I’ll be arriving in Thailand in November and decided to rewatch your videos of SE Asia. You produce some great content which is invaluable for us relatively new cycle tourers, thanks for sharing your adventures 😊
Maybe it's a bit sad given the spectacular views, friendly people, great riding, rich culture and so on - but one of the main things I'm looking forward to doing in SE Asia is eating ALL THE FOOD! Great to see you guys enjoying the grub! Looks like heaven!
Rewatching this from my $5 fan room in Muang Mai, Laos after crossing the border from Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam. I've been riding the north of Vietnam for about 3 weeks and excited to now explore Laos. I'm also riding with a HiViz Da Brim - it's kinda goofy looking but it's nice to always be in the shade.
Looks like a special place to ride bikes! How did you go about finding accommodation? I guess like a lot of travellers this occupies a lot of our daily thought time 😂
Hello Andrew and Jenny. Apologies if this has been covered but I really like the videos even when riding the stabilising clarity of your videos are spoton. I have taken alook on your website , playlist and packing list. My question is what are you using to capture the videos whike pedaling i dont see a difference in quality even though different model mbs and you have a fuji cheers
Of the countries in SEAsia, which offers the highest enjoyment/beauty to effort value? Which one is >the< country to cycle tour in? I was in Luang Prabang 17 years ago and was already a bit of a tourist zoo. Couldn't imagine today.
Depends what you want. Laos likely is the least developed, on average (also the only landlocked one in the ASEAN countries). That means it is going to be one of the roughest to bike through. It is NOT an entirely impoverished all around. At the individual level, for example, there are tons of Lexus, BMWs, & other high priced luxurious vehicles on the road... but it's just that at the infrastructure level, Laos just doesn't have enough resources, civil engineering, and experience to do any major thing, unless the Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, or Japanese get involved... (That allowed the Chinese to have bought up giant tracks of the more fertile lands all over Laos, for modern mono crops, to be tended by poor Hmong and Lao farmers, at next to no cost for the Chinese... but mono crops are are to be transport back to China upon harvest... The "modern highway" stretches from southern China/Yunnan, through Luangprabang, to Vientiane, for example, were done by Chinese... allowing, again, them to "lease" all most prime lands for nothing from the local government officials.) Anyway, Laos under-development may also mean it could be one of the most ideal countries to bike through, that is, if you're truly an adventurer where Western like luxuries can be temporarily put on hold, so you could see, hear, and taste both local foods and rugged, less developed topography. But, as you said, tourist cities like Luangprabang, Vientiane, etc. are virtually identical to all other mid sized to large tourist-bound cities from anywhere around the world... so, again, you will have to decide what YOU want... not what others want. (BTW, I was born just a bit north of Luangprabang... but I left Laos as a first grader at the end of the war. Have never returned to Laos, since... so other than seeing tons of TH-camrs from Laos showing the various aspects of daily lives, I personally have no firmer grasp on actual things on the ground than does any foreigner... although I do speak/read/write both Hmong and Lao, decently, so when I see or hear things/people, I could immediately much more ID them, as compared to a complete foreigner who has little to no understanding of the languages & cultures there, in Laos or in Thailand, the two most similar countries in SE Asia, due to their common linguistic & cultural history...)
Belated happy birthday Andrew, Laos is so beautiful but its a shame about the dust though! The kids were amazing giving the high 5's and how awesome were the kids on the bikes, oh to be young again 😂Another fantastic video guys👍
Thank you! The dust was definitely tough to handle day after day, those trucks really beat up the roads 😓 The kids were so great though, they kept us in a good mood!
Our main consideration is how far we need to go to reach more food shops, since this determines how much food we have to carry for the day. We also look at the elevation profile to get a sense of what distance/elevation gain is reasonable. In SE Asia we would also check how far to the next guest house to determine if we'd need to camp or not.
It is a country where the people of are modest means, but what really surprised me is how well kept the roads are. There is no garbage on the streets, even in the villages. I think the dust will be a great sunscreen!
This is the year 2023, stop generalizing people. Moreover, not all Asians in Thailand are Thai citizens. Half of workers in tourism / Chinese restaurants are from neighboring countries. My country is the first country our neighbors think of when they want to escape from their own country, we have a chip on shoulder or a friendly country actually?
I’ll be arriving in Thailand in November and decided to rewatch your videos of SE Asia. You produce some great content which is invaluable for us relatively new cycle tourers, thanks for sharing your adventures 😊
Such fantastic videos, I'm really enjoying them! Thanks so much for sharing with us!
I went mid rain season landslides everwhere beautiful green
Yeah we've heard the rainy season is quite a different experience!
I really love your videos guys, good work!!
This is very inspiring❤
Traveled trough Laos a decade ago, this makes me want to go back on a bike.
Maybe it's a bit sad given the spectacular views, friendly people, great riding, rich culture and so on - but one of the main things I'm looking forward to doing in SE Asia is eating ALL THE FOOD!
Great to see you guys enjoying the grub! Looks like heaven!
The food is most definitely a huge highlight!! 😋
That's one of the main reasons for visiting SE Asia. Food in Thailand and Vietnam is amazing!
Is that all? 😂
Wow, what a ride. I would've never even thought of going through Laos but your video really showcased a different world. Excellent work as always.
Rewatching this from my $5 fan room in Muang Mai, Laos after crossing the border from Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam. I've been riding the north of Vietnam for about 3 weeks and excited to now explore Laos. I'm also riding with a HiViz Da Brim - it's kinda goofy looking but it's nice to always be in the shade.
So nice riding
شكرا❤❤
Looks like a special place to ride bikes! How did you go about finding accommodation? I guess like a lot of travellers this occupies a lot of our daily thought time 😂
Love the scenery and the narration. This video is a great to watch.
Awesome
Good jobs! Interesting background music, though.
Hello Andrew and Jenny.
Apologies if this has been covered but I really like the videos even when riding the stabilising clarity of your videos are spoton.
I have taken alook on your website , playlist and packing list.
My question is what are you using to capture the videos whike pedaling i dont see a difference in quality even though different model mbs and you have a fuji cheers
Beautiful
Of the countries in SEAsia, which offers the highest enjoyment/beauty to effort value? Which one is >the< country to cycle tour in?
I was in Luang Prabang 17 years ago and was already a bit of a tourist zoo. Couldn't imagine today.
Depends what you want. Laos likely is the least developed, on average (also the only landlocked one in the ASEAN countries). That means it is going to be one of the roughest to bike through.
It is NOT an entirely impoverished all around. At the individual level, for example, there are tons of Lexus, BMWs, & other high priced luxurious vehicles on the road... but it's just that at the infrastructure level, Laos just doesn't have enough resources, civil engineering, and experience to do any major thing, unless the Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, or Japanese get involved...
(That allowed the Chinese to have bought up giant tracks of the more fertile lands all over Laos, for modern mono crops, to be tended by poor Hmong and Lao farmers, at next to no cost for the Chinese... but mono crops are are to be transport back to China upon harvest... The "modern highway" stretches from southern China/Yunnan, through Luangprabang, to Vientiane, for example, were done by Chinese... allowing, again, them to "lease" all most prime lands for nothing from the local government officials.)
Anyway, Laos under-development may also mean it could be one of the most ideal countries to bike through, that is, if you're truly an adventurer where Western like luxuries can be temporarily put on hold, so you could see, hear, and taste both local foods and rugged, less developed topography.
But, as you said, tourist cities like Luangprabang, Vientiane, etc. are virtually identical to all other mid sized to large tourist-bound cities from anywhere around the world... so, again, you will have to decide what YOU want... not what others want.
(BTW, I was born just a bit north of Luangprabang... but I left Laos as a first grader at the end of the war. Have never returned to Laos, since... so other than seeing tons of TH-camrs from Laos showing the various aspects of daily lives, I personally have no firmer grasp on actual things on the ground than does any foreigner... although I do speak/read/write both Hmong and Lao, decently, so when I see or hear things/people, I could immediately much more ID them, as compared to a complete foreigner who has little to no understanding of the languages & cultures there, in Laos or in Thailand, the two most similar countries in SE Asia, due to their common linguistic & cultural history...)
Reminds me my trips in Lao! Have a sweet ride!
What photographic equipment do you use (go pro ?)
GoPro Hero 8 for the moving shots, Fuji X-T4 for static shots.
Thanks
Marvelous keep on enjoying your ride... make yourself happy its always within you.. Be safe
Great stuff as always. ❤
Jupiter's Travels for the bike packing generation......
Guess your tires were wider than the gaps in the planks on the bridge 😮
Great video as usual! Safe travels.
Yeah those types of bridges always feel kind of sketchy on a bike! 😅
nice video guys
Belated happy birthday Andrew, Laos is so beautiful but its a shame about the dust though! The kids were amazing giving the high 5's and how awesome were the kids on the bikes, oh to be young again 😂Another fantastic video guys👍
Thank you! The dust was definitely tough to handle day after day, those trucks really beat up the roads 😓 The kids were so great though, they kept us in a good mood!
I’d love to see more on the food there.
What are in your checklist each time you are about to head out from where you stay for the night? Are these considered whenever you plan your route?
Our main consideration is how far we need to go to reach more food shops, since this determines how much food we have to carry for the day. We also look at the elevation profile to get a sense of what distance/elevation gain is reasonable. In SE Asia we would also check how far to the next guest house to determine if we'd need to camp or not.
👍
How about Myanmar?
It is a country where the people of are modest means, but what really surprised me is how well kept the roads are. There is no garbage on the streets, even in the villages. I think the dust will be a great sunscreen!
Nice videos, I'm not a big fan of long steep climbing.
It was definitely challenging terrain for cycling!
come and visit China.
yes the people in laos are so much friendlier than the thais, plus they dont have a chip on their shoulder
This is the year 2023, stop generalizing people. Moreover, not all Asians in Thailand are Thai citizens. Half of workers in tourism / Chinese restaurants are from neighboring countries. My country is the first country our neighbors think of when they want to escape from their own country, we have a chip on shoulder or a friendly country actually?
Please leave this attitude in your own country, we already have enough of our own problems.
Moreover, foreign tourists won't encountered any Thais start gossiping neighbors, that's uncultured.
@@mtha7796 ha ha ha or should i say it in thai ? 555555 you speak like a typical thai, so to that i say to you quan teen panyaon thai