Back onto the road, and headed towards the Laos/Thai border in the NW of Laos. Along Route 3.

This road is truly spectacular. If you happen to find yourself at a loose end, and have a couple of spare days, pop over here with your motor and "do" this road.

Although these pictures do it some justice, some sections were cut out of the side of a mountain, with a track only just sufficiently wide to take the truck. In the wet-season, this road is classified (as much as anything is "classified" in Laos) as a "4WD route". Even then, the side slopes, cut into the mountainside and sloping downhill, covered with a slippery clay surface would require you to be carrying more than a single spare pair of underpants.

Tell me that this doesn't turn you on, and I'll call the undertaker for you - your lights must have gone out.

Camping out in clearings next to this road, the noise at night from the wildlife was fantastic. I don't know what was out there, but it definitely wasn't sleeping.

One of the river crossings. The others were all fords, but this one had a wooden bridge.

Like putting a toe into the bath to test the water, you inch your front axle onto the first timber...

Now, the observant ones amongst you will notice that the bike is now back on the roof.

Personally, I hold it responsible for the trailer split. Just because it lost its aerial view of the journey when it was relegated to the back of the trailer, it decided to cause as much trouble as possible, and snapped the A-frame.

To calm things down, I chucked it back on the roof and dragged it through as much vegetation as possible. It's now seen sense, and has had itself a nice rack made which fixes better onto the back of the trailer.

Where did it have it made? Chiang Mai, Thailand. Yes, I'm back in Chiang Mai at the moment.

Clear the roads though: I'm moving south next.