Greasy red mud roads. I did all of Laos on my own. They all tried to enter at Chang Khong, but were daunted by the conditions, and turned back. I had a KTM, which revels in these conditions. They had a BMW 1100GS, and two Honda Africa Twins, all very heavy bikes.
Horsts bike, getting down and getting dirty.
Gernot in the background. Photo by Horst. 0362. This may give you an idea how slippery the roads are. This truck was coming down a small decent when it lost traction on the rear wheels and slid into a gutter and tipped over, spilling it's load of coal. These trucks run from a small open cut mine to the river, where it is loaded onto river boats to be shipped down the Mekong.