Anyone is welcome on this adventure to Laos… the Land of a Million Elephants. Join experts… Don Duval and Bob Dennard exploring the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail and areas of Northern Laos.
Don has spent 10+ years riding and mapping the Ho Chi Minh Trail. He probably knows it better than anyone alive. Bob has spent the better part of his adult life researching and learning about the “Secret War.” Don Lives there now… Bob was there back then.
Fifty years ago the Second Indochina War was raging. American troop strength reached 554,000 in Vietnam. The main flow of men, weapons, and supplies to the Communist backed forces in South Vietnam came down the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos. American and allied aircraft bombed “The Trail” night and day throughout the war. In Bob’s words:
I was there… no not on the trail, but close by at a little garden spot hogged out of the jungle in a place we called Naked Fanny. The real name was Nakhon Phanom. It was an air base used by the USAF Air Commandos to mount air strikes throughout Laos; primarily the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Our job was to stop the supplies and weapons that were intended to kill Americans in South Vietnam. We did our job to the best of our ability.
I couldn’t set foot in Laos then. This is the opportunity to see “The Trail” for myself… up close and personal. This is for the few who want to see it for themselves.
Laos is at peace today. Much of the bomb scared land has recovered and has returned to its breathtaking beauty. Rural areas still maintain the old traditions even though modernization is creeping in. You’ll see weaving looms as they were centuries ago beside satellite dishes bringing in internet and CNN. And… you’ll see land where the pock-marks from all the bombing is still seen today.
We will be riding the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail where for ten years it was a life and death struggle between massive air-power and sheer determination.
Our ride will take us on two loops… the Northern loop will include the Plane of Jars (PDJ) and the “Lima Site” areas used by the US to support the Royal Laotian forces. The Northern loop will cover about 780 miles in 8 days. That leaves us plenty of time to explore. The Ho Chi Minh Trail Loop will cover about 760 miles, also in 8 days. (Two additional days may be added to the Ho Chi Minh Trail Loop)
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This is not an ordinary tour where each stop is carefully planned and booked in advance with a set time-table. Instead, there’s only a general plan of areas to explore. Enough time is included so we’ll go where our interests take us. We might even chase rabbits down their holes. It’s sorta like our parents told us… “just be back before dark”… in this case, back in time for flights home.
This is not for the meek or timid. If your idea of an adventure is seeing the parrots and monkeys in their cages while on a cruise ship tour in the Caribbean, then this isn’t for you. I’m not knocking cruises… I love them… however there will be no Lido deck, no hot-tubs… no spas on this adventure through Laos.
If… however… your idea of an adventure is going where tour groups never go, then this may be for you. This is no ordinary tour group. It is for a few adventurers who aren’t afraid to get off the beaten path and go where few ever go.
Click on the links on the top-right-hand column of this page to see much more information about the places we’ll go.
The adventure begins in February, 2020. Don’t miss out on the stories you will tell for the rest of your life.
For more information contact rdennard@memoriesofnakedfanny.com
or contact Don Duval at www.laosgpsmap.com
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