Laos: summary and route

We found most of Laos to be fantastic for cycling. We were particularly charmed by our first few days from Pakbeng, and highly recommend this route. Incredibly friendly people, who have almost nothing. Luang Prabang is lovely but does not feel very Lao after the above! The section to Vang Vieng is also incredible - the scenery really is awe-inspiring. We liked Vientiane but, other than that, the section from Vang Vieng to route 8 wasn't brilliant - maybe we had been spoiled by our earlier riding.

On the whole, the roads were pretty good - especially route 13, which (I am told) receives plenty of TLC from China. Guesthouses are plentiful - often a bit basic / rundown, but usually clean enough. There are also tons of restaurants and small shops - everyone is trying to eke out a living. The welcome we received was variable - kids would holler from the roadside freely enough, but people in guesthouses / restaurants were sometimes a little distant. We suspect that this was more down to the language barrier than anything. However, in some places, proprietors would look like we'd literally made their day simply by turning up.

We saw few tourists outside the main centres (aside from a few cyclists!) although this did pick up once we hit 'the loop' (we just cycled the northern 'edge' of it, route 8).