The Mekong is a great and mighty river that feeds into China, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia and is one of the great rivers of the world. The rally intended to show the best part of this vast region, rich in culture and Unesco World Heritage sites. The participants came from eight different countries including the UK, Belgium, Hong Kong, New Zealand, France, Liechtenstein, Finland and Thailand.
We started with 14 cars out of the quaint little village of Hoi An, in central Vietnam, to make our way along the East Sea coast to the Imperial city of Hue and going up to the resort town of Dong Hoi following the HoChiMinh trail.
After a few adjustments on some of the cars we made our ways to Hue, through fish and shrimp farms and colorful, amazing cemeteries that looked like empty amusement parks. The going up along the green lush HCM trail was a nice introduction to accommodate the drivers to the swirling roads. One of the Beetles gave us a bit of work and passed the Laos border on a flatbed truck. Problems with the fuel pump!
The Laos part along the Mekong went like clockwork all the way to Phonsavan, home of the famous Plain of Jars, but also an area that was heavily bombed during the Vietnam war by the Americans. A small but explicit museum allowed us to understand the suffering of the local population, but also their determination to move forward. A lot of smiling kids along the roads and rice farming. Tough day for the 1926 Bentley, going through a long dusty day with occasional rain drops and …. never putting their roof up. Good job on the side of Erich and Oliver … always with high spirits. Gin and tonics on arrival was a relief.
The next day after a stint at the Plain of Jars, we drove down to the beautiful city Luang Prabang. On the way, our doctor got to do the only intervention for the whole trip. In a village, a little girl got hit by a machete with a deep wound. Doctor Luc took the time to fix it all to make her safe and ready to go home with her mother and little brothers. The Kiwi Porsche got into a kiss with a local truck that damaged the right fender but without breaking the headlights. Knowing how the Chinese can be difficult, we had to mend the Porsche before getting through the border.
A well-deserved 2 days in Luang Prabang was on the agenda. Time for all cars to be inspected in the garage in front of the hotel. The results, the Porsche fender got completely redone, the Mercedes got some welding on the front axle, the Belgian Pagoda got its electric problem solved and the rest of the cars little problems got fixed. All cars were washed and were ready to start China, except for the Thai Mercedes, who gave up due to electronic failure and stayed behind.
As the Chinese are building the high speed train in Laos, the conditions of the road was pretty bad for the first 50 km. Upon reaching Oudomxay and the wonderful Eco resort along the small river, we were in for a treat with the local Lamu tribe and a wonderful performance at dinner.
After 100 km, we finally reached Boten, the Lao border city leased to the Chinese for 30 years. Construction, trucks, dust, casino and empty buildings along the Chinese border.
After a couple of hours, we were driving into China and to the city of Mengla. All cars passed through the technical control and drivers were given their Chinese driving licenses. The Thai team received their rental car and we are now underway for 11 days of Chinese driving through the thousands of radar speed check, highway and high speed train constructions along the roads.
We stayed in beautiful, luxurious and more typical hotels and resorts, like the Anantara in Menglun or the ethnic Wa tribe owned resort, Misty resort where we experienced a beautiful encounter with the ethnic staff and a fun traditional dinner.
After a quick interview with a local TV station, we got underway for a great driving half-day through scenic tea plantations to arrive at a the hotel owned by no other than the Alibaba boss, a wonderful resort called the Nest, situated on a mountain side in the middle of a tea plantation. After all those days driving, a little walk among the tea plantations with local guides was more than welcome.
Day 12, was another encounter with the Mekong River with a lovely scenic drive along the Mekong river system and the multiple dams on the journey. A few problems with the Austin-Healey and the French Porsche… which took our expert mechanics a little time to fix, and … back on the road !
The next day was a very short drive to Dali, the wonderful though touristic ancient walled city with its stone houses and little stream going down towards the Erhai Lake. A great afternoon of visits and … shopping!
Leaving Dali was a long but rewarding day, spending time with the local Bai community driving through villages and having coffee with an elderly couple that not only open their house but also their heart to all of us. A must along the way, Tiger Leaping Gorge was amazing. We then started climbing towards the Himalaya and the holy city of Shangri-La situated at 3,300 meters elevation. A small ceremony was arranged at a small monastery where all drivers got to hang their wishes and their prayer flags, which we could see flying in the wind on departure. The last part, drivers had to watch for free running yaks crossing the road.
Shangri-La is a nice city situated on the road to Lhasa, Tibet and the population is mainly Tibetan. Our amazing hotel is situated right in the back of the famous Sumtseling Monastery. Built of stone, you can certainly enjoy the nice views over the Monastery and the lake. While some people suffered from the altitude, some cars also had to be checked.
On Day 15, we gathered all the cars for a famous rally photo in front of the monastery…. We had made it to Shangri-La!
After a guided visit of the Monastery, a scenic winding road took us back down the mountain through some of the most beautiful scenic spots along a brand new winding road down to the Yangtsi river before stopping at the Snub-nose Monkey Natl. Park. Unfortunately, it seems they were out on vacation, so we saw them only that night on each bed!
After a lovely lunch in a retreat among the rice terraces, we made our way to the wonderful ancient city of Lijiang, made of a maze of wooden houses. The couple of nights at the Banyan Tree was the perfect stop. Cars were rechecked, and participants got to go for shopping, massage, Jacuzzi, resting and cigar smoking with a drink at our famous “Club House”! A perfect winning solution!
We left Lijiang and crossed over to the Sichuan Province and the industrial city of Panzhihua. The next day was an emotional one when our Kiwi couple had to go home for family reasons. We knew we were going to miss them. We drove to the Yanmou Earth forest, a wonderful national park, a natural landscape formed by natural erosion.
A lovely picnic basket was given, and time to visit this natural wonder. After lunch, the highway drive through the capital city of Yunnan, Kunming and its 6.6 million people, proved to be too much for a second Beetle… the car stopped right in the middle of the highway during rush hour, causing a lot of attention from the locals, however a dynamo change did the trick. All arrived at the Hilton Fuxian Lake, a wonderful property situated on the lake in time for a drink at our Club House on the top floor.
When we left the next morning on day 19, we did not expected the rain to stop and give us wonderful sunny photos of the lake, the second largest fresh water lake in China. Lunch was in an exceptional boutique hotel in the city of Jianshui, a traditional-style house made of carved wood and stone … just amazingly beautiful.
After lunch, the road although very scenic was also the road with different unforeseen stops due to either a truck accident or road work that made us stop in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, most cars stuck together and made it for a fun time among the participants in the middle of nowhere. We still made it just in time to see some lights over the Unesco World Heritage rice terraces of Yuanyang. A fantastic array of colors shining on the water-filled rice terraces. That night we all toasted to the Chinese team with a glass of Rice wine—Ganbei! On the mechanics side, they also had to fix the muffler of the Austin-Healey that decided to make some noise.
Our Day 20, was the border crossing back into Vietnam, and another experience with the Chinese administration. Our baggage got transported on the back of fully loaded Vietnamese bicycles just to cross the 300 meter bridge that separate the two countries. Co-pilots walked the bridge, while the drivers passed at low speed from Hekou to Lao Cai.
From the border it was a small 30 km drive to the famous town of Sapa and its amazing rice terraces. The new MGallery hotel proved to be a hit by itself. This Art Deco wonder was full of surprises including the chandeliers of the indoor swimming pool.
On the last stretch to Halong Bay, our minds were certainly not focused on the speed limit and we got a friendly reminder from the local highway police that 80 Km/h on the highway did not mean 120!
After 22 days and more than 5,000 km, all cars arrived on time, in Halong and the final welcome with a glass of Gin and cold towels.
On day 23, all cars were driven in a convoy to the port of Haiphong for the shipping back of the vehicles. All participants then boarded the Paradise Elegance cruise ship for the last memorable night in the middle of Halong Bay, final speeches, awards ceremony and dancing under the stars.
All in all, the Mekong Road Classic proved to be a wonderful discovery through the region of this mighty river. Through the miles of driving, we saw the famous cultural sights, the scenic winding roads, the remains of the Vietnam War, the crazy Chinese developments, and the smiles on the kids faces… always a winner.
Thanks to all the people involved in Vietnam, Laos and China… we made it to Shangri-La !
