Motorcycle diaries - Part 3

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Ben's diary:

An even earlier start this morning as we have much off-roading to do. It's bitterly cold once we are moving, we are both visibly shaking from the wind chill. The first 50km is back where we came from, before turning off onto a dirt road again to climb back up the Plateau proper. This first stretch is spectacular in itself, the cliffs that form the plateau's eastern-most edge tower above us, now on our left. We learn later that behind lies a lake - filling a volcanic crater. The first warmth of the sun's rays is welcome - only coming just before we fill up our tanks in preparation for the most remote section of our trip.

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Soon the road is a track, not wider than one 4*4. It winds through dense jungle, always rising upwards ahead of us. We see very few others in the first few kms and by 5km, none at all. When we stop to take photos and turn the engines off all we can hear is animals. What kinds we don't know.

As we get deeper into the jungle we have at the back of our mind the thought that breaking down here would mean a walk of 20km to the next village. Fingers crossed!

The going is slow as the track is very rough in places with lots of loose stones - which occasionally ping louldy off the bottom of my bike. Coming off is not an option either, as even the most rudimentary healthcare is half a day away by 4*4... assuming one drives past. Our sense of wonder at this magnificent scenery is only heightened by its remoteness.

At 16km we keep our eyes peeled for the first of two waterfalls on this stretch. After a few false alarms we peer off the top of a steep slope and spot a spectacular torrent of water cascading out of the jungle.

2km later we are in serach of another. THis time an oder, clearly now disused, track leads off back and left. THis is it we think and stop the engines. Immediately we are met with a cacophony of deep noise penetrating the trees around us. Must be it! We walk down the track and part the bushes to reveal a gaping hole in the jungle, over which another waterfall runs. The centuries have carved out a crescent in the rock which magnifies teh sound. Spay rises up from the bottom, but the bushes in front of us prevent us from seeing. THis is one truly awesome sight.

It's another 55km to our lunch stop so we get going. We don't pass through another village for another 20km and only see the odd person. The few villages up here don't have many motorbikes parked up. These are the tribes of the Bolevan Plateau we've read about - so cut off from what development is happening in Laos, both physically and culturally.

We arrive at a turning not described by our directions, don't want to go the wrong way here!After some pondering a helpful local points us in the right direction. The last 15km to our lunch stop is paved, but has gaping potholes. Most we weavearound, but... too late! I'm in one. My rucksack flies out of the rack on my motorbike and i'm glad to hold on without damage to the bike. We are tired when we finaly reahc lunch. Riding 100cc motorbikes with thin tyers off road requires concentration!

Very glad for the rest and a feed. Some dude rides by on a carbon Willier with full Lampre kit (bright pink). Seriously did not expect to see that in Laos!! Best bike I've seen all trip.

14km on and we take a small detour to Tat Fan - the last waterfall on this ride. This is perhaps the highest and we have a better view. Once again we can't see the bottom - it is more than 120m high. What makes this particularly beautiful is the split in the river above. We can follow two parallel darts of water for seconds and seconds as they fall.

Another near miss with a piglet aside, the last drag back to Pakse is thankfully quick. We check into our hotel and are glad to get a thorough wash and a rest for our backsides! Unbelievable stuff, without doubt one of the highlights of our trip so far.