Stewart Law
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All was well, we’re sat in the van with Stew’s mum and making tracks home. Weird times. I fantasised about this moment so many times when I was cycling along – and it didn’t feel like this haha
As of 25th March, HK will refuse entry to ALL foreigners including those visiting for connecting flights. Our airline, Cathay Pacific stated on their website that if we didn’t have flights departing from HK before midnight on the 24th we would be stopped from boarding the plane at Vietnam. Our departure is 01:10 on the 25th.
After 3 and a half years of working, planning, saving and riding it’s taken to reach this point, now only 9 days away from our first year on the road, we have no choice but to come home.
Vientiane is the capital of Laos. It’s a quaint, quiet city with a number of Buddhist temples and stunning architecture. Look at picture 2 – what does that remind you of? Paris’ Arc de Triomphe maybe?
I don’t know what it is about cycling big distances, but I love it. My heart and soul just loves riding a bike for a long time and covering ground. It doesn’t bother me if it’s made easier from flat roads, tail winds or perfect weather conditions – my heart still sings.
Deciding not to go to Luang Prabang (LP) wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right one. Tired from the hills we decided to made tracks to the party town of Vang Vieng.
The roads in Loas are quite a mixed bag, they have everything from dirt roads to newly paved roads and everything in between. Overall cycling here is quite nice but the mixed road surfaces can slow you down.
In Phonsavan you’re just 6 miles (10kms) from the Plain of Jars and we’d been told we must see it. Honestly, from everyone’s description I wasn’t that enthused, but a must-see is a must-see!
At first it was just a dusty street with cafes and a few shops, but if you looked around you could find some spectacular sights! Slide through to see how unexploded missiles are used in Laos, and for perspective see Stew (6ft4 / 193cms) stood next to one.
I speak for myself when I say this, because I don’t think Stew has the same experience, but I don’t have any problems getting enough calories on this trip. Well that was the case until we reached Laos.
In Vieng Xai, a small, cosy village in Laos Stew and I visited the most eye-opening, remarkable and solemn historic sight of our trip.
Laos and Vietnam have been good countries for meeting other travellers and cyclists, meet Jörg, Angela and Teinhard. We’d cycled from Vietnam to Laos with Jörg, a German cyclist who’d had the same visa problem as us. We met him in the hotel on the Vietnamese side
You know those stunning travel shots people take with their exotic fruits in far away places? Here’s mine 🤣
I think Laos might be the most beautiful country we’ve visited so far. It’s a bit early to say for sure, but the views are breathtaking. The cycling is tough – we’ve had some of the hilliest days of the entire trip.
We had 7 days on our Vietnamese visa when we got to the border. We expected to get a visa on arrival, but you can’t do this anymore at Na Meo! Rules changed in 2020 and different borders have different rules. It took us 3 days to cycle from Hanoi, so we decided we’d play it safe and head back to Hanoi via public transport.
A cycle tour is full of surprises. At the moment we’re taking a sizeable detour for the third time and heading to Laos, a country I’d never heard of before this trip – a country we never planned to visit.
Over the Tết (New Year) period we saw a lot of people burning money – yes burning money on the side of the road. At first I thought nothing of the burning piles of rubbish as we saw a lot of this riding to Hanoi – it’s one way that they get rid of trash in Vietnam.
When the weather was forecast at it’s best we decided to seize the opportunity and visit Ha Long Bay.
Here we are on Train Street, Hanoi. I’m posting this picture just because I really like it. I like that Stew’s mum managed to capture us in the moment; eagerly awaiting the train to come rushing by while we ate dinner.
You know how sometimes you can just walk into a place and feel right at home? Well that is exactly how I felt in Salon Blonde, 32 Lạc chinh, Hanoi. I hate having my hair cut by anyone who isn’t Kim, but the 10,000 miles between us making a hair cut impossible!
They came with 3 suitcases and a wheel bag delivering much needed items. Our 2 heroes brought all the snacks including chocolate hobnobs, marmite and walkers crisps.
We never planned to be in Hanoi for New Year it was more of a welcome surprise when we arrived. We were torn between staying in Hanoi or cycling to Ha Long Bay. We asked a few locals who suggested Hanoi would offer a better experience.
Vietnam and in particular, Hanoi has bought a whole new set of experiences. I’ve taken a series of videos to show you what it’s like…
The mountain views are breathtaking, especially the snowy tops. The roads are perfect for cycling. The traditional architecture is as beautiful as it looks and the changing landscapes, weather, food and cultures will keep your attention for as long as you can stay.