do when grass finished?
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Many small islands like this size all over the lakes.

 

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After 1.5 hours of dull, mental suffering, monotonous sound from the motor engine sailed with us through the lake… Taa Daaaa!… Here we are at the Thalat Port!

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We had lunch at one of the restaurants at Thalat Port. This port also an amusement park, but no activities to attract tourist. Plenty of restaurants with just few customers.

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Stunning view from the top of Thalat Port

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Nam Ngum Lake is actually the first hydropower dam built in Laos, built in 1968 and completed in 1984, almost 16 years to complete the project. This dam not only generate most of Laos’ electricity, it also exports to Thailand.

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After the dam, slow ride to Ban Kuen for our guesthouse, enjoyed the sunset, wrapped up the day with a relax and cosy little rest house just beside Nam Ngum River.

 

 

 

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