Road warrior ventures onto paths less traveled
Print Edition
Su Xiaobo, a 40-year-old teacher from Jiading’s Yingyuan Primary School, became an online sensation after writing a diary of his trip to Laos and Thailand.
He traveled with his wife, child and a friend in his Volkswagon Tiguan car. Speaking little English, they started out.
They covered 9,600 kilometers in 20 days and spent 35,000 yuan (US$5,740).
Some said it was not as cheap or as fast as air travel, but Su said they missed the point of the journey.
“The advantage is that we have the freedom to do whatever we want and we are able to see rare beautiful scenes and cultures along the road. That makes the trip unique,” the teacher said.
Starting from Jiading, they toured via Zhuzhou in central China’s Hunan Province and Kunming in southwestern China’s Yunnan Province before entering Laos at Boten Portal.
While in Laos they toured the town of Luang Prabang and Vientiane before driving into Thailand for stops at Khon Kaen, Pattaya and Bangkok.
The preparation for Laos-Thailand trip included designing a route, calculating how much money to take, getting all the proper travel documents and visas, and picking the attractions to see and food to try. But as a seasoned traveler, Su knew “the only thing certain on a trip is uncertainty.”
This proved true when they crossed from Laos into Thailand’s Khon Kaen.
Certainty of uncertainty
Su said he was forced to use his poor English but no one could understand him. He ended up spending 20,000 Lao kips (US$3) to hire someone to prepare the paperwork to enter Laos.
He said the money was well spent as the scalper spent more than two hours getting everything done.
“He was very professional,” Su said with a smile.
Another highlight of the trip was that his feeling of being a millionaire. He exchanged 3,000 yuan for 3.78 million Lao kips.
Holding the money, Su showcased his “wealth” in a photo online, but the replies were mostly the comments in scoffing manner.
“It is a pity that the portrait on the banknotes is not Grandpa Mao.” The portrait of Mao Zedong, aka Grandpa Mao, is printed on 100 Chinese yuan banknote.
The Laotian food also was a big attraction.
“All those seafood, beef, chicken, fruits and vegetables for four of us only cost us 167 yuan at one meal,” he said with satisfaction.
In Vang Vieng they happened to encounter a celebration party. A group of locals were singing, dancing, drinking and eating beside the road.
“I just wanted to see what was happening. When we got out of the car, the villagers surrounded us, offering us delicious food,” Su said.
His family and friend joined in, enjoying the whole afternoon with the villagers.
His only regret was that he never understood what the celebration was for due to the language barrier.
When in Thailand it was difficult for Su to adjust his driving habit, since he had to drive on the opposite side of the road to China.
“One time, after leaving a gasoline station, I started driving on the right hand side of the road out of habit. A running van suddenly appeared in front of us. It scared everyone in the car,” Su recalled. Fortunately, he moved into the correct lane and an accident was avoided.
“Driving tours have some surprising moments that will never be encountered in group tours,” Su said.
On the road from Chiangmai to Long Neck Village in Thailand, there are no road signs for the village and they had to stop several times to ask for directions.
“I did not know how to say ‘Long Neck Village’ in English. Some Thai people had good English but I couldn’t communicate with them.” Su said.
“So I asked the people at the front desk of the hotel we stayed at to print a photo of long-necked women. The locals were so nice and they would like to point the way for us. A motorcyclist even led us the way to a place quite close to the Long Neck Village.”
Passion for road trips
Su’s passion for road trips started in 2007, when he joined a driving club namely Xcar Club. He made trips to Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces and eventually ventured out on longer journeys.
In 2009, he drove to Wenchuan, Sichuan Province, after the area was devastated by a massive earthquake in 2008. He said he was deeply touched by the ruins and the strength of local people in the face of adversity.
In 2010, he drove from Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to Yining, and then from Karamay to Kanas because he wanted to see the Gobi Desert in the region.
In 2012, Su braved the 318 National Highway to check out Lhasa and the Himalayan Mountains in Tibet Autonomous Region.
With these experiences, Su was asked to be a moderator on the Tiguan forum for the Xcar Club’s website.
He compares his driving tours to conquests. “Once you conquer a high mountain, another taller mountain will appear,” Su said with a smile.
Next stop for Su and his family will be Russia. He said he planned to enter Russia from Manzhouli in Heilongjiang Province and return to China via Pakistan.
“But before that, I have to earn more money,” Su said, laughing.
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