Well this marks my first foray into a Communist country (except for my 20 second dash into China). After riding around the capital city of Vientiane, Laos seems to have a tremendous amount of capitalism and religion (Buddhism to be precise), not qualities that one would normally associate with communism, but here they are in all their glory. To be honest, if not for the Hammer and Sickle flags at the border, I would not have realized that the country is communist.
The border crossing into Laos was a little bit trying, personnel at the border control while inefficient, was polite and helpful. To be honest, with the exception of the driving, I have nothing but positive things to say about the Laotians.
The City of Vientiane is quite boring with little to offer, but Laos is not known for its city life, its known for its beautiful landscapes, eco-adventures and mountain riding, which I'm really looking forward to.
My plan is to stay here in Vientiane for the week then head over to Vietnam. Unfortunately, there is no realistic legal way to get Greta (the motorcycle) into the county, so I will store her here, and head over and figure out my travel arrangements through Vietnam on arrival. I will stay there a month, then come back and ride Northern Laos with a buddy of mine from the USA. I am very much looking forward to the next couple of weeks,. It should be fun.
Odd Fact: Even though Laos is a second world country, they do have a knockoff Costco. The store is just as big, has a similar layout. but less variety (well, with the exception of Ramen noodles, there is an entire giant isle of those).
Leg Distance: 1,028 mi ( 1,658 km)
The border crossing into Laos was a little bit trying, personnel at the border control while inefficient, was polite and helpful. To be honest, with the exception of the driving, I have nothing but positive things to say about the Laotians.
The City of Vientiane is quite boring with little to offer, but Laos is not known for its city life, its known for its beautiful landscapes, eco-adventures and mountain riding, which I'm really looking forward to.
My plan is to stay here in Vientiane for the week then head over to Vietnam. Unfortunately, there is no realistic legal way to get Greta (the motorcycle) into the county, so I will store her here, and head over and figure out my travel arrangements through Vietnam on arrival. I will stay there a month, then come back and ride Northern Laos with a buddy of mine from the USA. I am very much looking forward to the next couple of weeks,. It should be fun.
Odd Fact: Even though Laos is a second world country, they do have a knockoff Costco. The store is just as big, has a similar layout. but less variety (well, with the exception of Ramen noodles, there is an entire giant isle of those).
Leg Distance: 1,028 mi ( 1,658 km)
Total Distance Traveled by Motorcycle: 34,565 mi (55,750 km)
Countries/Territories Visited: USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Transnistria, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China (for 20 seconds), India, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos
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