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SE Asia
  • Uncle Woully
gen – apr 2025

SE Asia

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  • Uncle WoullyViaggiatoreSE Asia

    Scooter to Xe Bang Fai

    27 marzo, Laos ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    It's a nice change of pace to be fossil powered, the road blasts by and it feels much cooler. Zero sweating for a change, it's pleasant. Even at speed I keep my head higher and see more.

    Xe Bang Fai cave is located in the Hin Nahm No national protected area near the Vietnamese border. It is out of the way and came recommended by two local sources. Using the scooter to get there is time wise timewise.

    The cave is enormous and that is a vast understatement. The guide says nothing, he paddles the long boat into the black void. This is one of the longest navigable caves in the world, but we don't go very deep as the under ground river is not fully scouted and not accessible for tourists. Apparently there are some challenges lurking further up ahead.

    Well into this darkness my guide and I set foot on a small beach, he let's me walk in front discovering the cavernous formations. He is silent and the enormity of the quiet dark space hits me. I am almost alone discovering this place.

    It was put on the map, so to speak, in 2008 by a National Geographic team. Photos cannot do justice, this is an experience.

    I decide to take a different route to get in position for tomorrow's Konglor cave. Going north by the Ho Chi Minh trail. This dirt road is traveled by convoys of large trucks trailing billowing clouds of red dust in their wakes. I'm completely covered by the time the sun starts setting and I find a local guest house. The large potholes make the trucks clang their loose metal parts in explosive bangs. It's the only place here. Despite the comfortable bed I get very little sleep.    Leggi altro

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  • Uncle WoullyViaggiatoreSE Asia
    111111

    Konglor cave via Natane valley

    28 marzo, Laos ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    The morning ride on road 12 is wonderful, it is almost too quiet on this road that is a trucking route into Vietnam. The scenery consists of rice paddies and the Karst type vertical mountains as the road winds through the formations. I recognize the turn off to an earlier cave that I visited on the bicycle. I eat at the same cafe again, good food and wifi.

    Onwards to Konglor and I see the third cycling family on this trip. I don't get to stop to talk to them. They have three kids, the older boy is probably 13 and he rides his own bike along with his mom, the younger kids are with dad who is carrying a big load in addition. I'm seriously impressed as well as amazed as to why you would do something this involved at this time of year in this heat and smoky air.

    The road I would have taken with the bicycle tums out to be far hillier than I thought and Natane valley is at least 5 degrees Celsius warmer than the rest of the country. It's baking hot Arizona style and nary any shops with water. It wasn't such a bad call to switch to the scooter, although still doable on the bicycle, it saved a lot of time.

    The Konglor cave impresses more than I thought it would. There is something about going into a river cave coming out of a mountain and to re-emerge into the daylight 7 km further at the other end. The boat driver knew his stuff and there were a few rapids to negotiate. I took a swim at the other end before we returned through the cave.

    While riding I decided to bring the scooter back to Thakhek tonight and jump on a sleeper bus to Vientiane and take the bullet train to Luang Prabang for three days of exploring in this central northern area of Laos. The bicycle is sold and I'm well on my way back.    Leggi altro

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  • Uncle WoullyViaggiatoreSE Asia

    Travel to Luang Prabang

    29 marzo, Laos ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    The old bus is a rambling hard shocked affair that holds up rather well to the punishing road conditions of Laos. The short tiny bed is supposed to be able to hold two people, but I barely fit diagonally. I'm so tired I fall right asleep.

    Arrived at 3am in Vientiane and caught a tuk tuk to the Chinese high-speed train where a number of people sit outside waiting for the 7:30 to Luang Prabang. In the train I have a nice conversation with an airport security officer who got some training and is returning home.

    On the bus I meet Seng and after check in at the hotel I cruise around on the hotel bicycle and he calls me over to his table, I join him and his wife for Koah soi, the renowned Luang Prabang dish. It is 'sep', very good. A vegetable noodle soup that the chef has been making for 20 years using her mother's recipe.

    We have to go to his banana plantation, he rents a scooter and I pedal the rickety bike. He has a couple of acres and an 84 year old man, named Panh, living there taking care of the farm. Seng works in Vientiane for the United Nations as a project manager at a fairly high level on large infrastructure projects.

    They bring their home made foods to the table, rice with fermented tamarind paste and fermented Indian Gooseberry shots. The dried tamarind seeds can be boiled into a tea.    Leggi altro

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  • Uncle WoullyViaggiatoreSE Asia

    Luang Prabang UNESCO heritage

    30 marzo, Laos ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    After a nice breakfast at the hotel I take a bicycle and cruise around the old town, hike up to the stupa and then amble along the waterfront. At the stupa I find time to meditate and process new insights.

    I run into Seng again and he invites me to lunch at his banana plantation, I accept, even though I only get the occasional translation from Seng. I can tell what subject they talk about and how they feel about it, but the details escape me. It is a wonderful spot with a simple friendly ambiance.

    After an old man nap to catch up on sleepless nights, I go back to the night market for dinner.    Leggi altro

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  • Uncle WoullyViaggiatoreSE Asia

    Scooter to waterfall

    31 mar–7 apr, Laos ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    I met Jean yesterday, he is a bit hyper this Frenchman. He is trying to drum up people to share travel costs. I rent the scooter I arranged yesterday and he follows suit, so we go to the famous waterfall park, Kuang Si, which is an extremely touristy affair.

    On the way we visit the Nazoa Sukharam temple and on the return a hand made paper factory.

    Quiet dinner and bed.    Leggi altro

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  • Uncle WoullyViaggiatoreSE Asia

    Luang Prabang

    1 aprile, Laos ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Last day in LP, as I like to abbreviate this town. I'm enjoying one of the finest hotel rooms on the entire trip with a balcony view on a river, palm trees and a cricket concertina.

    My friends Tim and Chris, whom I met in Thakhek, made it here on their Honda 300s, same as my bike, and we'll go out to dinner and catch up on travel.

    A nice foot massage and scooter tour through town, and narration show of the history of Luang Prabang and excellent pizza prepared by the French chef owner from Bretagne, which the three of us devoured quickly.

    Chris is suffering from heat stroke and they were looking for ways to have her rest and still move the bikes forward to stay on schedule for a meet up. They offered for me to ride her bike while she gets on a bus. It would be hard to explain my disappearance... especially on this date in April...🤣    Leggi altro

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  • Uncle WoullyViaggiatoreSE Asia

    LP to Vientiane

    2 aprile, Laos ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    Gotta boogie to Vientiane by rail today, but first breakfast and the museum. This is the first leg of the trip going backwards to the departure point, the well wishing bracelets are there to protect me and make the travel go smoothly. I have five of them on my wrists, one for each major leg of the trip, the universe knows and it's listening. Though my arrival might make a complete circle around the globe and match the departure point, the destination has changed in nature by a colossal measure.

    It's a pleasantly temperate morning. No pictures in the temple and museum, strictly enforced and any taken are confirmed to have been deleted from your device by the personnel under warnings of police enforcement. I guess they take it seriously.

    I say a warm goodbye to Tim and Chris and they wave me off enthusiastically. I'll have to get my motorcycle ready for travel like theirs I told them.

    Arrival in Vientiane by 3pm, the exotic name is not descriptive of this somewhat uninspiring city compared to the other capitals in this area of the world.

    Swimming in the salt water pool at this classic old wooden styled hotel with beautiful balconies around the pool area. Dinner is a last curry unless I have it again for breakfast.

    The hotel is 15 minutes from the airport, I'll be ready tomorrow for the big 40 hour trip back state side.    Leggi altro

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  • Uncle WoullyViaggiatoreSE Asia

    VTE - BKK

    3 aprile, Tailandia ⋅ 🌩️ 35 °C

    Today I'm heading back on a jet plane and it's day 81 in SE Asia. All in all it will be 90 days, slower than Jules Verne but around the world nonetheless. Probably just as much fun and adventure.

    Photos of BKK airport.    Leggi altro

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  • Uncle WoullyViaggiatoreSE Asia

    Singapore airport

    3 aprile, Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    The Singapore airport is very large and spread out among four terminals. Just like Istanbul and Bangkok all the usual high end shops are here.

    Orchid and butterfly gardens inside and cactus and lily gardens for the smokers outside.Leggi altro

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    Fine del viaggio
    4 aprile 2025