{"id":1489,"date":"2010-07-24T18:37:47","date_gmt":"2010-07-24T08:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatsdavedoing.com\/?p=1489"},"modified":"2019-04-15T10:31:27","modified_gmt":"2019-04-15T09:31:27","slug":"water-and-wheels-on-the-bolaven-plateau","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatsdavedoing.com\/water-and-wheels-on-the-bolaven-plateau\/","title":{"rendered":"Water and wheels on the Bolaven Plateau"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s no doubt that for the independent traveller in Laos, any more than two wheels are a waste.\u00a0 Buses, minivans or cars are a safe but boring and isolating option.\u00a0 Hiring a motorbike for a few days is definitely the way to make the most of your time in this beautiful country.\u00a0 With the dramatic improvement in road quality in recent years due to Chinese investment but minimal traffic, riding is a pleasure \u2013 even for people like me without much experience.\u00a0 The ubiquitous 100cc scooters are powerful enough to take you anywhere on paved roads, and even some of the dirt roads would be fine in the dry season.\u00a0 Nobody drives particularly fast, and there\u2019s plenty of time to soak up the views, avoid wandering cattle and call out sabadee<\/em> (hello) to the kids waving madly from the side of the road.\u00a0 With all that in mind, it was time to explore the Bolaven Plateau.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Near the Cambodian border in the far south of Laos, the plateau rises from the surrounding countryside to a height of over 1300m.\u00a0 It is famous for fantastic coffee and stunning waterfalls amongst other things, and when combined with lower temperatures than the sweltering heat of the lowlands seemed the perfect place to spend a couple of days.\u00a0 The biggest town in the south, Pakse, is about 30km from the start of the plateau and despite having little to recommend it other than some surprisingly good Indian restaurants, is the best spot to rent a bike and stock up on supplies.\u00a0 My basic, Chinese-made scooter cost 50,000 kip (around $5 USD) per day and other than a worn front brake seemed to be sound enough.<\/p>\n

I had been travelling with new friends Alex and Katia for a few days and we all headed out of town by mid-morning in an attempt to beat the worst of the heat.\u00a0 The small amount of traffic in Pakse quickly disappeared and we were left with just the occasional small truck, other scooters and numerous cows to look out for.\u00a0 There are a variety of different routes around the plateau that range from a daytrip to a week or more.\u00a0 We\u2019d decided to go for a two day loop option with a night in Tat Lo, for no particular reason except it seemed to fit the amount of distance we wanted to cover.\u00a0 As it happened the road was a lot better than we had expected so there\u2019s no reason we couldn\u2019t have gone further on the first day.\u00a0 No reason, that is, other than the sudden downpour that showed up as we rode into town \u2013 being hammered by torrential rain at 50km\/h+ was about as much fun as it sounds.<\/p>\n

\"tat-lo-river\"<\/p>\n

The road from Pakse towards Paksong is nice enough without being too exciting, but once we turned left towards Saravan and started climbing uphill, things took a dramatic turn for the better.\u00a0 Stunning views over the fields and forests, giggling children running out of their houses to wave to us, old women smoking pipes as they walked slowly along the side of the road.\u00a0 While it was obvious that many of the local hill tribe villagers were living in poverty, smiles and laughter were never far away whether we were stopping for a drink or to check directions, or simply riding slowly past.\u00a0 I\u2019ve mentioned in previous posts how friendly and good-natured most people are in Laos \u2013 the villagers in the Bolaven Plateau are no exception.<\/p>\n

After stopping at Phasoume Resort to admire a picturesque waterfall, ignore the elephant ride and be mildly disheartened by the contrived \u2018tribal village\u2019 that was obviously built entirely for tourists, we arrived in pretty Tat Lo just in time to avoid the worst of the rain.\u00a0 There were a surprising number of basic guesthouse options dotted along the main road, all offering rooms with a fan and cold water shower for a few dollars.\u00a0 Not sure why we bothered with the shower option, mind you \u2013 we should have taken a leaf out of the locals\u2019 book and utilised the waterfall that tumbles down in the middle of the village.\u00a0 It was a great place for a swim and to just sit on the rocks admiring the view for a while once the sun returned later in the afternoon.<\/p>\n

Nightlife in Tat Lo isn\u2019t going to rival Koh Phangan or Vang Vieng any time soon, so after finding the one place in town with a happy (well, mildly cheerful) hour it was a relatively early night, to ensure that we all woke up bright and happy in the morning ready to face the \u2026 rain.\u00a0 Damn.\u00a0 Still, a great excuse for a leisurely breakfast and sampling some of that spectacular coffee.\u00a0 The weather cleared as quickly as it had arrived and we were back on the road.\u00a0 Not the right road, of course, but it was indeed a road, complete with misty mountains, colourful coffee plantations and farmers hauling their produce to the local markets.<\/p>\n

\"et-tu-waterfall\"<\/p>\n

After being cheerfully pointed in opposite directions by everyone we asked, we eventually found ourselves back on the main road, albeit via a somewhat longer route than was perhaps required.\u00a0 Two more waterfalls (Et Tu, which isn\u2019t on the maps that you\u2019re given in town but is highly worth checking out) and Tad Fan<\/a> (one of the biggest in the country) and a leisurely ride back to Pakse mid-afternoon completed an excellent couple of days.\u00a0 Shortish distances, easy riding, beautiful scenery, great coffee and friendly people.\u00a0 Is there anything more you could ask for from a road trip?\u00a0 Somehow, I doubt it.<\/p>\n

Tips for riding around the Bolaven Plateau<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 There is plenty of competition for scooter and dirt bike hire in Pakse, so don\u2019t be afraid to bargain a little.\u00a0 Go for a test ride and make sure everything works as it should \u2013 if you aren\u2019t happy, find another rental place.\u00a0 Point out any obvious damage or scratches before you leave the shop so that there\u2019s no debate when you return the bike a few days later.<\/em><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 Wear long sleeves or plenty of sunscreen.\u00a0 The breeze while you\u2019re riding means that you won\u2019t feel the strength of the sun until you stop \u2013 and notice that you could now fry an egg on your glowing arms.<\/em><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Keep an eye on your fuel gauge and fill up regularly \u2013 the distance between open petrol stations is unpredictable.<\/em><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 The roads are generally very good, so there\u2019s no need to rush.\u00a0 Spend as much time as you need exploring the forests and waterfalls and chatting to the residents of the tiny villages along the road.\u00a0 Having said that, as in much of Southeast Asia it\u2019s a good idea to be settled into your accommodation by nightfall \u2013 lack of streetlights, bugs, wildlife and potholes make riding in the dark less safe than it could be.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s no doubt that for the independent traveller in Laos, any more than two wheels are a waste.\u00a0 Buses, minivans or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,5],"tags":[137,561,701],"country":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWater and wheels on the Bolaven Plateau<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There\u2019s no doubt that for the independent traveller in Laos, any more 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