My Adventure
By: Heather Sullivan
As some members of the BRC "spin posse" already know, I spent several weeks in Laos and Vietnam on a mountain biking trip in January. Although I had traveled in Laos for about a month in 2005, I had never been to Vietnam and was prepared for a trip of gorgeous landscapes but also sharp contrasts. Familiar with some of the rugged terrain--and equally rugged infrastructure--of northern Laos, I was drawn to the trip's itinerary, which involved about 700km of mountainous riding between Luang Prabang, Laos to Sapa, Vietnam, by way of the relatively little-used border at Dien Bien Phu. I was assured by the Phnom Penh-based trip leader, Adam, that the riding would include plenty of climbing and I was not disappointed. (The nice thing about big climbs is that they are often followed by fantastic, sustained descents...) I was the "token American" in a group consisting of six Australians and Adam's Cambodian partner (the fun and very lively Marie), and although the group varied in age and riding experience, it was an enthusiastic and flexible bunch and we "clicked" as a group beginning with our first dinner in Luang Prabang (an exquisite town graced with traditional Lao and French Colonial architecture that has earned it a designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Center).
The trip was my first experience with van-supported cycling; while it felt lindulgent not having to worry about luggage--I rode with a small CamelBak--it was fantastic to be able to ride unencumbered and also have the security of "back up" in case of any mechanical difficulties. (I vow that this year I will actually enroll in a bike repair/maintenance class...) The road conditions varied enormously. In Laos, the roads were generally--although not always--paved, and there was little traffic. As we neared the Vietnam border, we rode through rural villages populated with ethnic minorities, including the Hmong and Akha; the living conditions in the villages are extremely basic, but we invariably received an enthusiastic reception from the children of the village. (With the opening of the border and road construction, the area is starting to receive more attention--and more traffic--but it is still relatively remote.) Although road construction became a recurring theme of our trip, I actually found the delays to be less of an annoyance than an opportunity for reflection on the challenges of development. One of the most memorable days, in fact, was about halfway through the trip, when we crossed the border from Laos into Vietnam. Our final night in Laos was spent in a very basic guesthouse--pit toilets and a generator operating for several hours each evening--by the side of a stream. The stream provided quite a sight: local women washing their clothes as buses, heavily laden with passengers and cargo, slowly negotiated their way through the stream on the way to the neighboring village. From that village, we climbed on dirt roads, half-constructed roads, and rutted paved roads to reach the border. The Lao border station seemed incongruously large and imposing, given that we were the only visitors over the course of an hour. (The first of us waited and snacked while the others in the groups completed the ascent.) Given what we had seen in Laos, it was evident that industry on the Vietnamese side was the animating force behind the "optimistic" scale of the border station. After receiving our exit stamps from Laos, we had about 6 or 7 kilometers to ride before reaching the Vietnamese border station. Fortunately or unfortunately, there was road construction in "no man's land" and we had no choice but to spend about two and a half hours hanging out on the dirt road, waiting for the machinery to clear. By the time we reached the Vietnamese border, it was late in the afternoon. We went through the bureaucratic motions and then started on a 30k descent to our hotel in Dien Bien Phu. The afternoon light was beautiful and the descent exhilarating, but the transition to Vietnam was still quite jarring. As we cruised down the freshly paved road, a steady stream of dump trucks passed, honking aggressively and threatening to force us to the shoulder. We descended into the commercial center of Dien Bien Phu as it was getting dark, focusing on maintaining our ground while cars, buses, and motorbikes surrounded us--along with the heady fumes of their exhausts. Although the days ahead were filled with beautiful landscapes (and, in places, deserted roads), the contrast between Laos and its much more densely populated and industrious neighbor was dramatic and provoked some very interesting discussions about the economics and ethics of development.
It was an excellent trip and I can't resist giving a little plug for the company I used: Grasshopper Adventures. The company is very small--my leader, Adam, is one of the founders--and I was consistently impressed by the way Adam conducted the trip. While in Laos, we also had a Lao guide riding with us who could translate and answer questions about history and culture; in Vietnam, we always had Vietnamese support as well as Adam (who was very bright and knowledgeable about the region). All in all, a great few weeks and a lovely way to get off the spin bikes and on the road in January!
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