Blade Biter's Tasting Notes

[lasta]

Quite the trip my friend! Amazing photos so thanks for sharing.


Two out of three for me since last week. Also brother in arms outside of shaving!


Get a nice massage (although I think the Eastern ones do not acknowledge the word gentle!) recoup and then hit the road again (only in the proverbial sense rather than through potholes!!)

Wait, sorry, but I'm looking through the journal and not finding it. What happened to you? Who hurt you Guido?

As for the massage, I had 2! First place the tiny lady was far from strong enough to bend my unfortunately oversized frame.

But second male masseur was packing! I don't remember seeing bruises on my lower leg going in, but they are there now!

 

[Guido75]

What happened to you? Who hurt you Guido?

Did it myself - made a wrong move during warming up (which actually should prevent these injuries!) and snap! Had I turned left all would have been well. But alas, turned right. It’s doable now with walking, but last week was no fun at all.

 

[lasta]

Did it myself - made a wrong move during warming up (which actually should prevent these injuries!) and snap! Had I turned left all would have been well. But alas, turned right. It’s doable now with walking, but last week was no fun at all.

Glad to hear that Guido, I know you like your pain served sharp and enduring!

I'm sure you'll be glad to gloat that my pain satisfaction is lesser than yours. I can still limp to the bike and my right fingers, while having zero lateral strength (no pens, no chopsticks), can still grip the throttle and brakes just fine!

Short trips outside town means this trip wasn't a complete waste.

 

[thombrogan]

Hoping you feel better soon and enjoy the rest of your vacation, Leben. Do they celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving in Laos? Did you tell everyone they could and promise wouldn’t shame them for cultural appropriation?

 

[lasta]

Hoping you feel better soon and enjoy the rest of your vacation, Leben. Do they celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving in Laos? Did you tell everyone they could and promise wouldn’t shame them for cultural appropriation?

My experience is that communists don't celebrate Thanksgiving...

But there are a lot of turkeys and buffalo running around on the road. I'm sure if I ask nicely, they wouldn't mind killing a few of them!

 

[thombrogan]

“I’m hungry and homesick…” *points at water buffalo* “…buddy?”

 

[blethenstrom]

Look here, when I don't have to drive and work like today I can let myself go with wine.
A bottle of white wine has been saved for the time being.


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I'll take your advice to avoid beer, it makes the long beard grow faster.

Faster growing beard = more shaving => win-win

 

[spacemonkey42]

Be careful, Leben. You're worth much more than any ride. I too ride motorcycles. Some say I am a fair-weather rider and I say, YES! Riding is dangerous, I don't take chances. Please take good care of yourself, my friend.

 

[Alum Ladd]

Greatly enjoyed your great posts and pictures from your recent roadtrips Leben @lasta !

Well described and wittily narrated. Bravo as always!

In other news. I accept the recent titles bestowed on me at the GSB cult centre. I wish to be Librarian and Historian, and interpreter of wrappers.

I have ordered another 100 2018-19 NOS, which I believe takes my stash to a modest 270 now. All are the old stock. It may be 300.

A fine blade indeed.

You must get to know them, and they will fully reward your friendship and curiousity. Loyal and excellent blades for those with good taste.

 

[Eric_75]

In other news. I accept the recent titles bestowed on me at the GSB cult centre. I wish to be Librarian and Historian, and interpreter of wrappers.

I have ordered another 100 2018-19 NOS, which I believe takes my stash to a modest 270 now. All are the old stock. It may be 300.

Well, that just made my day, Simon.

 

[blethenstrom]

Greatly enjoyed your great posts and pictures from your recent roadtrips Leben @lasta !

Well described and wittily narrated. Bravo as always!

In other news. I accept the recent titles bestowed on me at the GSB cult centre. I wish to be Librarian and Historian, and interpreter of wrappers.

I have ordered another 100 2018-19 NOS, which I believe takes my stash to a modest 270 now. All are the old stock. It may be 300.

A fine blade indeed.

You must get to know them, and they will fully reward your friendship and curiousity. Loyal and excellent blades for those with good taste.

This is awful news!

 

[Eric_75]

Pay no mind to the heretics, Simon. I've got your back.

Leben, can we update the list with Simon's titles?

 

[Pinto90]

Faster growing beard = more shaving => win-win

Your reasoning is correct!

Faster growing beard = more shaving => win-win => many GSB blade accumulations

Well, still a small step but you are well on your way to converting to the beloved GSB blade.

 

[WhiskerLess]

Have fun Lebin, great photos!
Aside from food, coffee in Vietnam is worth trying too.

 

[BigAlVista]

A bit of a trip update, I've been staying in Vang Vieng for the past 4 and half days.

While cleaned up significantly over the past few years, Vang Vieng used to be known as a sketchy tourist town where gap year college students come to drink beer and smoke weed while drifting downstream sitting inside a tire/inner tube. Many of them drowned.

I only planned on passing through this place to rent a bike and be on my way. In fact, I should be in Luang Prabang right now, the historical, cultural and culinary center of Laos.

However, due to a series of accidents, fatigue and maybe even some supernatural events, I found myself in Vang Vieng again, resting up my half destroyed body.

Pulled calf muscles, sprained knee, bruised shoulder and a numb hand...all on the right side! Needless to say, I'm not exactly fit enough to grind up against bikini clad coeds!

I had initially planned on making a 185KM journey to Luang Prabang through the mountainous Route 4. Road conditions are notoriously bad in Laos, but during my research and looking at the (very few) Google map snapshots, the path didn't look too menacing.

I think I know now that it is because everyone else was just like me, too busy holding on to their dear lives to take any pictures along the route!

Normal roads here are bad, but the mountain roads are downright dangerous! Think portions of 30 degree incline, sharp turns and potholes deep enough to be fox holes every 500 meters. Sometimes all three combined! Kudos to the fearless cargo truck drivers making the trip almost every day!

After a light drizzle, or even leaks from water-cooled big rigs, some of the pot/fox-holes turn into mud. I've witness 2 trucks scrape their Mansfield bars when their rear tire got into one of those holes. I guess that's why holes in Laos keep on getting bigger!

The mountain path started a few KMs north-west of Kasi. Most of the uphill, while thrilling, wasn't particularly challenging. There were a few portions where I had to climb on first gear, but generally speaking, the small rental motorbike handled uphill just fine.

Downhill was where things got scary.

I'm a very inexperienced rider. It would be great to hear from you veteran tourers how you deal with long stretches of down hill without the engine and brakes burning out!

If the road condition was reliable, I suppose I could have maintained a reasonable speed while occasionally feathering the brakes. But here, I wouldn't trust myself going faster than 20 km/h on any stretch. Especially considering there may be another 100m of potholes waiting for me at every corner! First the engine overheated, then the brakes, eventually, I had to make a few slow-downs with my legs. I think I made at least 6-7 brake and engine "cooldown" stops during the descent.

I fell 3 times on the way down.

First was a rookie mistake, I approached a pothole section too fast, rear brake wasn't enough and I tapped the front brake while inside the hole. Needless to say, slip and fall. No injuries, got back up and kept going.

Second time was due to overconfidence. I followed a big truck for more than 5 minutes. It was throwing up dust everywhere. Saw a clean straight section and tried to overtake. I was just under the drivers window when I saw a dirt/pothole section approaching. I slowed down gradually to an OK safe speed, but the front wheel hit a side-ridge (valley walls left by truck tires) on the dirt and started sliding down. I tried to compensate, but couldn't get any grip on either the left or right walls (too deep). After a few wobbles, I fell to the right.

I did roll out of there fast enough and the driver stopped in time, so no real danger. But seeing the underside of a moving 18 wheeler, even if for a fraction of a second, was damn near terrifying!

Third was a difficult turn that anyone could have fell. Descending sharp turn on giant potholed dirt. Slow speed, no front brake, ride the ridge between bomb craters. Textbook stuff. Maybe I was too cautious, too slow, lost balance, front wheel slid into the crater, follow by the rear and I fell shoulder first into a side ditch. Caught the right knee on the way down and landed in my shoulder/head. Glad I wore a helmet, a shame I turned down the kneepads!

Anyways, I was successful in reaching the peak near viewpoint Col, where I took this picture.

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And I remember very clearly a partially finished road (concrete foundation only) with a 90 degree descending turn marked by the grey circle. 2/3 of the way and only 10-15km to flat terrain!

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But...After one of the cooldown stops, I must have gotten back on and went the wrong direction. Because I took this picture in the morning, near a truck pit stop not far from Kasi. A partially dry riverbed, very picturesque.

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When I saw it again, I was dumbfounded! I do not remember going past the partially finished concrete road, I do not remember seeing Col's viewpoint again, and there was no intersections or loops on any map that could have taken me back without going past those two landmarks. Yet I found myself where I started in the morning!

I could have had a few days to plan another route, or psyche myself up for the trip back. But somehow, I've been teleported and forced to do the most dangerous section twice in one day with nothing to show for it!

No way was I confident enough to try round two at night.

Good news was I came across a nice guesthouse run by a very friend young Italian-Laotian couple. Riverside hilted wooden cabins, **** crows in the morning and eggs fresh from the pen. If I come back to Laos again, I would definitely plan a trip along this stay again. The drive up to the guesthouse was absolutely stunning and far away from the city bustle.

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I would have stayed there, but I needed air conditioning and preferably somewhere within limping distance to a massage shop. So I hopped on the bike and made the 55km journey back to civilization.

Outstanding travel log, Leben. Your stories remind me a bit of Top Gear and Grand Tour, with a hint of Anthony Bourdain.

 

[lasta]

One more for the road!


I arrived in capital Vientiane in the afternoon. Had ~$30 in equivalent local currency and was very surprised how hard to spend it all!

Two full meals, some snacks and about 5 beers and I still have (hopefully) enough for a tuk tuk ride to the airport!

I must say, I should have spent the last 4 days in the capital instead. This place is much more alive. So much to do, so much to eat, so little time!

 

[blethenstrom]

One more for the road!
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I arrived in capital Vientiane in the afternoon. Had ~$30 in equivalent local currency and was very surprised how hard to spend it all!

Two full meals, some snacks and about 5 beers and I still have (hopefully) enough for a tuk tuk ride to the airport!

I must say, I should have spent the last 4 days in the capital instead. This place is much more alive. So much to do, so much to eat, so little time!

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5 beers? I would never have made it to the airport. Yep I am a light weight.

 

[lasta]

5 beers? I would never have made it to the airport. Yep I am a light weight.

Next time the wife goes on her spa retreat, come to Asia!

All the beer and GSB you can consume, guaranteed!

 

[lasta]

BTW, I put in 25000 steps with 1 and a half legs!

Slow, medium length steps with plenty of waist sway (AKA Connor McGregor strut) and I can go on forever!

Yes, I strutted around the Lao capital like a drunk Irishman.

 

[blethenstrom]

Next time the wife goes on her spa retreat, come to Asia!

All the beer and GSB you can consume, guaranteed!

I see how it goes. Get me loaded and then get me hooked on GSB. As they say the first one is always free.