Tuk-Tuk Troubles

The other day we went off on a trip to a waterfall in Luang Prabang with some guys we met in Vang Vieng. It should have been a quick ride but almost as soon as it began it seemed doomed. The engine took anywhere between 5-20 goes to start (and we stopped for fuel, and stalled it a couple of times). We then got stuck and had to push it past some muddy patched. We eventually got there and the driver (and 2 of his friends he had happened to pick up on the way) assured us he'd be there to pick us up later in the day.

3:30 PM and we met him as he'd said. I was a bit surprised to see him there, but we had only paid him half his wage.

3:40 PM We got bogged again and tried pushing it up a slope. Sarah stood with the other girls and took a photo or two. N.B. Even Sam, far-right, just eclipsed by Gaz, was pushing despite his broken toe. He was a lot more hesitant about getting it dirty/wet earlier in the day, then a few of the guys fell into the river when a bamboo bridge snapped, and I guess he gave up trying.



We made it up, but the gearbox was screwed... or something. When the driver wanted us to push it on the flat part of the track, we knew something was wrong. So while he again assured us he'd fix it in 5, we started walking.



4ish- A nice (and now 100,000kip/$12-richer) truck driver allowed us to hop in and turned around and hooned back to Luang Prabang. Not an entirely comfortable journey, but a fast one.